Here is a summary of the facts & figures within the report:

 

The Social Issue & Challenge:

 

Today, about 3.6 million Filipinos live without access to electricity or light. They get by with kerosine lamps which are not only hazardous to human health but dangerous to the environment. And now, with the global oil crisis in effect, families can literally burn up to 40% of their monthly income for just 2 hours/night of a dim flame. 

 

Our challenge was not only to help these people, but to make their reality relevant and interesting for our target audience - people living in Berlin.

 

The Creative Idea:

 

We would host a Halloween Party & Fundraiser called Halimaw Night, bringing to light the shadowy monsters and dark creatures of Philippine mythology. We would raise interest and allure in the topic by inviting Filipino artists to depict their local folklore through original art, creative writing,

and video documentary.  

 

At the party, we would collect donations which we would then use to purchase and donate solar lamps through a partnership with One Million Lights Philippines.

 

The Party:

 

On October 29, we had our Halloween Party and Fundraiser at the Revier Südost Baergarten. We communicated about the event through word-of-mouth and on various social media channels like Eventbrite, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as local Berlin newsletters like Woholoo. 

 

We had 130 guests come in various Halloween costumes, 4 DJs, 12 original monster artworks with descriptions, and 3 video documentaries shared throughout the evening.

 

Thank you to our event partner, Revier Südost, especially Michaela, Marianna, and team. 

 

The Result:

 

Through our efforts at Halimaw Night, we raised 2,687.39 euros. We used this money to purchase and donate 179 solar lamps to off-grid indigenous communities in the Philippines, locally known as Aeta. 

 

Our solar lamp distribution day took place on December 28 in Bataan province, about 2.5 hours drive from the capital of Manila. We visited 4 "sitios"

or towns called Payangan, Tobutobu, Banban, and Kanawan. 

 

When we were there, we did more than just distribute the solar lamps. We got to know the community members, their way of life, and their daily struggles and delights. We taught them how to use and care for the solar lamps, and also learned first-hand about the real impact that these solar lamps could have on their daily lives which includes increased financial savings, the purchase of better quality food, paying off debts, and providing school allowance for their children.

 

Thank you to our non-profit partner, One Million Lights Philippines, especially Mark, Jolo, Sean, and Naomi. And to Kev Mayuga and Chris Yuhico for photo and video coverage on distribution day.

 

Thank you:

 

To our artists, DJs, creative collaborators, and services partners who have all come together to make this possible. And to all our friends, old and new, who supported us by showing up, donating to our cause, who gave their time, energy, and positivity into making our goal a reality.

 

We had fun while doing something good and we could not have done either without you.

 

To make this project happen has been one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable endeavours our team has undertaken. 

 

Thank you for being a part of it.

 

Our goal as SendToGive is to enable people to use their creative skills and engage in intercultural collaboration to create social impact. We strongly believe that art, culture, & creativity have a powerful role to play in improving our world and we will continue to work towards bringing this belief to life.

 

Halimaw Night and our solar lamp distribution day was our first official project as a registered association in Berlin, but it certainly won't be our last.  

 

For questions or interest in getting involved, please reach out to jo@sendtogive.org