In Banaba young people like Rechiel face huge challenges. Many live in plywood shacks along riverbanks that are damaged by floods every year. Their community is heavily polluted, and difficult living conditions mean that young people can find it hard to resist the draw of gangs and drugs. Rechiel and other youth leaders like her are fighting for a brighter future for their peers through arts programmes, environmental advocacy, and emergency flood response - but they need your support!
There are few government services that support young people in Rechiel's community. The area is also heavily polluted and deforested, and as a result annual floods are devastating. Young people need support to stay in school, to prepare for the floods which come every year, to stay away from drugs, and to restore their environment. Rechiel's youth group - Buklod Ng Kabataan - has big plans for helping their peers, but they don't have the funding to execute their programmes.
With funding, Buklod Ng Kabtaan will run programmes to encourage youth to stay in school and take care of their community. These will include summer camps aimed at empowering teens to protect their environment, after school activities to give youths something positive to do when they're not in school, a community library and tutoring service, and much more! Together, these programmes will help Banaba's young people take control of their future.
The youth leaders of today are the community leaders of tomorrow. By giving young people like Rechiel funding to run their own activities, we can ensure that Rechiel grows up knowing how to affect change in her community. And that means a stronger community that can advocate for its own needs in the long-term.