August Team of the Month: Humanist Alliance Philippines, International

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Congratulations to Beyond Belief Network’s August Team of the Month: Humanist Alliance Philippines, International! This Level 3 team is Beyond Belief Network’s only international team. HAPI was chosen for this honor because of their regular service event schedule, strong spirit of volunteerism and commitment towards improving their community. HAPI was previously chosen as our May Picture of the Month.

HA1HA2One of HAPI’s initiatives is Feeding sa Riles, a bimonthly nutritional campaign that aims to diminish hunger, poverty and financial illiteracy in slum areas. The team is currently monitoring the growth of 200 children in Alabang, Philippines. Volunteers usually prepare and cook nutritional fruits and green leafy vegetables for the kids to have a more nutritious and inexpensive lifestyle. So far this year, HAPI has hosted 11 Feeding sa Riles events. HAPI is currently asking for donations so the children in Alabang may have their own learning facility.

HA3HA4Humanist Alliance Philippines, International is also an environmentally conscious team. In April, they partnered with Let's Do It Philippines to advocate for a cleaner environment. That same month, HAPI's Leyte chapter attended "Trash Warrior Boot Camp.” The aim of the boot camp was to bring social awareness in the removal of solid waste in cities and municipalities throughout the country. In May, in a partnership with Green Alert Negros, HAPI-Bacolod chapter members and officers shaved their head to clamor against deforestation. Themed "better our hair than our forest", the head-shaving event was organized by the Green Alert Negros to rally against an intrusion of Energy Development Corporation (EDC), a private corporation in one of Negros Occidental's protected areas, the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park.

HA6HAPI also advocates for LGBT rights. In May, a sixteen member delegation of HAPI attended a joint project of Gender Proud and Association of Transgenders in the Philippines. Dubbed simply "Community Tour," the event aimed to give LGBT individuals the opportunity to articulate their issues through seminars focused on the community including, but not limited to, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. At the end of the event, participants celebrated the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia through a silent protest. In June, seven HAPI members attended U.S. Embassy's first reception celebrating LGBT Pride Month.

Different chapters of HAPI join together to participate in events. In May, HAPI-Bacolod, HAPI-Cebu, HAPI-Leyte (HAPI-Visayas) attended AIDS Candlelight Memorial events in Bacolod City and Cebu. These events aimed to help people with HIV in their demand for a more sustainable HIV/AIDS response. In June, seven HAPI members attended U.S. Embassy's first reception celebrating LGBT Pride Month. In July, HAPI-Bacolod officers and members joined the Most At-Risk People (MARP) Consultative Conference, a two-day conference about updates on HIV/AIDS, focusing on cases recorded in the Negros Island Region.  

Beyond Belief Network is proud to support Humanist Alliance Philippines, International and wishes them continued success in their endeavors.

Team of the Month recognition is a benefit provided by Foundation Beyond Belief to our Beyond Belief Network teams. In order to be considered, your group must be a Level One Beyond Belief Network team and you must submit at least one event report during the month. Team of the Month selection is based on the number, length, variety, and documentation (e.g., submitted pictures, blog posts, videos, etc.) of events.

Teams can only be Team of the Month once per calendar year. If your local group does great service work but isn’t a member of BBN, you can join anytime! In addition to recognition, your team can qualify for free t-shirts and grants. If your local humanist group doesn’t volunteer, but you’d like to start, we’d love to help! For teams new to secular service, we offer tons of ideas, event guides, and advice.