Help Bring a Philippine Community Out of Poverty

In this latest installment marking progress in the development of the GK Ark of Noah Community, we'd like to start with thanking you for the direct impact that your donations have had on the 78 families and the other communities surrounding our adopted village. Your donations, no matter the amount, continue to energize our volunteers in the United States and on the ground in Bocaue, Bulacan, because these funds go to jump-start sustainable developmental activities in and around GK Ark of Noah. Here's a snapshot of what your donations have empowered these past six months:

1. Home building: 36 homes complete, with another 14 homes funded, for a total of 50 homes built or in progress;
• GK Boston donations: 15 homes
• TripAdvisor Foundation grant: 31 homes
• Local Philippine donors: 4 homes, 1 community hall, 1 community clinic space and 1 community kitchen.
2. Infrastructure: Launched a separate campaign to raise funds to build a drainage system for $40,000;
• We are in talks with a local Philippine Foundation to fund the entire amount needed to build the drainage system in time for the start of monsoon season in October.
3. Community Health:

• Staples Foundation grant: This summer's ongoing internship program partnership with the University of Massachusetts Medical School allowed us to expand the program to three medical school interns. Our interns will expand the health program (ongoing nutrition and vaccination studies and services) to include hypertension and diabetes studies.
• Nutrition: Local donors funded the construction of a community kitchen to support the household garden program initiated by one of our community health interns from 2016.
• Childhood nutrition: Sustained over 20 early school-age children in a weekly feeding program;
• Wellness: Volunteers conducted yoga classes and donated yoga videos which the villagers play on the community televion as they conduct weekly self-managed community yoga sessions. 

As you can see from the set of well-rounded activities above, GK Ark of Noah is a vibrant, hopeful and energetic community taking many, tiny steps to emerge from their life of poverty. Though life may still be hard for them, the attention and care that they receive from donors like you give them hope and a sense of human dignity. Your donations not only fund these activities, they also help to maintain interest among our community partners such as local government, foundations and volunteers.

Thank you for your support and for keeping the 78 families of Ark of Noah in your hearts. We cannot do anything without you. To paraphrase a common saying, "It takes a village...to raise a village." 

Stay tuned for our year-end report in six months!

Best,

The Gawad Kalinga Boston team

Links:

• The community page for the GK Ark of Noah village