ABOUT BAYANIHAN

ANTHILL (Alternative Nest and Trading /Training Hub for Indigenous or Ingenious Little Livelihood seekers) is a social and cultural enterprise in Cebu, Philippines with a strong mission to preserve our craft traditions and provide sustainable livelihood to Filipino artisans. It is integral in our core of our values to seek innovative and inclusive solutions on how we can build entrepreneurial capacity and ensure that our artisans do not get left behind.  

Bayanihan was born out of the presence of a growing global community showing up for us in the toughest times throughout the pandemic. We aim to activate this contagious spirit of bayanihan once again to connect our artisans directly to the market, expand their reach to a global market and support their desire to weave tradition and technology by learning digital skills in storytelling and marketing. The value and the spirit of Bayanihan is the common thread that lives among us in a way that honours this connection. It gives us the opportunity to grow a community and be of service to each other in a way that fosters resilience and lasting change.

In partnership with The Spark Project, an initial funding from the Australian Alumni Grant Scheme, and our Design Collaborators, we provide a platform for our entrepreneurial artisans to weave new dreams with you!

ATE JELYN ”The Weaving Warrior” Raising Livestock for Livelihood

Ate Jelyn is ANTHILL's partner Hablonan ni Lauriana's Community Manager from Argao, Cebu. Hablon ni Lauriana has become ANTHILL’s Center for Research and Textile Innovation where the weavers are able to learn new weaving techniques and it is also the birthplace of our zero waste fabrics. They are a promising community of female weavers with experience in innovation. Gaining the skill of weaving from her mother, she has been hard at weaving for the past four years until the pandemic hit. During the slow months of the pandemic, Ate Jelyn had to be resourceful to put food on the table. She started selling home-cooked meals to sell among her neighbors in order to provide additional income to support herself, her husband, and their lovely daughter.

Aside from her skills in weaving and community enterprise management, Ate Jelyn also graduated from Cebu Technical University in Argao with a degree in Forestry. It has always been her dream to use her education and explore sustainable livestock farming by raising her own poultry, pigs, and cows. She feels that having a mini farm of animals would allow her family to have a more stable and secure income. She dreams of being able to purchase a few animals, grow them and sell them when they are healthy and ready. Our Weave Warrior dreams beyond the loom and we are excited for the possibilities of her new venture!

HABLON PLACEMAT TANGERINE

HABLON PLACEMAT OLIVE

HABLON PLACEMAT MUSTARD

POLYHEMP TABLE RUNNER ASH GREY
POLYHEMP PLACEMAT PEARL

POLYHEMP PLACEMAT ASH GREY

POLYHEMP PLACEMAT MAHOGANY

These beautiful rewards are thoughtfully designed in collaboration with Bayani Designer and Modern Weaver Jessica of Damgo Studio, a Philippine design studio specializing in ethically made handwoven textiles for fashion and interiors.

At 25,000 she can purchase a male and female cow with enough feed to last a few months

At 50,000 she can purchase an additional male and female pig with a few hens and enough feed to last a few months

At 75,000 she can purchase more feed for the livestock to last a few months and materials to build a fence and improve her livestock farm

At 100,000, Ate Jelyn can pursue her long-term plan of starting a livestock business with all the resources she needs. In time, the cattle will continue to produce offspring in order to grow the lot and sell the fully-grown ones. The funds collected will act as seed capital for her sustainable business plan.

Unlike other crowdfunding initiatives, the funds received from the campaign will directly benefit the Bayani Artisans. The money gained either through reward pledges or donations will be utilized for the purchase of supplies necessary to put in the work required to fulfill the production of the rewards or contribute to fulfilling their aspirations.

Keeping the BAYANIHAN spirit alive and spreading it to more communities will support the Bayani Artisans to reach their target goal however, if the target goal is not met, the artisan still receives the funds due to them from the campaign.

Thank you for your pledge to #BeABayani!