Liyang Network continues the global fight for a Philippines free from exploitation. Commit to international solidarity from wherever you are! Help us to continue our advocacy through donating and joining the global network of people supporting those on the frontlines.
Liyang Network is a local-to-global advocacy network that amplifies the calls of grassroots communities in Mindanao, Philippines. We were founded in Mindanao in 2019, in response to an ask from Sabokahan Unity of Lumad Women to form a global solidarity network for their campaigns, and have since expanded our work to support a variety of other sectors and issues. Our mission from the beginning has been to amplify the calls to action of those facing the brunt of imperialist oppression – women, Indigenous peoples, peasant farmers, and youth. Our co-founders and partners on the ground are closely embedded in the community organizing, advocacy, and services for these sectors. They ensure that Liyang's material support has the biggest possible impact.
Now in our sixth year, Liyang will continue to expand our reach of support in 2026 through establishing a Sustaining Donor Fund! Through it, we aim to form a network that doesn’t just respond to the immediate needs of communities on the ground, but that can build support to sustain their organizing in the long term.
Liyang’s Campaigns
Our support for defenders and communities on the ground is channeled primarily through our three campaigns:
Our Climate Justice campaign brings disaster relief and emergency assistance to communities in the aftermath of typhoons, earthquakes, and other disasters. The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to natural disasters and the effects of climate change, racking up 21 typhoons in 2025 alone.
Our Defend the Defenders campaign defends political prisoners and targeted activists, through material support for their essential needs and legal cases. The Philippines is the most dangerous country in Asia for environmental defenders, and the number of political prisoners continues to grow year after year.
Our Education is a Right campaign provides academic scholarships to children of activists, political prisoners, and community leaders, including support for school supplies, fees, and transportation. It also organizes different extracurricular activities for the students, ranging from psychosocial therapy, art workshops, support groups for their parents, educational discussions, and more.
Why does your support matter?
Those of us outside the Philippines, particularly in countries like the U.S., are in a unique place to help sustain the movement for land and life in the Philippines. Due to currency conversion rates and economic inequality, a dollar has 7 to 13 times its buying power in the Philippines as opposed to the U.S.; a small regular contribution can make waves far beyond its initial value. The price of a meal in the U.S. can provide schooling for a student for a whole month, or relief goods for a family for a week.
Don’t just take our word for it– hear about the impact of this support directly from community partners and scholars:
“From 2024 to mid-2025, we got 25 cases against political detainees dismissed. Liyang supported with this, through funds for transportation and other logistics costs. With the people we support scattered in different parts of Mindanao, all these costs really add up, so it’s a huge help that Liyang can provide this support!” -Spokesperson from Karapatan SMR, Human Rights org in Southern Mindanao
“I am truly thankful that your campaign exists, as it provides students like me with the means to pursue our dreams without the burden of financial constraints. Farming does not provide a steady daily income, and we often have to wait for three months before we can harvest corn and earn some income. As a result, our financial situation is often uncertain, especially when it comes to meeting my educational expenses. This scholarship represents an opportunity to alleviate the financial burden on my family and allows me to focus on my studies without constant worry about tuition fees and related expenses.” -Student beneficiary of our Education Campaign, whose mother is a community leader and farmer activist
Youth hold signs advocating for the right to education, to free political prisoners, and promote affordability during a tribute event for murdered missionary and Lumad advocate, Father Pops, this January, 2026.
Organizations and volunteers conduct relief missions after multiple earthquakes struck Davao Oriental on October 10th, 2025
Sabokahan youth support relief mission
Psychosocial release activity during the Education is a Right! campaign launch in 2024
Packing supplies for the start of the school year in summer 2024
Extracurricular art processing activity in 2025
Surface William Lariosa Network, disappeared union organizer, event in 2025
Visit with political prisoners awaiting trial in a Philippine jail in 2023
- Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay
Further Reading
We Call Her Ina Bai: How Strong Women are Made
Worsening jobs crisis, poverty counters PH economy “stands firm” claims
#UndoingDuterte | The real ‘Duterte legacy’ in Mindanao
Lumad women I “Our place is in the struggle”
800,000 rights abuses recorded in 2 years of Martial Law in Mindanao — rights group
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