The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-Region (RMP-NMR) scales up its human rights intervention for indigenous peoples by partnering with international humanitarian organization, Relief International (RI). An inception meeting kicked-off the two-year project recently, orienting the new staff on the rigors and deliverables of the project which covers 43 communities in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Bukidnon, and Misamis Oriental in the Philippines. Funded under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, this new initiative will promote and protect human rights of vulnerable indigenous communities in the Philippines and Bangladesh. It is coordinated by RI, with RMP-NMR as its partner in the Philippines to focus on the Lumad, and the Sundarban Adibasi Munda Sangastha (SAMS) in Bangladesh for the Munda people. Titled “Promoting and Protecting Indigenous Human Rights in Bangladesh and the Philippines,” the project will specifically seek to develop the capacity of indigenous human rights defenders to promote and defend their rights through monitoring and reporting on violations and abuses, and by building awareness of communities on universal human rights, rights of indigenous peoples and government responsibility to protect, promote and respect these rights. “We are glad that this opportunity is given to us as we seek to sustain the interventions we started with the Healing the Hurt project,” said April Thessa Diaz, program coordinator of RMP-NMR. (rmp nmr)