In collaboration with Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, three young volunteers joined ESSC for 10 months from July 2016 to April 2017 to contribute to and learn from ESSC’s work activities in Mindanao.
May Anne Krissanta Caduyac and Jose Bonifacio Sibayan are assigned in the youth and education work in Bendum, while Noelen JC Kristy Abaday is assigned to the Mindanao geomatics work at ESSC’s Malaybalay office.
May Anne helps in the documentation and module development for hulas, a training and formation program for young adults, while Jose teaches mathematics at the APC Junior High School and also assists in curriculum development. JC is learning basic GIS and other open source software that ESSC uses and is helping in the preparatory work for ESSC’s five-year research program with the University of Namur which aims to analyze the social justice implications of intensive GMO corn agriculture in the Philippine uplands.
This partnership is under the Year of Service (YOS) volunteer activities of the XU Peace Program that continues to contribute to peacebuilding efforts in Mindanao under the auspices of the university’s Social Development cluster. This article is first published on ESSC website.
