NPO HALOHALO promotes community building led by residents in the Philippines and Japan. It runs projects in five locations: Manila, Cebu and Bohol in the Philippines, and Minato-ku and Chiba in Japan.
Its projects are wide-ranging: fair trade crafts, microfinance, a kindergarten, a university scholarship program, environmental clean-up, international exchange, and promotion of an ethical lifestyle. It values the idea that groups arise from analyzing a community's varied issues and grow through their activities.
"Halo-halo" is a Filipino word meaning "a mix of various things," and the name was reportedly inspired by making crafts from waste materials such as juice packaging. There are many ways to get involved, including study tours, virtual tours, lectures and workshops, emergency and recovery support after typhoons, and fair trade goods.
Key points
- Resident-led community building in three locations in the Philippines and two in Japan
- Diverse projects rooted in daily life: crafts, microfinance, kindergarten, scholarships and the environment
- Many ways to take part, including study tours, fair trade goods and volunteering
Why this organization's work stands out
A distinctive feature is that it combines several projects, such as livelihood creation, education and the environment, with an eye on helping each activity become self-reliant in its community.
It also works on transparency: it met all the criteria of the Basic Evaluation by the Evaluation Center for Nonprofit Organizations (2020), and it publishes annual and financial reports.
Editor's comment
There is a warmth in the idea behind the name, that people and communities grow through the power of mixing together.
Ways to take part, such as tours, donations and fair trade goods, are introduced on the official website. Please take a look.