Dear friends and supporters,
Good news! The Project Baon partnering with San Luis Elementary School that we started last October is about to end in 9 days! With 50 beneficiaries of undernourished kids ages 4-12, the most recent evaluation from the 90th day showed improvement in their nutritional status: 96% of our beneficiaries improved their weight within 90 days of providing nutritious meals.
In the words of Teacher Liza, "As I talked to our Project Baon beneficiaries from the afternoon group, they are very thankful to be part of this nutrition program. The kids told me how Project Baon was a huge help to them. In what way? I asked them. They told me that the meal they get daily serves as their only "Baon" (food at school) since their parents could not give the kids money to buy food in school. Teacher Liza said the parents are also very thankful that their kids became part of this worthwhile program.
Now that we are gearing towards the end of the 120-day Project Baon, we could not help but be thankful to people who believe in what we do and support our programs. Project Baon's success would not have been possible without the help of our generous partners like you. Thank you very much for continuously giving towards this cause.
One child, one student at a time, we are all making a difference in the lives of these precious children and their families.
#ProjectBaon is now back in schools!!!
Public schools in the Philippines are now open after the 2-year pandemic and we are so excited to serve the lunchboxes again to the kids in their schools !
We started the 120 day feeding program last October 10, 2022 for 50 undernourished elementary students ages 4-12 years old who are students of San Luis Elementary school in Antipolo City.
Staff & Volunteers are back to cooking, packing of meals and food distribution daily. Meals are delivered daily fresh from our kitchen to school and our beneficiaries gather to eat their nutritious meals together. According to the School Principal, our 120 day feeding program is going to be a huge help for the beneficiaries and their families as they will be fed with nutritious meals daily while they're at school.
"We are very happy to be chosen as a partner school and beneficiary of this feeding program, we are looking forward to seeing all the benefits that this program will bring to the children and their families"
This is the heart of #projectbaon, to feed the undernourished school kids so they can reach their maximum potential for growth and learning. We are thrilled to have a partner school who is supportive and very cooperative. As of this writing we just finished day 44 before the Christmas break of the school and served 2,200 meals so far and looking forward to continuing the program as soon as 2023 sets in.
As we wrap up 2022, we are grateful for our supporters like you who believe in what we do, We are looking forward to opening up more partnerships with different public schools next year and continue to feed, nourish and empower the Filipino children.
With Gratitude,
Pauline and team ROFP
Dear Friends and Advocates,
Yes! You read it right, we are elated to receive the final data from the field that thru your support, we had ZERO underweight kids at the end of the 120-days #ProjectBaon Program!
The program ran from February 2022 to July 2022 and we are pleased to share with you the highlights : (See attached full report)
Indeed the #ProjectBaon school meals feeding program proves to make a life-changing impact in the lives of the 100 beneficiaries from four different communities. A total of Twelve Thousand (12,000) nutritious meals based on the guidelines of the Philippines - Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), were served in the course of 120 Feeding Days, Monday to Friday, 5 days a week.
At the end of this wonderful project, some of the parents and guardians shared with our volunteers the positive impact of #projectbaon in their children's lives!
"My child used to be a picky eater and hates vegetables so much, he used to not eat even tiny bits of vegetables on his plate, now he eats vegetables and is not a picky eater anymore"
"I am very thankful for #Projectbaon as it is really a big help to our family, to me and my grandchild, having a regular daily meal is a big help for us, especially that the commodities are being more and more expensive nowadays".
"My children are not only increasing in weight but were also able to learn to socialize, play with other kids and would always look happy whenever they are with other children at the feeding program"
With over 20 volunteers who tirelessly serve the children daily by cooking, packing, distributing the meals, and making sure our beneficiaries consume their daily meals rain or shine, one of the volunteers said " I am really happy to witness how the children I was assigned to assist daily went from not really wanting to eat vegetables and always having their left over on their plates to being able to always finish their food without the need to be assisted and sometimes would ask for a second serving. I am also happy to be able to get to know these precious children and bond with them daily"
Now as we close this project, and get ready for the next one, we are encouraged more than ever to provide not just nutritious meals to the children but also to make them and their families feel that they are being seen, heard, and cared for. We hope that you can continue this journey with us as we FEED, NOURISH AND EMPOWER Filipino children to reach their maximum potential for growth and learning!
Sending Love and Thanks from all of us!
Pau + ROFP Staff and Volunteers
Two years after the first lockdown in the Philippines due to the Covid19 pandemic, #ProjectBaon is back to face to face feeding program in the community. While still observing the minimum health protocols, the team is able to serve 100 meals a day to 100 beneficiaries ages 4 to 7 in 4 different locations. As of this writing we have served two thousand and five hundred meals at the end of the fifth week. A new location is scheduled to start on April with another 100 beneficiaries.
Teresita, the mother of two of the beneficiaries said "My Daughter used to not eat vegetables because she does not like it, now she learned to eat vegetables through Project Baon, while my son now has an improved appetite. This is really a huge help to our family"Teresita tends to her children on most days without her husband who works as a construction worker in another city and earns below minimum wage.
Since the children are still on distance learning and are not able to meet their classmates and friends daily at school, this feeding program serves as their venue to socialize with other kids, while having balanced and nutritious meals with the participation of their parents.
The children are also being taught values education while the parents are being taught about the importance of good nutrition on their kids' daily life. According to ROFP's programs officer assistant Miguel Gallo who has been helping ROFP for many years, "It is priceless to see the smile on each kids' faces as they come to the feeding venues excited to eat their daily meals and interact with the volunteers.Project Baon has been helping the people in the community through feeding program and other activities that empowers them as a family"
#ProjectBaon2022 is still aiming for at least 1,000 beneficiaries this year and we know that this is possible with your help. "Around three million people or about 11.8% of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the last three months of 2021" . Children are at high risk of hunger because they are dependent on their parents, and their younger and growing bodies are more vulnerable to the consequences of hunger.
Let's make it happen! Give, Fundraise with your Friends and Families or Share this cause :)
Sending lots of love and praying you are all safe and well!
Pauleen + ROFP Staff and Volunteers
Links:
School year 2021-2022 started late again for all public schools in the Philippines, starting its 2nd year of Distance Learning last September 13, 2021. Last August and September with the help of a corporate partner, we launched and implemented a Feeding Program at the height of the pandemic, when our country recorded the highest number of covid cases, vaccines were not yet fully implemented, and the whole of the National Capital Region (NCR) was in a community quarantine. It could've been the worst timing to implement a Nationwide Feeding program due to heightened travel restrictions, but it was a time when Filipino kids in poor communities are most needing help from organizations like us.
Nevertheless,our amazing staff and volunteers carried through and provided over 100,000 freshly cooked breakfast and lunch meals to 870 children daily for 60 Days. This was a Nationwide effort together with the Local Government Units, Health centers and partner Civic organizations. We believe that through this experience, the ROFP team is now stronger than ever to widen our reach to feed and nourish more children through all your support. The Photos below are some of snap shots of this program.
With still 150 remaining school days, we hope to start with the next batch of beneficiaries on January 10, 2021. This time, our Goal is to have at least 1,000 kids in #ProjectBaon for 120 days. We are inspired by the efforts of several individuals and groups within the GlobalGiving platform helping us to achieve this Goal.
One of this is the GlobalGiving PledgeToTri Fundraiser, which has now raised over $17,000 in pledges out of their $25,000 goal! This funding will go to support 150 beneficiaries for 120 days!
The communities that are yet to complete the funding for all of its beneficiaries for the January #ProjectBaon are as follows :
1. Barangay Cawit (Bajao Community), Zamboanga City - 100 kids
2. Barangay Talisayan, Zamboanga City- 90 kids
3. Barangay Ayala, Zamboanga City- 80 kids
4. Barangay San Luis Antipolo - 200 kids
5. Barangay Bagumbayan Quezon City - 50 kids
6. Barangay Libis Quezon City - 50 kids
7. Barangay Acereda, Bobon Samar - 100 kids
Even with Covid 19 cases easing out, an estimate 4.2million Filipino families still faces hunger daily, most of which are still recovering from the lockdowns in the past months and unemployment.
Allow us to end this report and project appeal, with an encouragement from Diego Navarro, one of our donors in the GlobalGiving Fundraiser : "I am where I am today because of my education and a little bit of luck. Growing up, I was fortunate to regularly have baon and not get distracted by hunger while solving fractions in Math class. Imagine what these kids can accomplish if sufficiently nourished during their formative years. Future leaders will come from this generation and we ought to provide a platform that allows them to be successful. I believe it all starts with providing a basic necessity - nutrition"- Diego
Thank you all so much for your support on the #ProjectBaon School Meals Program since 2015! Together we can continue to FEED, NOURISH, EMPOWER!
Project Reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
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