MCJ’s Duyog program champions indigenous children’s right to education toward a just and sustainable future in Mindanao. 

The Duyog program head and staff of Mindanao Climate Justice Resource Facility, Inc. (MCJ) visited two Lumad schools in Davao City on September 11 to 13, 2023.

Duyog personnel conducted a series of interviews with school administrators, volunteer teachers, and IP leaders on their respective status and needs. Data gathered from said interviews will inform future projects to be implemented by MCJ and its partner institutions and communities toward climate resilience.

In line with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO)

Education 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 4, Duyog emphasizes IPs’ right to quality education. Duyog aims to support IP schools in Mindanao that help preserve indigenous knowledge systems and practices (IKSPs) in the face of cultural erosion due to environmental degradation, economic disenfranchisement, political rights violations, and climate change.

Duyog, a Binisaya word for solidarity, supports grassroots initiatives that seek to address the challenges and problems faced by indigenous peoples’ (IP) communities in Mindanao amid the climate crisis. Through Duyog, MCJ amplifies IP voices in upholding their rights and dignity, empowering them in mitigating climate change impacts, and building climate resilience toward a just and sustainable future for all.