A youth leader from the indigenous peoples (IP) community in Lambunao, Iloilo will represent the Philippines in the 2025 Asian Girls in Action Project power camp in Taiwan on July 20 to 27.

Sharielle Angelie Lemonar, 15, an incoming Grade 10 student of the Caninguan National High School in Barangay Caninguan, passed the stringent screening and got the slot through her project “Kubo ng Kultura” (cottage of culture), aimed at preserving and celebrating the rich indigenous traditions of the Panay Bukidnon tribe.

“She is one of only 10 young female leaders from across Asia to participate in the youth leadership program. The camp brings together outstanding girls from diverse cultural backgrounds to collaborate on projects that empower women and promote cultural heritage,” the Baryo Balangaw Creative Initiatives said in a statement on Wednesday, June 4.

Baryo Balangaw Creative Initiatives, a local non-government organization committed to bridging communal art experiences and sustainability, mentored Lemonar and helped shape her cultural and community-based advocacy.

Lemonar’s project offers hands-on workshops in traditional crafts such as weaving and tubok (natural dyeing) while providing training in digital marketing.
By equipping local women with both ancestral and modern skills, the project helps them grow sustainable livelihoods and strengthen their cultural identity.

“Kubo ng Kultura is a space that aims to empower women and rural communities by promoting and preserving the rich culture and traditions of the Panay Bukidnon people through our traditional handcrafts such as basket-weaving and embroidery or ‘panubok’,” Lemonar said during her presentation before officials of the municipal government of Lambunao on Monday.

She added that the project seeks to provide sustainable livelihood training and will directly engage women in the community.

Lemonar will be accompanied by her school adviser and chaperone, Christy Ann Lacuesta, to Taiwan.

The 2025 Asian Girls in Action Project is an innovative program under the Asian Girls Campaign of the Garden of Hope Foundation focused on empowerment and education to uplift girls.

The program supports girls aged 15 to 19 in carrying out projects aligned with at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.Perla Lena/PNA