Clean Water, WASH & Nutrition for 500 Muslim Girls

Dear Friends,

During the past two years of the pandemic restrictions on community activities, Asia America Initiative has been busy building wash stations and providing hygiene supplies for Muslim girls in Mindanao.

By building clean water systems and by providing soaps, toothpaste, and other hygiene products, girls' health can dramatically improve. AAI-sponsored schools are engaging students to continue their studies and we are providing PPE protection as Covid19 continues to spread (in a less virulent way, but good hygiene is important to keep outbreaks down). It is especially imperative for girl students to not give up on possibilities. What happens now with their studies will have an impact on the rest of their lives.

"More or less, we have 200 pupils today, more than half are females," says School Head Masdida of Timbangan Elementary School in Sulu.  "We just began allowing children in kinder to grade 3 to go back to school for mentoring. I believe that these grade levels are the most crucial stage, which is the foundation for learning. Children need help in basic skills like holding pencils or ballpoint pens, reading, and introducing the sounds of letters.

Girls attend more days in school and their learning is enhanced when good hygiene practices are taught and they have adequate supplies provided. Your contributions have made a difference.

We are encouraging and providing seeds and supplies for the expansion of school-based gardens that provide fresh food for school lunches - cooked by volunteer mothers and grandmothers. With improved water delivery at each school and access to school lunches, girls can experience improved overall well-being.

To our GlobalGiving community of donors: We appreciate all you do could not do this without you!

If you would like to add to your support or begin a monthly donation, please click through this report and GlobalGiving will prepare that for you to assist in this worthwhile endeavor.

Clean Water, WASH & Nutrition for 500 Muslim Girls

Thank you,

Albert Santoli,

Director, Asia America Initiative

Links:

• Asia America Initiative Website

Dear Friends of AAI,

The Covid pandemic has caused children to miss close to two years of authentic classroom experience. This has been especially devastating at the elementary school level, where a love for learning is developed by relationships with teachers and classmates.  The alternative learning approach by electronic or cell phone classes has been counter-productive as children get bored quickly and eyes are strained by looking at small screens.  Worse, many locations have continuous blackouts or lack adequate internet connectivity.The printed module learning method is hindered by the cost of ink catridge, copy paper, and basic school supplies.  Parents, many of whom are functionally illiterate, fear that their children will never escape the cycles of hunger and poverty.

In the Philippines, we are conducting an innovative community-based approach to enable teachers to mentor children outdoors or on a house-to-house basis.  Our main center for these new programs is in Sulu Province, in the Muslim Autonomous zone of the Mindanao Region.  Even before the pandemic, Sulu's island communities ranked near the bottom of the UN's worldwide Human Development Index. A school-aged population of some 350,000 children -- more than half of whom are girls -- suffer from hunger.  Worldwide, female students are the most impacted in similar circumstances.

Especially during this pandemic, we have used funds from our GlobalGiving donors, matched by parents and some community leaders, to build clean water systems, WASH facilities, and hygenic classroom environments needed for safety during face-to-face mentoring.  We are providing soaps, toothpaste, and other hygiene products. Principal Bhing at Timbagan Elementary School says, "By providing meals and snacks to our impoverished children, parents will accompany their little ones and help with cooking and gardening.  As a result, children attend more days at school and their classroom performance is enhanced... We encourage the expansion of school-based gardens that provide fresh food for school lunches - cooked by volunteer mothers and grandmothers. With improved rain-catchment tanks and water delivery at each school, boys and girls can equally experience improved overall well-being."

To our GlobalGiving community of donors: You have done more than you can imagine. We could not do this without you!

Thank you,

Albert Santoli,

Director, Asia America Initiative

Links:

• Asia America Initiative website