Mabuhay,

The Isa Mundo Foundation and its work are dedicated to my grandparents (Lolo and Lola) who showed us the value of community, the importance of simplicity and the meaning of sharing. As a child growing up in a poor village in the Philippines, it is easy to see the significance of these teachings because without it, our lives would have been much more challenging. These are the principles in the forefront of the Foundation, and form the passion we all have to try to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate in the world. This website is a forum for people to see the faces and communities of Isa Mundo since we began completing projects in 2006.

Isa Mundo translates to 'one world'. Isa is Tagalog (Filipino) for 'one' and Mundo translates to 'world' in Spanish. Since its inception, it always had a goal of reconnecting communities and organizations one project at a time. We began with an idea that a small group of people can spend a few hours of their holiday and vacation travels in developing countries to visit schools, orphanages and local communities. It exposed to us that we could easily mobilize, use our skills and take action to help those in need. It is not an organization that possesses all the answers and solutions to problems nor does it have the financial capital to spend on large projects. What it does have is a belief that by working in partnership with families, communities, businesses and other not for profit organizations, projects can be completed through collaboration and effort. I believe that it is not just about donations and fundraising, it is more about engaging others to see the impact of their contributions in completing community projects. By taking an egalitarian approach, where everyone is involved in the process from beginning to end, I know we can create a community of like-minded individuals to support our focus on children and youth, education and environmental health.

I feel privileged to be a part of what Isa Mundo has become. It is a small organization that will only progress as our volunteer base grows and our funders support our vision. I am committed that we remain passionately grassroots and take on projects based solely on the needs of communities and organizations we partner with. We want to demonstrate that small projects with minimal capital investment are relevant, influential and repeatable. I have seen the achievements of Isa Mundo in the faces of children in India, families in Mexico, villages in El Salvador, schools in the Philippines and orphanages in Guatemala. I am very proud of these endeavors and their success is what motivates us each day to continue.

I owe an enormous 'salamat po' to all those who have supported our Foundation along with our dedicated core of volunteers both past and present. We all live in 'isa mundo' and we must work collectively to improve our communities, our environment and each other. We all need to "be the change we wish to see in the world".

Saludos,

Paul Lorilla