Emergency Relief for Inter-Faith Filipino Children

In the Philippines, communities facing the greatest hardship and who remain the most underserved include the indigenous tribes living in ramshackle wooden houseboats in windswept coastal waters in the Sulu and Celebes Sea.  In Sulu province of the Muslim Mindanao region, the boat dwelling people are know as badjao or sama sea gypsies, who seldom stay in one area long enough to attend schools or wheree ducaion facilities are non-existent.  Sulu has  approximately 400 islands and islets with 157 island municipalities covering an overall area of around 80,000 hectares. 

"The badjao are largely illiterate and seldom attend school,"  says Dr. Yolanda of One World Institute who is an expert on the sea people. "However, they are very smart and instinctive.  When they have access to school, they learn very quickly."

Asia America Initiative serves as a bridge for action. Starting with constructing remote school facilities children are provided with positive interaction and equal treatment, no matter their religion, tribe or cultural groups. School teachers help to ferry them to school from the ocean on small canoe-like boats.   Principal Nash of Lugmah Elementary School has become know for his school's inclusion of badjao children who live near the coast line of Indanana Province in his school's area.  "AAI has been a pioneer in education for these forgotten children," he says. "Together, we facilitate mutual respect and inspiration."  This progress could not happen without the assistance and care of GlobalGiving donors from around the world.

If you would like to add to your support or begin a monthly donation, please click through this report.

Emergency Relief for Inter-Faith Filipino Children

Your contributions have truly made a difference.

Sincerely,

Albert Santoli,

AAI Director

Links:

• AAI Website

Dear Friends,

During this entire decade, the Philippines has been identified by the United Nations as the area of the world most affected by natural disasters. In addition to ongoing volcanoes and earthquakes, increasingly powerful and nonstop typhoons and cyclones have wreaked havoc on communities repeatedly damaged by storms, flooding, and property and critical infrastructure destruction. Asia America Initiative, our local partners, and courageous volunteers have consistently risen to the occasion. Fresh food and clean water are essential. Bacteria, viruses, and diseases have been rampant in the wake of storms, especially among schoolchildren.

In response, AAI's adopted communities with sponsored schools have been repairing structural damage and doing a general cleanup of debris, mud, and contaminated water. Not only have parent volunteers been participating, but students as young as first and second grade are also helping their parents and teachers in this health improvement process!

Principal Merhama of Salih Yusah Elementary School in Sulu, which has more than 900 pupils, said, "AAI has never failed to provide the funding for constructing concrete floors and plywood and carpentry supplies to build classroom tables and chairs for students. They provide sacks of rice and seeds for gardens. Each year, they provide gallons of disinfectant and protective gloves and masks so we are able to clean up after the storms pass. This creates improved sanitation and reduces the occurrence of infections from water-borne illness and disease."

Once damage is assessed, local schools provide a plan for rebuilding. We do our part to purchase supplies but encourage local businesses to give discounts or assistance in repairing the schools. Parents and other volunteers who have carpentry skills provide the labor. We also provide communal meals during the repair process to create a bonding environment that builds friendship and cooperation among neighbors with diverse cultures and who speak a variety of dialects.

Thank you, donors! Because of your support and reliable contributions, we are able to purchase and transport urgent needs. With your help, we have provided tightly budgeted resources and building supplies to make repairs immediately. Within days of Nature's wrath, students are back in their classrooms, ready to learn.

Our advocacy is rather than move hundreds of thousands of victims into makeshift villages with unstable government funding, we encourage families to stay in their hometowns and rebuild. Schools are the center of the community, and love for the children helps to form a bond between parents and neighbors. In crisis conditions, local governments turn their schools into temporary shelters. Our role as a first-response NGO is to help keep the shelter facilities in good sanitary condition.

If you would like to add to your support or begin a monthly donation, please click the link below.

Emergency Relief for Inter-Faith Filipino Children

Thank you,

Albert Santoli

Director Asia America Initiative

Links:

• Asia America Initiative website