One year of Raw Hope in the Philippines = WOW!

Peace building and child protection training is incredibly important in Mindanao. Recruitment by militant groups is a very real problem. Here you can see young people sign their names at the end of the workshop, as sign of their decision to advocate for peace in their communities. These activities were successfully conducted in 37 barangays (suburbs) in Cotabato City and 97 barangays in Marawi City.

Mark Gil Elnar

The "house of knowledge", as our communicator Marky called it. He was so moved by this story and meeting the incredible Consmarie (pictured), who stated, “I was hurt when I knew that the children have not learned anything for about a year because of the pandemic,. I was afraid they would forget the value of education in their lives. So, I felt the great need for the children to learn again, and that’s why I am happy to run the Summer Reading Camp project with help given by World Vision.”  Consmarie has served children for 20 years as one of the educators in the Department of Education. We supported her reading camp with supplies and educational resources. An advocate for children, during her weekends, she never fails to visit one of the below-poverty line villages in her area. The reading camp featured is situated near the Celebes Sea, this area has a school but it practices a multi-grade approach.   

Mark Gil Elnar

Helping out-of-school youth gain skills for employment is a key to ensuring they can build a future. This photo was taken on 29 November 2022, the last day of class for 25 young people coming from 5 Raw Hope partner barangays (suburbs). They successfully completed their 'Tile Setting Training' with our partner entity Technical Education Skills Development (TESD). "It developed my skills and provided me credentials in applying for my future job and this will enable me to land a career and have my livelihood, and help my family's needs on a daily basis. Thank you so much for providing us this once in a lifetime opportunity," a very happy student.

Mark Gil Elnar

“My passion for writing came back to me again. I now understand how to organise my thoughts so I can write clearly," shared Norhasan, 17, a student from Cotabato City who attended the Raw Hope literacy training.   “This training helps youth like me to learn more. I advise young people like me to appreciate the beauty of writing. I hope they will find the goodness that comes from reading and writing. I also hope they will not waste their time and get used to the online games because that destroys their focus,” he says. 

Mark Gil Elnar

The people of Mindanao know the effects of natural disasters. This year typhoons and flooding destroyed many people's homes. We provided emergency distributions to help families survive the aftermath but as we look to build sustainable futures, disaster preparedness courses have become a big priority, as seen here, in the class specifically for children.

Mark Gil Elnar

Mindano has a beautiful lake which long supported a strong fishing industry, a main source of income and food for many families. In recent years, the effect of the Marawi siege, economy, covid and climate-related disasters have contributed to a decline in fishing and livelihoods. Raw Hope helps small businesses to begin again through livelihood and income generation activities. “I’m sure my catch will increase, so too my income because my fishnet is new and is no longer perforated,” Nasroding (pictured) happily shared. He was amongst fisherman who received assistance to repair broken equipment, new nets and livelihood training.

Mark Gil Elnar