Ghie Salicsic
July 8, 2025
Whenever we speak of Kulumi, one word rises above the rest: hope. We all know Kulumi as a brand that carries hope and light wherever it goes. But behind every tool sent out, there’s something we hold quietly in return: that same hope and light come back to us through the stories our partners bring home.
This is what makes the journey worth every mile not just for the families who hold a Kulumi in their hands but for each of us in the Kulumi Team whose hearts are lit by the impact it brings on them.
One of these flickers gently from Laguna, Philippines where nearly a decade ago, a simple lamp lit up the darkness into a promise of brighter nights.
In 2015, our local field worker partners brought Kulumi Lamps to the quiet communities of Laguna. They weren’t just ordinary lamps. They were small lanterns of warmth, giving families trusted light through stormy nights and words of comfort in their own language when the world outside went dark.
Years passed, and their story of hope and light did not end. And neither did ours at Kulumi. We continued to innovate, shaping that first lamp into a portable, cost-effective version: the birth of the Kulumi Mini. The same trusted audio player with torch, now smaller, lighter, with built-in solar panel ready to travel farther than before. And this year, 2025, our partners returned to that same community, this time carrying the Kulumi Mini.
Gerald, one of our faithful Field Worker partners could hardly contain his excitement as he shared how these players are making an impact on these people’s lives.
“This is Tatay Pedro. He’s 75 years old and for nearly two years, his family has lived without electricity due to financial difficulties. He is overjoyed because the audio player comes equipped with a flashlight, which provides him with light during the dark nights. His eyesight has also grown dim over the years and reading has become too hard. He’s grateful that through the Kulumi Mini, he can now listen to uplifting audio contents”, Gerald shared.
Gerald went on: “The impactful audio contents are truly making a difference in people’s lives! We were able to give a Kulumi Mini to a garbage collector and an outpost guard in our area. It’s amazing to see how happy they are now that they can listen to it while they work.”
There’s beauty, too, in the way these contents find the language of the heart. Nanay Malou and Nanay Remedios have called Laguna home for many years. While Tagalog is the language spoken here, their roots are in the Visayas and their first language is Cebuano. It brings them great joy to listen to uplifting stories in their native language.
This is the heart of Kulumi — to carry hope and light into homes, work places, roadsides, and every hidden space where a heart awaits. Our goal is to journey alongside individuals, communities, and outreach initiatives, bringing this hope and light wherever a Kulumi player goes. And our greatest joy? It’s the stories that come back to us — lives touched, hearts lifted, and journeys transformed. Because when this HOPE comes home,it reminds us why we keep moving forward innovating simple tools that create extraordinary impact and reaches far beyond years.
