#ProjectBaon: School Meals for Filipino Kids!

To our Dear Partners,

On behalf of all of us at Reach Out and Feed Philippines Inc., and all the beneficiaries, we would like to thank you for your continuous support to #ProjectBaon. 

We have been working together on this project now for three months, and since we started in November 2015, together, we have helped:

• 2 schools and 120 undernourished kids,
• We have served a total of 4,693 nutritious school meals,
• 87% of the beneficiaries, those who regularly attended the program, had a significant improvement in their overall health in terms of -weight, and immune system. There were no recorded absences from school and no recorded sickness while they were enrolled in the program. Wow!

For your reference, please see attached reports for these two schools and some highlights below :

Taytay Elementary School

#ProjectBaon started at Taytay Elementary School last November 16, 2015, together with our implementing partner, “Seeing the Dawn Christian Ministry”.  Sixty (60) students were screened and selected to be a part of the program. Since November, these 60 kids have been receiving their daily meal, a lunch with fortified rice, meat, vegetables and fruits.

The results were encouraging. On the first 20 days, a teacher reported to us that the kids enrolled in the program were noticeably more active in school. How can they not be? As you can see in the report, 100% of the kids had increased  their weight, ranging from  1kg,  and some of up to a  5kg increase in weight.  

 As we progressed in the program, and as our team started introducing more vegetables in the menu, there were a few kids though who tends to be picky in what they eat.  You may noticed we have marked 6 kids who  were picky eaters and who had decreased their weight at the end of 40 days.

Overall, 51 out of the 60 beneficiaries had an overall improvement in their health, in terms of weight, height and stronger immune system. The team have also invited a doctor to conduct a health check-up on all beneficiaries.  We will keep you posted on the results.

Silahis ng Katarungan Elementary School, Paco Manila

#ProjectBaon started at Silahis ng Katarungan Elementary School last January 4, 2016. Sixty (60) students were screened and selected to be a part of the program. The program was intended to run until the end of the school year, however, the team was informed on its  3^rd week of implementation that we are not allowed to use any of the photos or videos taken to document our feeding activities in the school. As this is a school policy, we had to sadly terminate the project, and we ended it last January 29, 2016.

As you can see in the report, the 20-day results were really encouraging, and the team is finding ways to still serve the kids in Paco Manila outside of the school. Thus, last February 19, 2016, the team partnered with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) Manila, to reach out to indigent and homeless kids who are often seen at the Paco Market. 70 kids initially participated in the feeding activity, which we hope to also convert into a daily feeding activity through a community based program.

Community-Based Outreach Programs

Aside from school based feeding programs, the team have also started three outreach activities in poor communities, that with   enough funding, we are hoping and praying to turn into full time Feeding locations. 

These are the following :

• Baras Antipolo Rizal, 60 kids, 720 meals served to date
• Pinesville Taytay Rizal, 60 kids, 480 meals served to date
• Paco Manila, 70 to 80 kids, 160 meals served to date

Feeding activities in the above locations are currently done once a week. The team is using these weekly gatherings to get to know the beneficiaries and their parents, establish relationship, know more about the needs of the community and prepare for a daily feeding program once funding is ready.

To summarize, in 3 months, together we have :

• Reached out to 320 undernourished kids,
• Served a total of 6,053 nutritious meals
• In 5 different locations !!!

You may think that your contribution is small, but together, it is creating a massive impact in re-shaping the future of 320 kids. As we start this 2016, we also wish to ask if you would consider signing up for a Monthly Donation for as low as $12 a month? 

Your regular monthly support will help us plan for the whole year ahead  and enable the Feed Philippines team to prepare and ensure the consistent provision of hot and nutritious meals to all  beneficiaries.

Again, we thank you so much for trusting us, and we really hope to work long term with you in the fight against hunger and malnutrition in the Philippines.

Thank you again and may God richly bless you and your family!

With gratitude on behalf of the whole team,
Dawn Marie F. Cabigon
Founder, Reach Out and Feed Philippines Inc.

• TaytayElemSchoolReport (PDF)
  
• PacoManilaReport (PDF)
  

Dear Friends and Partners,

We would like to sincerely thank you for your support to #ProjectBaon, a project that aims to provide school meals to malnourished public school students in poor communities in the Philippines.

We are pleased to give you an update that we have reached 13% ($5,700++) of our needed fund of $41,000 for #ProjectBaon as of November 30, 2015.

After receiving the first batch of funds raised through Global Giving last October 30, 2015 amounting to $5,046.95, our team immediately mobilized to launch the  first of the ten Feeding Locations for the #ProjectBaon campaign.

Taytay Elementary School, is 1 of the 21 public schools in Taytay Rizal. The school have not received any funding from the government yet to set up a Feeding Program. The ROFP team including a health professional, with the help of the school administrators was able to identify sixty (60) kids in grade 1, ages 6 to 7 years old, who are “severely wasted” based on their very low weight for height.

The team also met with the parents of the kids to explain why their child was selected to be a part of the program and their involvement in the program. The provision of daily “baon” or lunchboxes started officially last November 16, 2015 and is now on its 3^rd week of implementation. 

With the support of people like you, our beneficiary kids will continue to receive the food and nutrition they need daily until the end of the school year. But more than giving food, you will also provide hope to the children and their parents, who are thankful for "strangers" offering help in their time of need. Isn't that amazing? Here are some testimonies from the parents and teachers :

“Dati po talagang mahina sya kumain, ngayon po ay lumalakas sya. Puro dagdag na yung kinakain nya, dati, konti lang sya kumain, ng mapasama sya sa program na yan, lalo tuloy syang lumalakas kumain”

“He used to eat very little amounts of food but now he is gaining strength when he started with the program.  We now add more servings to his meals, when before he eats very little “ -Annie Mangubat,Mom of John Ezekiel,Grade 1 Student Beneficiary

“Naging maayos kami ng mga bata, yung mga walang makain, ay nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na makakain. Noong una, parang nabigla sila, nagulat sila may gulay, yun ang karaniwang problema ng mga parents…. Ang improvement na nakita namin ay naging aktibo sila sa pag-aaral, naging malusog sila…”

“We are now better, the kids who used to have nothing to eat, is now given the opportunity to eat. At first the kids were surprised because of the vegetables (with the meals), that is usually the problem of parents.  The improvement that we saw is they became active in learning and they are now healthy”- Melissa Pagaduan,Grade 1 Teacher, Taytay Elementary School

Watch these testimonies in the video link provided in our project page. 

We will send a more detailed report on the progress of each beneficiary at Taytay Elementary School at the end of its 4^th week. We will also send an update on the 2nd Feeding Location that we will launch at "Silhahis ng Katarungan Elementary School" a public school for special kids in a poor community in Paco Manila. You'll know what your donation has helped fund, what accomplishments we have achieved and what our current needs are.

We hope you find this partnership valuable and worthwhile. I know the economy is tough, so thank you for investing your hard-earned money on our cause. 

Thank you again and may God richly bless you and your family!

With gratitude on behalf of the whole team,
Dawn Marie F. Cabigon

Founder, Reach Out and Feed Philippines Inc.