Emergency Relief for Inter-Faith Filipino Children

Worldwide, 2023 has been a year of natural disasters, global health crises, food shortages and unbearable man-made calamities such as terror and regional wars. Our challenge at Asia America Initiative has been to help local communities in the United States and overseas to keep hope alive and to build sustainable recovery programs.  We have emphasized childens' futures as a motivating factor we can all agree upon, regardless of any difference in culture, language or religious beliefs.

The natual and man-made disasters have occurred in the midst of economic disparities and political and social malfeasance.  As a result, record numbers of refugees and displaced persons within their own borders are on the verge of despair. Among the countries undergoing social, health and political crises, the Philippines has been named by the United Nations as the most severely affected.  Super typhoons, floods and mudslides, volcanoes, earthquakes and large fires are almost weekly occurences.  In the widespread environment of abject poverty, Asia America Initiative backed by our GlobalGiving donor partners have made a true difference in saving lives and providing a glimmer of hope.

"We have no idea what we we would do to keep our public school of 300-plus children open," says Principal Melda of Mukammali Elementary in Jolo, Sulu. " I hope AAI won't stop helping our school children. Without their help our school children could not experience enjoying education as a celebration.  For months we haven't received our full government funding, that's why even our new classroom which AAI helped a lot financially and the school parents did the carpentry was not even painted.  But AAI donated an additional 5 gallons of paint. I was promised by politicians to give us paint and donate 24 plastic chairs for our shortages but until now we have not seen...  that's why my colleague said better to ask our far distant partner AAI and their donor friends who had the heart to share your blessings to our school children.  They never ask anyone what is their religion or tribal origin."

In 2024 we expect thousands of families in the Philippines to be displaced by volcanoes, typhoons, fires, and floods. Rather than seek to attract hundreds of thousands of victims into makeshift villages with unstable government funding, we encourage families stay in their hometowns and rebuild with their own skills and joyful labor.  "It is the support we have received from kind outsiders like GlobalGiving that has instilled hope and funded enterprise into communities who would have despaired," AAI Director Al Santoli says.

If you would like to add to your support, please click on the link below. We are accepting donations to send tons of supplies to AAI-supported communities in the weeks to come.

Thank you for helping families who have become refugees and can now find their way home. Wishing you all Happy Holidays.

Emergency Relief for Inter-Faith Filipino Children (46834)

Links:

• website