Philippines: Black Pencil Project

The following is a guest post from Cecil Tizon from Manila. We at Breadpig were inspired by her story of how hobbyist travelers found a way to make a difference by providing an informal infrastructure for transporting goods. If you have inspiring stories about your community that you'd like to share with other legionnaires, please send them to me at christina@breadpig for consideration.

It started with three friends, a trek to a far-off rural community, and a bunch of pencils.

The founders of the Black Pencil Project

Mon Corpuz, Edwin Karganilla, and Zer Cabatuan have day jobs - a procurement manager, an art director, and an R&D engineer. The common thing that bound their friendship is a keen interest in photography.

Two years ago, they set off to trek Banaue, Ifugao. It is a nine-hour road trip from Manila and another six-hour hike. It is a trip willing to be taken by many traveler-photographers because the region is known for its breathtaking amphitheater rice terraces.

Almost as an afterthought, the group decided to bring along with them a bag of pencils to give to the kids of the small community because school just opened then. They were black pencils - the type that young pupils use because of their size and grip.

What they were not expecting was how the gratitude and hospitality of the people would captivate them more than the awesome landscape. Their humble gifts were received with warmth by the locals, many of whom are poor and have very limited access to supplies. When night came, the children lit a bonfire and began to sing folk and love songs in their dialect. The three friends were their only audience.

The group were overwhelmed by the community's response and decided to come back and help more. They shared their meaningful experience online through their blogs, videos, and pictures. A lot of people in their network were inspired and wanted to help. They came back to Ifugao with rearranged priorities. Helping the kids came first.

This is how the Black Pencil Project started. With the help of private individuals, mountaineering groups, and photography clubs, they have organized numerous other school supplies donation drives to impoverished, remote, or indigenous communities in the Philippines, those with no road access or no decent piers.

For two years, BPP has raised donations for less fortunate kids. They are growing in the number of volunteers and their activities now include art workshops, awareness campaigns for disaster preparedness, cultural sensitivity, and volunteerism.

The project has evolved a long way from just bringing pencils. As one of the founders said, it is "about inspiring people to make their ideas happen no matter how small it is."

Cecil Tizon lives in the Philippines and works for the IT group of a multinational company. In her spare time, she mentors kids on weekends and enjoys reading, writing, and photography.