Who We Are
Hineleban Foundation was founded in 2006 in Tuminugan Farm, which is in Bukidnon, the Philippines. We aim to reforest the buffer zones surrounding the Bukidnon and Lanao Mountain Ranges and to provide sustainable livelihood options for the Bangsamoro and Indigenous People (IP) of Mindanao. Rooted in the belief that neither the forest nor the people can thrive without the other, we approach our goal in three stages: first, through food security, followed by sustainable livelihood, and finally, through reforestation.
Borrowed from the Talaandig-Higaunen language*, Hineleban is “the spirit of the gathering and giving Mother Tree of the rainforest that sustains the cycle of all life.” It is symbolized by an abundant Bagamumu (ficus) tree in the midst of the rainforest, swarming with bees gathering nectar. Just as the term defines a spirit that sustains all life, our foundation defines success as achievable only through a holistic approach that uplifts the lives of all of the individuals affected by the loss of the benefits once provided by these forests.
Our team is composed of experts in forestry, wildlife, agriculture, livestock, food technology, field research and development, values formation, community relations, finance and administration, transportation, and marketing and advocacy communications, working in cooperation with the local Indigenous People, the Bangsamoro people, and their respective leaders.
We partner with enlightened organizations that adopt communities to assist them with the Indigenous People (IP) community’s Family Food Security Cycle (FFSC) and with the production of Sustainable Disposable Income-Generating Crops (SDIC) while reforesting cogonal and denuded areas to protect the remaining primary forests in the Philippines.