ABOUT
Beng Bicaldo
Managing Director
Andry Lim
TMFI Founder
Tribal Mission Foundation International is a Christian volunteer organization that provides integral missions training, community capacity building, and facilitates partnership development towards transformed, and God honoring indigenous communities.
Supported by the donations of individuals, churches, and organizations, we invite others to join us in seeing God's glory revealed among the nations.
We believe in transformational development, a philosophy that involves the development of the total person - body, soul and spirit. It is not an attempt to change the culture and unique identities of indigenous people.
We provide training for both tribal and non-tribal churches and individuals in cross-culture outreach. We also lead teams of volunteers willing to work alongside indigenous leaders in the area of planting churches, training pastors, health and livelihood projects, and education.
CORE VALUES
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Dependence on God – We serve with the community fully believing on God’s direction and provision.
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Servant Leadership – We demonstrate Christ likeness in our service.
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Love for the Indigenous Peoples – We uphold Indigenous Peoples’ significance, and minister with respect and compassion to equip them for works of service.
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Focus on the Least Reached Peoples – We mobilize and equip churches and organizations to establish viable indigenous churches among the least reached.
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Forming Partnerships – We give high priority in partnering for effective ministry.
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Wholistic Transformation – We deliver programs that are integrated and geared towards sustainable development.
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Experiential Learning – We facilitate training initiatives for the acquisition and application of new ideas and skills.
A BRIEF HISTORY
In 1985, our Founder, MR. ANDRY K. LIM with some of his friends, visited the Matigsalug tribes in the mountain districts of Davao, Southern Mindanao in the Philippines. In this visit he saw the vast needs of the tribes and it gave him a sense of mission - a call from God that revolutionized his life. In April 1987, Tribal Mission Philippines, Incorporated (TMPI) was registered with SEC as a Non-Stock, Non-Profit, Religious, Charitable & Educational Christian Organization. Later, the mission evolved to Tribal Mission Foundation International (TMFI).
The initial involvement of the mission through TMPI was relief work providing food, clothes, and other basic needs, as well as conducting free medical and dental clinics and spiritual seminars. These efforts were done almost every month. But more needs were arising faster than the mission could provide. Aside from the short of funds, the mission realized that it needed to teach the people how to catch fish - not just to give them fish.
In 1990 a Tribal Training Center was built in Davao City. The mission adopted training programs like: Food Always In The Home (FAITH), Gardening and Sloping Land Agricultural Technology (SALT) from Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center in Bansalan, Davao del Sur. Through the help of DOH, IPHC, and the Red Cross, the staff were also trained to teach on Primary Health Care. TMFI's philosophy is to train the tribes to reach out their own people - properly trained and given the tools, they are most effective to reach out their own people.
In 1990, TMPI started the wholistic training program for potential indigenous leaders to reach out to their own people. Later it expanded to train non-indigenous workers as well whose heart is to do cross-cultural work among the indigenous people. The said training program was then replicated in Palawan. A training center was also built in the outskirts of Puerto Princesa City in 1997.
The need for assistance for these trained workers in facilitating community transformation made TMPI evolve to TMFII. Tribal Mission Foundation International, Inc. (TMFII) was registered in the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 8, 1996. Initially, Functional Literacy Projects became a vehicle in bringing integrated development endeavors to indigenous communities. Foundational Learning for Indigenous Children (FLIC) classes, a pre-school program using Mother-tongue based Multi-Lingual Education, were established in tribal communities.
TMFII hosted the 6th World Christian Gathering on Indigenous People in Davao City. There was an affirmation of the unique contribution of the indigenous people in the missions enterprise. This once “mission field” is now an emerging “mission force”. Mission mobilization and education among the indigenous people became one of the main thrusts of TMFII.
POVERTY
Environmental degradation has aggravated the poverty situation in tribal communities. Indigenous People are confronted with this on a daily basis yet they also bear the responsibility of restoring the environment because their existence and identity are tied to it.
ACCESS TO EDUCATION
It is not just their remote location but the quality of available formal education also stand in the way for the development of Indigenous Peoples. Recently, however, the implementation of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education is paving the way for a culturally appropriate and developmentally responsive basic education. Assistance is still very much needed for the Indigenous youth to access higher education.