Grassroots Voices

Democratizing Public Health Literacy, Access, and Care: How Diinsider Changemaker Is Using AI Chatbots to Bridge Gaps in Health Communication

Changemaker's Advice, Education, Grassroots Voices, News Article, Youth /

For almost 10 years, Diinsider has been conducting a global online learning program for changemakers, entrepreneurs, strategic comunications and media students who are passionte about creating social impact through storytelling. As of the moment, we have 200+ alumnis from 30+ countries, whom we call Diinsider’s global corresponndents. Today, we are thrilled to annouce that we […]

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4 Queer Organizers Making It Work Against the Odds

Grassroots Voices, In-depth Issues, Youth /

Welcome to the Philippines, where being queer often comes with a condition. “Certain venues… didn’t want to be branded as queer or lesbian, but was willing to work with us otherwise—just don’t be ‘too’ queer.” That’s what The Sunny Club organizers discovered when finding venue partners for women loving women (WLW) events in Metro Manila. 

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Forest guards protect Mount Apo with insufficient pay, institutional support

Climate and Environment, Grassroots Voices, Uncategorized /

Forest guards patrol Mount Apo—a critical water source for Mindanao—protecting it from illegal activities with meager pay and little institutional support. Known as Bantay Bukid, the forest guards survive on P3,500 per month and makeshift equipment as they contend with illegal activities from established businesses. “Forest guarding is our last card. If our group won’t

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Building a community library amid learning poverty in the Philippines

Education, Grassroots Voices /

by Dominic Gutoman In the heart of an urban poor community in the Bagong Silang, Caloocan, Philippines, children huddle on tarpaulin sheets serving as their makeshift chairs. They squeeze themselves into the narrow alleyways between houses. The tiny space has not only sheltered them, but became their sanctuary of learning, a resisting community against the

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The woman building Mindanao’s green energy future

Climate and Environment, Grassroots Voices, Tech & Innovation, Uncategorized /

Philline van der Wolk-Donggay calls Mindanao home, where over 1 million people have no access to electricity. Mindanao has the lowest number of electrified households among the Philippines’ three island groups. As the co-founder of Greenergy Solar PH, Philline builds resilient energy systems to make “distributed, decentralized, and democratized electricity” a reality. When Philline and

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a collage of PYDRRM

Pangasinan Youth Lead the Charge in Disaster Risk Reduction

Grassroots Voices /

by Dominic Gutoman It was the onslaught of Typhoon Pepeng (international name: Parma) in October 2009 that radicalized Kevin Conrad Ibasco, a youth leader and the founder of the Pangasinan Youth for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PYDRRM), about the necessity of community engagement and participation in times of disaster and structural disparity. “I was

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small-scale fisheries floating on a boat

The Untapped Potential of Small-Scale Fisheries in Asia

Climate and Environment, Grassroots Voices, In-depth Issues, Uncategorized /

At the break of dawn, millions of boats dot the coastlines of Asia, their occupants ready to set out for the day’s catch. These are not big commercial vessels nor industrial fishing fleets, but the backbone of a hidden subsector that feeds nations and supports countless livelihoods.  Small-scale fisheries contribute 40% or 37 million tons

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Filipino fisher flies internationally to protest fossil fuel financing

Climate and Environment, Grassroots Voices, Uncategorized /

A fisherman from oil-slicked Batangas flew to Europe and Japan to protest before companies financing fossil fuel projects along the Verde Island Passage (VIP). Sixteen gas facilities are expected to rise, despite one of the largest oil spills occurring in the area just last year. “I am most afraid that my children and grandchildren would

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Seeds Of Struggle: Reaping Climate-Resilient Crops Through Peasant Science

Climate and Environment, Grassroots Voices, Uncategorized /

by Dominic Gutoman The recent drought in the Philippines, brought by El Niño, put farmers at a grave disadvantage on the frontlines of food security and environmental defense. Lauro G. Diego, 63, a farmer based in Bataan, Philippines, is among the one million farmers affected by El Niño, with agricultural damage reaching P6.3 billion ($109

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Teacher-turned-influencer Kong Man Jing on making science accessible

Grassroots Voices, Tech & Innovation /

At first glance, Kong Man Jing doesn’t seem like your typical science communicator. With her yellow polka dot dress, black-rimmed glasses, and quirky persona, the former science teacher comes across as a passionate kid eager to share her latest discovery about the natural world. Biogirl MJ, as she prefers to be called, is on a

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