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TheCarrier
SOC I E TY
Sewing legacies amid pandemic Two non-governmental organizations who are needles in a thread in a pandemic-struck Negros. words by MARK JOHN PRIOLO photos courtesy of PROJECT HUMANGON & SOWING LEGACY MOVEMENT, INC.
H
ave you ever wondered why there are people who choose to serve without hesitation? Even without getting paid? Just voluntarily helping without due compensation. Or have you thought about how they found the courage to do that? In their unswerving selflessness to help, Sowing Legacy Movement, Inc. (SLM) and Negrosanon Young Leaders Institute, Inc. (NYLI) became busy when the pandemic struck— mediating the disparities and being the light for others amid the darkest situation. SLM’s main program is to provide educational assistance, while the NYLI to equip and empower the young leaders in Negros. They may be different in some aspects and on how they work, but they have one common goal: to help those who are staggering at the bottom.
Worth every mile Long and weary travels were never a problem for SLM when it is already for the benefit of every life that they are about to touch. With the love and support inside and outside of the organization, they have been actively responding to the needs of the community— wherever in Negros might that be. They raised a project named “Love in the time of Corona”
with two initiatives that have been a great help to people: “Buligay” and the Psychosocial Support Program. “Buligay” program assists individuals and communities by giving them “COVID health kits” composed of food packs, vegetables, and sanitation kits. Since the start of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, they have reached almost 1,000 families in need, informal settlers, jails, and vulnerable communities in
Negros. They also went back to their adopted community in Brgy. Sanke, Hinobaan, the southernmost town in the province, to assist. For SLM’s Executive Director 3/E Charles Mangga, being part of the organization, one should be determined and committed to serving. “Determination and commitment, as well as love for the community, has helped us surpass these challenges,” he said. One should not embody just
