On February 23, 2020, the largest gathering of Philippine tribal Dhatus, or chiefs, started to convene on the campus of Caraga State University, near their ancestral lands, to begin a journey to lead their people from poverty to prosperity.

Deploying the largest Rotary grant in Philippine history, Global Action Platform and its corporate partners GPSS, LLC and Indigi Pte. are leading a four-part program to educate, develop business skills, and to prepare leadership for the launch of a sustainable,inclusive economy for the 8 million indigenous people of the Caraga region.

The Rotary Clubs of Butuan, Philippines, Jefferson City West, Missouri, a network of over 20 US and Philippine local clubs, along with Rotary International have partnered with Global Action Platform to provide basic education and community and economic  development training  for an initial 30,000 indigenous people in the Caraga region on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. 

This project is the first stage in a long-term program to provide these same skills and knowledge to approximately 1 million indigenous people in the Caraga region in the coming years.

The program will provide training and leadership team building  through four events to address key topics:

Agricultural skills and nutrition

Basic K – 12 and Adult education

Business Strategy and Land Utilization Plans

Leadership for Abundance

Hands-on experience with coconut, abaca, timber, sugar, and family gardening

Preserving culture and values

Decision-making and civic leadership

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Key government agencies have been coordinated by this new development approach to support the education and economic development of the Caraga region in partnership with GPSS and Global Action Platform—aligning government, private investment, and NGO efforts into a coherent coordinated whole.

The four-part program lays the foundation for a multi-million-dollar investment in the launch of a sustainable agri-business cluster in the region that will employ and benefit the local people.  

The program prepares the people to be stakeholders and beneficiaries of the development of their region’s natural assets and economic potential.

The blended investment in social and economic development, combined with blockchain technologies and new investment tools represents a breakthrough approach to global development.

With this model, resource-rich areas with no prior business activity and impoverished populations will finally have a working strategy to unlock both  the human ingenuity and enterprise of the people, and natural resources of their lands.