What sets us apart…
We’re a small, grassroots movement that brings hope to “under-served” communities lacking a substantial NGO or non-profit presence.
Empowering People.
Transforming communities.
Delivering Hope and Love
You don’t have to be a teacher to be an educator. You simply have to be a person who wishes to pass down knowledge and wisdom to others so that they may have the tools to build a life worthy of living. A life of HOPE. A life of LOVE.
Similarly, you don’t have to be a doctor or nurse to be involved in someone’s physical well-being. Community healthcare workers may not even hold a high school diploma but are simply willing to learn about what it takes to prevent disease, promote good hygiene, and to properly respond to medical crises. All that to bring HOPE and LOVE.
Regarding community service - anyone can make a difference! From children living in a slum, to fishermen on a rural island, we believe that people from all walks of life can lend a hand to do something meaningful. The bottom line - when you LOVE your neighbors as yourself and show it through a simple act of service, you can change the world by bringing HOPE.
And this is what we do at the ISC. We start grassroots movements with the most unlikeliest of people who have the power to make changes as significant as any state leader in the world. Our teams model that by first becoming an example of genuine, unconditional, servanthood. HOPE and LOVE.
“Our vision until 2030 is to work and partner with dozens of underserved communities to empower residents for transformation.
What is our purpose that excites us every morning we wake? To serve the “least of these” by multiplying our God-given talents and resources for community transformation. (Matthew 25:14-45)”
What is community transformation? How do we know when the task is complete?
When local leaders themselves can declare that their community has changed into one that exhibits love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, the ISC can confidently declare that transformation has occurred. If we never reach that ideal, as long as leaders believe that the ISC is effective at nudging entire communities toward the goal, we will continue serving in that location. Maybe our definition of transformation is never reached. But we believe that the journey itself will make a life-altering impact to many who feel the fruit of servanthood.
Our Core Values
Holistic Approach
Innovation
Partnerships
SSAR Projects
Hope & Love
Community
Service
God-Centered
Generosity
Holistic Approach - We understand that a person cannot be separated into different sectors. A person is a multi-faceted creation and we understand that addressing each layer of someone's humanity is important for someone to thrive. Mind, body, soul.
SSAR Projects - S = Simple S=Sustainable A = Appropriate R = Reproducible This is the rubric we use to help us decide whether or not to start or continue a project. We aren't perfect at following these guidelines, but it helps us stay on track.
Community: Individuals can only thrive in the context of community. Therefore, we do our best to address how one person can impact a community or how one person is influenced by their community. Recognizing that we have a shared life with those around us is the most powerful way to see positive transformation.
Partnerships - We have no aspirations to become a large organization just so that we can boast about our accomplishments. We do not wish to replace or compete with other NGOs. If anything, we hope for more and more non-profits to spring up. Why? Because we ultimately care about the people and there is no way one organization can solve all the problems of the world. We need help. Therefore, it is important for us to partner with specialized entities who are experts in their own fields. It's about the person in need, not the organization doing the helping.
Hope and Love: This may seem too broad of a concept for many, but it is a guiding principle for our organization. We can do a great many projects and accomplish the greatest feats throughout our history as a non-profit, but if we are not exhibiting love, then we are nothing more than a group of people just trying to stay busy. We will discontinue a project or refuse to start an activity if our volunteers or recipients are not covered in love. And it is this love that brings hope. Hope is transformational. Therefore without hope and love, we become something entirely different - a company that delivers goods - and not a group of "change-makers" with a desire to empower people for community transformation
Service: It's in our name. The heart of what we do comes down to true servanthood. We consider others more highly than ourselves and we devote time, resources, and energy to serve sacrificially. Why? It's just what we do. If you take this core value out of our system, then we are no longer the International Service Corps of Asia.
God Centered - Our organization is not religiously affiliated. We do not discriminate or push beliefs onto the volunteers and recipients of the Service Corps. But we believe that we exist because of God. Without God's transformative love, the founding members would not have given tremendous effort in finding ways to serve people. It is God's loving kindness, the compels us to serve unconditionally and sacrificially. Therefore you will see that many of our members exhibit a faith that can bring hope in even the bleakest of situations.
Generosity - This is the driving mechanism of all of our projects. Whether sacrificing your time or you finances, it takes generosity to make a difference. This virtue, coupled with wisdom, is what brings community impact. It is important to “teach a man to fish,” which is why our central focus is education. But showing love often means that we do what Jesus did and feed the masses with loaves and fishes. If generosity is not a trait you possess, we invite you to join us in learning how to become a person that gives. And if not, the ISC is unfortunately not a suitable match for you.
Innovation - This is the value that makes us the ISC. We push people to think outside of the box, to go against the grain, to explore beyond the boundaries of tradition and convention. It is our desire to help "change-makers" discover that they can do anything to make an impact on the world, even it's a seemingly impossible idea, too risky a venture, or even a dangerous and costly endeavor. In this picture you see volunteers with the head of the National Commission of Muslim Filipinos and the Director of Women and Children's Affairs at Manila Golden Mosque. Together they built a playground in the heart of Manila, one of the busiest and most densely populated places on earth. Innovate, innovate, innovate!