Sugat: Stories and Science for Sustainability

The 10th anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan in 2023 summons a working-through of trauma that is still in progress despite rehabilitation of the local economy and infrastructure. Exemplified by the Filipino word "Sugat," referring to both “wound” and “encounter,” the project is focused on providing sustainable education in a variety of forms to help Filipinos cope with natural calamities, including podcasts that render sustainability as an integral and indissociable aspect of daily life.

The 10th anniversary of typhoon Haiyan in 2023 summons a working-through of trauma that is still in progress despite recuperation of the local economy and infrastructure. As a collective, the team behind SUGAT comes to terms with the trauma, from diverse backgrounds and different proximities to the disaster, with the consolation that a habitable future is still in place through the prospect of sustainability.

The endeavor is best signified by the Filipino word, “sugat,” which, in its Tagalog sense, means a wound, yet in Visayan Waray and Cebuano, refers to a gathering or an encounter. It is precisely the ethos that the project intends to build upon: a work-through of the trauma of natural disasters through convergences toward a unified response to sustainable development issues and challenges by way of interdisciplinary dialogue. Sugat is a quest for a common ground and a safe space for vulnerable sectors, artists, scholars, scientists, and the youth to address the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Sugat aims to cater to sustainable education in a range of conduits whether it be formal or informal instruction. Since a good number of the team members come from Eastern Visayas, a common entry point of typhoons in the country, the project envisions to produce instructional materials that aid flexible learning in case of class interruptions due to natural calamities - a reality which Filipinos are increasingly experiencing.