The Wand Foundation started operation in 2003 (then called the Local Empowerment Foundation or LEF) with projects focused on promoting health, sanitation, nutrition and improved livelihoods among the poorest of the poor and mainly in 5 municipalities in west Misamis Oriental. It has also expanded its activities in Lanao del Norte with its promotion of culture of peace project and in Zamboanga del Norte with its sustainable small farm development project. The Wand Foundation is a winner in the 2003 Panibagong Paraan and a finalist in the international Development Marketplace held in Washington DC in 2005. It is a First Prize winner in an international competition on integrated rural development in Israel. In June 2008, it was decided to change the name of LEF to WAND Foundation since LEF rhymmes with left or leftist which is a common name of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) operating in the 80’s in most of our project areas. The executive director of the Foundation, Cora Sayre has more than 20 years experience in rural development work and has attended a number of international training programs, notable of which is the 6-month social leadership course at the Coady International Institute in Canada, the environment leadership course at the Smithsonian in the USA, rural enterprise in The Netherlands, sustainable agriculture in Israel and the 6-month ecological alternative to sanitation course in Sweden and in India. The WAND is a recent winner in a Bill and Melinda Gates competition for global health and a laureate of the prestigious Tech Awards in the USA.
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