Founded in 2006 by Eddie Brock and Jack Foottit

Philippines

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TaO aims to offer an encouraging and empowering experience to use inherent island skills to offer travellers a personal insight into life in a tropical archipelago.

 

Challenge

The local communities at Palawan had very few sources of income (fishing and other basic livelihoods). Tao aims to train and empower local communities with alternative sources of livelihood opportunities thereby enabling the local communities become self-sustainable.

 

 

 

 

Solution and innovation

TaO is an innovative social enterprise that considers the island communities as partners. They have brought together over 200 islanders with passion and sense of pride that welcome worldly travellers from all over the globe to their islands. Tao provides electricity, access to clean water, education and income to the village. Their aim is to work, live, learn, teach, and grow together as a sustainable micro-economy. TaO focuses on transforming the life of youth and believes that training and empowering is the key to a sustainable future.

 

Results

1. Provide local communities at Palawan alternative sources of income rather than depending on their traditional source i.e. fishing
2. Local women earn an additional income from the Tao project by engaging in sustainable and culturally appropriate work for women
3. Tao Academy trains and empowers young islanders to participate in community development activities

 

 

"Tao is perhaps the highlight of any trip to Palawan… Such a trip offers a rare opportunity to experience and interact with people and communities in the area, unmediated by the mass tourism industry."