Project Report - La Trobe University

VIDA’s Austraining Country Manager, Jonas
Tetangco (right) shares a stimulating
conversation with Ichananaw Manny Onalan
(left), Maria’s father David Cameron (center
left) on vacation from Australia, and his son,
Miguel Tetangco (center right), in Manny’s
home in Tabuk, the capital of Kalinga
Province. We stopped by Manny’s on our way
to Chananaw for Jonas’ monitoring and
evaluation visit and David’s two-week visit to
Chananaw, to recuperate after the overnight
trip from Manila. As always, Manny treated us
to good coffee, good food and good
conversation.
Indigenizing Education in a Kalinga Public School | 18
educational materials. After a series of workshops
which culminated in a cultural performance in
Manila at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in
which 15 Ichananaw participated, a manual will be
developed by Cartwheel Foundation to assist the
teachers at the school to incorporate their
traditional dance, music and art into the
curriculum. The school intends to continue the
relationship begun with Cartwheel Foundation
during the last five months, initially to complete
the educational manual as the final stage of the
Music and Arts Program. But the community also
hopes to avail itself of Cartwheel Foundation’s
other programs in the future, for example their
college scholarships to study at the Pamulaan
Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Education in Davao,
Mindanao. There is also the possibility of the
school becoming familiar with other similar NGOs
that support indigenous peoples through their new
relationship with Cartwheel Foundation.
Volunteering for International Development from Australia
The VIDA Austraining Country Manager, Jonas
Tetangco, visited Chananaw for monitoring and
evaluation purposes in May 2009. This visit made a
strong impression on Jonas and the beginnings of
what we hope will be a long-term, supportive
relationship was formed. At a broader level, due to
the success of our five-month project in Chananaw,
VIDA has expressed its enthusiasm for future
engagement with the Ichananaw in terms of
sustainable development with support from
Australian volunteers.
Philippines Australia Studies Centre, La Trobe University
There is potential for future research to be
conducted in Chananaw with support from La
Trobe University, given the successful precedent
set by our project.
The Australian Embassy in Manila and the broader Australian community
The Ateneo Center for Educational Development
applied, on the school’s behalf, to the Australian
Government’s Direct Aid Program for a grant to
cover the publishing costs for the educational
materials produced by this project. This was
successful, and led to us being invited to present
our project at a NAIDOC Week morning tea at the
Australian Embassy in July, 2009, which was
attended by four Ichananaws central to our
project, as well as various leaders from the nongovernment
and Philippine government sectors
dealing with indigenous, cultural and educational