Social Action Report
ADOPT AN ENVELOPE
Description:
Adopt an envelope program is an outreach project where in we donate, adopt, share envelopes that has school supplies. The mechanism of the project is to ask donations of school supplies from youth activists, youth leaders, students, friends and the like then share it to the unfortunate children. A chosen remote area will be adopted where the school supplies will be distributed to the unfortunate children. One envelope contains: 4 notebooks, 2 pads of papers, 3 pencils, 3 ball pens, 1 sharpener, and 1 box of crayons.
History:
It all started with a dream. A dream to create a change in this world, and this dream gave the determination to put everything into reality. The idea of the said project was adopted from 2 organizations namely Rotary Club with their project called “adopt a school program and IYOUDA from their Operation Shoebox project.
Objectives:
E – Encourage students to study harder.
N – Needs of the less fortunate children in school will be met.
V – Visualization that Education is at the hand of everyone.
E – Enrichment of values such sharing and sensitivity.
L – Living life that there is always hope.
O – Outstand that Education is important in achieving success.
P – Practice the mimic and the way of life being a member of the COE.
E – Emphasize to the less fortunate that they are being cared of.
Impact:
Started in the Fall of 2009, the COE Philippines team has provided over 240 envelopes to children in need.
ADOPT AN ENVELOPE SPURS A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: BATANG ISKOLAR PROGRAM: I AM A B.I.P.
Background:
In the Philippines, education is said to be free, but unfortunately despite of this right to education there are still lots of children don’t go to school for many reasons. One is because they do not have any notebooks or pencils to be used in school; some of them, instead going to school they stay at home and take care of their younger siblings while their parents look for work; and what is worst, is when they are forced to go out in the streets and find money in selling stuff just to obtain a peso for them to have food in front of their tables when dinner time comes.
Description:
From the Project “Adopt an Envelope” as the kick-off project, Children of the Earth-Philippines has devised a new flagship project called BATANG ISKOLAR PROGRAM: I am a B.I.P. A scholarship grant given to the less fortunate children in chosen remote areas in the Philippines. “Batang Iskolar” is a Filipino word which means a child scholar.
The program will cater the basic needs of the chosen less fortunate children in finishing their education by providing school supplies as the classes starts, enriching their experience as a child by receiving gifts during Christmas and developing their behaviors and attitude towards self and others as individuals by obtaining grooming kits from the program.
There will be a selection process where the organizers will be choosing scholars from each area, a criteria is set to determine who deserves and who needs the help most.
In return, the Batang Iskolars will be initiating activities relevant to social mobilization and community service to develop in them the values of a good citizen of the country at their youngest age.
These unfortunate children will be having sponsors who will be adopting them as a Batang Iskolar.
The mechanism of mobilizing the resources to be used in the program will be a challenge for the organizers. Children of the Earth-Philippines will be looking for sponsors who will continuously support the program as they will be adopting a child who will be a Batang Iskolar. Communication through letters between the sponsor and the scholar will be established to promote sympathetic and emphatic feelings and understanding despite of the differences they have.
Objectives:
I – Inspire more individuals to make a difference through helping children finish their studies.
S – Sustain the basic needs in school, health and the like of the less fortunate children.
K – Keep less fortunate but deserving students focused in achieving their dreams.
O – Overcome poverty as hindrance in realizing their goals in life.
L – Learn the values of selflessness, sensitivity and compassion.
A – Accept and mimic the ways of Children of the Earth.
R – Realize that there is always hope and that other people cares for them.
Target Areas:
Since it started last January 2010, the program has reached 6 areas plus 4 more places in the Philippines as the year starts, which includes; Basilan, Isabela City, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Del Sur, North Cotabato, Davao, Gingoog, Romblon, Batangas and La Union with 400 children involved.
Impact:
To date a total of 280 children from the poorest and most remote areas in the Philippines have received scholarships.
Sponsors:
To date there are 185 B.I.P Sponsors
I AM M.A.D:
As part of the process to identify the beneficiaries who will be receiving the scholarship, Christian and Mark came up with an amazing workshop called “I am M.A.D.” (Making A Difference). The Children participate in a series of activities including physical, emotional, social and mental exercises, giving the organizers the opportunity to determine potential leaders among the participants. At the conclusion of each MAD event, Christian and Mark choose the children that will receive the scholarship grants.
Impact:
As of December 2010, 280 Children have participated at the MAD event.
FROM THE SOULS OF DONORS TO THE SOLES OF CHILDREN IN NEED
Many Children who live in the rural areas in the Philippines, walk more than 3 hours everyday to attend school, wearing only their 20 pesos (50 cents) worth slippers to protect their feet from the stony trails. This gave Christian and Mark the inspiration to start with the idea of sharing shoes with the Batang Iskolars (Child Scholars).
COE Philippines gave 20 pairs of shoes to the scholars of Basilan Island and Zamboanga on December 14 and 17, 2010.
M.A.D Camp 2011
The Children of the Earth Philippines under its flagship project “Batang Iskolar Program: I am M.A.D. (Making A Difference) is bringing youths from all over the country in one venue to celebrate their passion to make a difference in the lives of other people.
The main objective of the camp is to train passionate youths to be M.A.D. ambassadors in their own community. These M.A.D. ambassadors will be equipped with knowledge, skills and attitude on how to initiate the project in their areas when they go back their places after the said camp. There will be workshops on how to handle activities during the launching of the project, sharing of experiences from the authors to give them a clear picture on what to do when some challenges arises, how to do networking and partnerships with other organization to have more resources, and to strengthen their passion in pursuing our advocacies in life.
The camp will serve as an avenue to build networks of M.A.D. ambassadors in the country, to establish rapport with other youths that has the same passion and most especially to create a one big family of Filipino youths working to make a difference in their own simplest yet meaningful ways.
If you have any questions and queries regarding the camp, we are very happy to answer it. Please email us at children_of_the_earth.phil@yahoo.com
THANK YOU TO ALL SPONSORS!
“Thank You! Now I can pursue my studies, because a special person like you came into my life to sponsor me. Thank you very much for choosing me as one of your scholars. Love you, Clarissa”
“I am so blessed that I have a friend far across the other nation. This will truly inspire and push me more to do well in my studies. Thank you very much. More Power, Christine”
“You are such a Blessing. I hope that some day we will meet. I am thankful that God gave you to sponsor me. Love and Kisses, Jessa”
Activities and Projects, June-November 2011
For almost 2 years already in December 2011, I am M.A.D. (Making A Difference) has reached 11 areas, involving more than 80 youth volunteers and 440 children.
Some of these areas are:
- Zamboanga
- Basilan
- Romblon
- Zamboanga Del Sur
- La Union
- Davao Oriental
- North Cotabato
- Batangas
- Sapang Munti
- Kidapawan City
- Isabela City
In one of the recent M.A.D. activities in Batangas, we gathered 40 children to be part of the program, 13 youth from different regions in the Philippines volunteered and the entire community participated in the activities we prepared.
As usual, we had team bulidng activities promoting the 10 M.A.D. commitments, which inspire the children to make a difference in their own litlle ways. Our community activity was great! We were able to mobilize the entire community to help renovate a school. Imagine! We were able to paint the entire school, all togther helping one another! We had also an activity with the local youth; we had a forum and some of us talked on youth leadership, volunteerism and community service. We had a candle ligthing rally which consisted of lighting up candles to form the 3 M. A. D. Letters. The culminating activity was the distribution of school supplies. As usual, we invited the children's parents and closed the program with emotional activity called the MAD circle.
We will never get tired of doing such activities! Our passion to make a difference will never come to an end; we might get busy in our daily lives but we will always have in our hearts and minds the inspiration to do more and be more!
We are already planning to have "formation activities" for all the youth who have participated in M.A.D. We hope to organize it properly so that more and more areas can be reached.
