The mission of Teknotropheo..
-MYDM " Mangyan Youth Development Mission

"MYDM: Mangyan Youth Development Mission
is the pilot mission of Teknotropheo in the Mangyan Tribal Community of Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Mindoro island is divided into two provinces, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro. Oriental Mindoro is the political and financial seat of the island whereas Occidental is considered the backcountry. Majority of the population are Tagalogs where agriculture and fishing are the main sources of livelihood. The Mangyans, sparely distributed on both side of the province, constitute
the unnoticeable minority.

Who are the Mangyans?

The Mangyan people is one of the Philippines' most depressed cultural minorities .

This tribe is composed of several groups , some are called Hanunuo, Batangan, Iraya, Alangan.

Teknotropheo is reaching out to the Mangyan-Iraya who has an approximate population of 11,000.

Progress and the influx of people from the other islands forced them to move up to the mountains and abandon their land and livelihood. These circumstances resulted into a
'nomadic' lifestyle, where families move from place to place in search of food to sustain their existence. We firmly believe that this adaptation have created a social, cultural, economic and even physical impacts. They have indeed adapted the 21st century motto "survival of the fittest".

Why set up MYDM?

Despite the many social, religious and government agencies that have come to reach the Mangyans, many are still living under the shadow of the mountains. Survival in this fast changing society is what they are crying for, they are in search of changes and ways to attain a life that is full, a life that has 'life' in it. They dream of education for their children, a 'land' of their own and a place in the society , after all they are Mangyans, which means 'tao' in Tagalog or a human being.

"Youth is the hope of the nation", same is true with the Mangyans of Abra de Ilog, the youth are the backbone and the strength of this community. In line with Teknotropheo's vision of Filipino rural youth development MYDM was created to walk hand in hand with the families and community leaders in making a dream into a reality.