On August 17 and 18, a second group of 50 mini-nurses representing more than ten elementary schools concluded their emergency aid training session to promote first aid and promote safety measures in their schools. The training on Jolo island is supported by the private NGO, Asia America Initiative, the Sulu Department of Education, and local nurses, teachers and college volunteers. The program is the first of its kind in the Muslim Mindanao Region city of Jolo. The girls and boys, between the ages of 10 and 12 years old, have become enthusiastic helpers of their school nurses.
The Training, conducted by Red Cross volunteers, introduced the "LIttle [Florence] Nightengales, [founder of modern nursing], to healthy lifestyles and opening their young minds to consider careers in public health services," says Nurse Hja Shareen Lakibul, Head Nurse of the Dept of Eduation in Sulu province. "The training of “mini nurses” is crucial to places in the Philippine islands such as Sulu where unstable militancy and natural disasters seem to be never-ending. By empowering the 4th to 6th graders and high schoolers, their joyful awareness of public health reaches the whole community and creates a continuous source of health services."
The Mini Nurses program is going through a period rapid and enthusiastic expansion. The program has expanded in its second year from three schools to almost thirty. some 200 students have already graduated from the emergency aid training. The recent mass training is the first community-wide “Child To Child” [C2C] peer learning opportunity since the idea blossomed in 2014.
Red Cross volunteers and the Sulu’s Department of Education school nurses, supported by AAI, instructed attentive mini nurses how to create bandages for head wounds in the case of earthquakes or other natural disasters. “The children’s focus speaks highly of the encouragement from their families and teachers in their communities,” says AAI Director Albert Santoli.
"The program is intended to prepare future generations of healthcare professionals within isolated communities," says Principal Merhama Pandi of Salih Yusah Elmentary School. "This is essential in rural areas where public health is not available. Positive results, starting with a positive attitude, are already apparent."
The "Child 2 Child" Mini-Nurse program is a substantial part of the Child Friendly Schools and Peace Zone programs now underway in Sulu. The participants in these programs will go on to become the next generation of nursing students at colleges such as Sulu State Collece where our "Support 50 Muslim Girls to Become Nurses" program as been a heart-warming success. Global Giving donors have helped to make a huge difference in the lives of these children, especially the girls who are learning leadership, caring for fellow students and being inspired to become contributing professionals in their communities. Deep appreciation to all of our extended community of donors.
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A phenomenal achievement was recently performed by the newly graduated Registered Nursing students from School of Nursing at Sulu State college in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines one of the most impoverished and conflict-torn areas in all of Asia. In the mid-year National Nurses License Exam a group of bright and energetic recent SSC students doubled the national average for passing the exam with close to a 70 percent success rate, compared to 35 percent by all other test-takers from all regions of the country. "This is an amazing day for our school," says SSC President Dr. Russ Arasid. "We have demonstrated the practice of "One Direction for Sucess" by all of our students, teachers and administrators."
Muslim females of all ages around the world are being denied the opportunity to receive a quality education and to develop professional skills to remedy the health, social and economic needs of their communities. Sulu State College is surrounded by high poverty and communal violence. It is a prime target for the radical Islamic groups such as ISIS and their wanna-be sub-groups made of of largely teenaged boys "slave" girls. Students struggle to complete their studies at Sulu State College which intends to provide affordable education to youth coming from families under the poverty line -- earning less than $2 US per day. In the 2013 - 2014 school year the School of Nursing at SSC was tareted for closure by the the national Commission on Higher Education [CHED] because the pass rate was well under 30 percent.
In 2015, Asia America Initiative at the request of College President Arasid and his Coordinator Dayang Shvetz Kiram, began supporting the School of Nursing which lacked basic textbooks, lab equipment and even electricty to run a handful of broken down printers, computers and other basic instructional technologies. Financial support from Global Giving donors with a number of modest conributions and donations of books and equipment by a group of public and church schools in Pennsylvania, maryland and West Virginia supported a revitalized corps of classroom instructors led by Nurse Frissida Daud, who has provided leadership and inspiration. "We thank God," states Nurse Frissida "and extend our warm gratitude to all those who have encouraged and supported the success of our 2017 graduating students in the National Licensing Examination."
When we started this program wo years ago, we hope to assist 50 additional female nursing students with their basic educational needs, classroom materials, graduation fees and the cost of licensing exams, We now have surpassed moe than 120 new nurses who are helping to improve the overall health conditions in their communities. These young women demonstrate the potential success for Muslim women around the world. In addition, as health care providers, the nurses are providing vital services to all community members and expanding the employment base in one of the most economically deprived areas of the world. They also are symbols for success and achievement which is a great morale booster for the youth.
We believe that the best is yet to come. Our challenge, whith radicals from outside of the Philippines pushing in, is to sustain this success in education and life. Please help us to support more bright young students in their nursing studies during the 2017-18 school year.
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In highly impoverished and conflict-torn Sulu Province in the southern Mindanao area of the Philippines, the Nursing School at Sulu State College is a beacon of hope and progress for young Muslim women to serve their community. A new milestone was reached on February 23, 2017 when the SSC nursing school skills team finished among the Top Five in a regional "Battle of the Nightengales" [as in Florence Nightengale, who is credited as the founder of modern nursing]. The competition, which was held in the region's largest city, Zamboanga, was televised as a "Quiz Bowl on the Nursing Arts." Three SSC team members earned individual finalists honors, as well.
The SSC nursing school has made incredible progress since 2013, when the Nursing Exam pass rate due to a lack of facilities and learning materials was under 30 percent. In 2016, the percentage of sucessful License Exam new nurses rose to an average of 90 percent The total of new nurses grew to 91 in 2016, far surpassing our original goal of 50. An additional 30 student-nurses will graduate from SSC in March 2017. Among them is 20 year old Miss Shaima. "It has been my lifelong dream to become a nurse," she says. "It is a wonderful way to assist my family and my community." She is a cheerful member of the SSC Nightengale Team. "Our confidence and love of becoming a nurse is what motivates us to try our best," Shaima says.
Shaima and her colleagues, mostly young women, are symbols for the youth of Sulu in overcoming incredible challenges in schools that previously lacked textbooks and fundamental laboratory training tools. GlobalGiving donors have empowered Asia America Initiative to provide the Nursing School’s teachers and students many tools needed for academic success. The proof is in their smiles in the accompanying photos of the Nightengale Quiz Bowl and in their classrooms.
These young nursing students demonstrate the potential success for Muslim women around the world, In many Muslim countries, the people live in terror-plagued and conflict-torn regions. Females are denied an education to develop professional skills to assist their families and communities to rebuild and work their way out of poverty. In places such as Sulu, the malnutrition rate is more than 50 percent of all children. Clean drinking water and sanitation are difficult to find. In addition, where doctors are in short supply, nurses are providing vital services to all community members. The young SSC nurses are heroes and inspiration to their families and communities. We are ever-grateful to all of our Global Giving donors for your role in supporting their hard work and success.
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In highly impoverished and conflict-torn Sulu Province in the southern Mindanao area of the Philippines, 41 new graduates of Sulu State College Nursing School are preparing to take their licensing Board exams in mid-November, 2016. if successful, they will bring the total of new nurses who were educated at Sulu State College [SSC] to 91 in 2016, far surpassing our original goal of 50 for this year. An additional 30 student-nurses will graduate from SSC in March 0f 2017. Among them is 20 year old Miss Shaima. "It has been my lifelong dream to become a nurse," she says. "It is a wonderful way to assist my family and my community."
Shaima and her colleagues, mostly young women, are symbols for the youth of Sulu in overcoming incredible challenges in schools that previously lacked textbooks and fundamental laboratory training tools. Global Giving donors have empowered Asia America initiative to provide the Nursing School’s teachers and students the tools needed for academic success. Between 2013 and 2016 the SSC nursing graduates Philippine national Licensing Board Exam pass rate skyrocketed from around 30 percent to 94.5 percent.
These young nursing students demonstrate the potential success for Muslim women around the world, In many Muslim countries, the people live in terror-plagued and conflict-torn regions. Females are denied an education to develop professional skills to assist their families and communities to rebuild and work their way out of poverty. In places such as Sulu, the malnutrition rate is more than 50 percent of all children. Clean drinking water and sanitation are difficult to find. In addition, where doctors are in short supply, nurses are providing vital services to all community members. School clinics are the basic source of medical care where clinics and hospitals do not exist. In addition, working nurses in Sulu expand the employment base in one of the most economically deprived areas of the world.
Nurse Frissida has been the Dean of the Nursing School since it began it's dramatic turnaround in 2014. She is a tireless worker for her students and is highly respected by the faculty and parents. "Currently, we have a batch of 41 graduates from early 2016 undertaking their intensive review in Zamboanga City for their national licensing exam. Hopefully with positive energy and prayers they will all pass the licensing exam in November.
"Our most important need for the students is a portable generator so we can use an LCD/projector during the almost daily brownouts or blackouts of electricity." she stated. "We will use it in the nursing department for review session for the exam and to download materials for classroom study. [Cost is around $1,000 US dollars.] Thank you. And may Allah bless us all."
The mission of Asia America Initiative is to build peace by empowering communities to conduct sustainable social and economic development. My recent visit to Sulu in September 2016 was placed in jeopardy because of terror attacks in various locations in Mindanao and the murder of both Muslim and Christian hostages by extremist groups in Sulu. I had one option -- to travel there by a 5 hour ferry boat. regardless of the risk. I was privileged to arrive accompanied by four elementary school teachers and to include a visit SSC Nursing School to talk with Nurse Frissida and her faculty, as well as their energetic but very shy students. Representatives from the education, health and law enforcement sectors of the province all accompanied me in school visits to assure my safety and to underscore our bonds of friendship. Our assistance to the health and education programs in Sulu demonstrates that regardless of our cultural and religious diversity, we share the benefits of building peace together. Thank you, Global Giving donors for empowering us. Through your funding, we are achieving educational revitalization needed to build this model for peace and development.
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Muslim women and girls around the world are often denied the opportunity to receive a quality education and to develop professional skills to help fix social and economic needs in their communities. At Sulu State College, in the Philippines, the School of Nursing has provided such opportunity. Asia America Initiative team is pleased that our program to support 50 Muslim Girls to attend the school has surpassed our goals. Our program provides quality education for female students to achieve their dreams.
The SSC Nursing School class of 2015-16 included 63 graduates. The majority are female. During the second of week of June, twenty-two recent graduates will undergo their national exam to qualify for a professional license, with the remainder taking the test in a few months. The new senior class of 2016-17 includes more than 40 students who are utilizing textbooks, classroom equipment and clinical supplies provided by Asia America Initiative. Funds were provided by our Global Giving donors.
Sulu province has long been listed by United Nations agencies as among the most under-developed areas in the world. More than one million people reside on 125 islands in Sulu archipelago, but there is only one multi-service public hospital. SSC has one of only two nursing schools in the entire province.
School Director, Nurse Frissida Daud has led a resurgence in students’ performance. However, many students struggle to complete their studies due to poverty and instability. A respected senior educator in Sulu, Dr. Amy Malbun, former Superintendent of Schools in Sulu, says: "What the AAI program is doing for indigent youth who attend SSC is to provide them with a chance to get a quality education in a profession vital to the overall province well-being."
The college has suffered from the support from government. Between 2008-2010, the school’s students had less than a 30% pass rate in the National Nursing Exam—arguably the least satisfactory rate in the entire country. In November of 2015, after one year of the SSC and AAI program, there was a dramatic turnaround. An 84% National Exam passing rate by SSC nursing students was among the highest in the country.
We are committed to continue supporting SSC nursing students with their basic educational needs, classroom materials, graduation fees and the cost of licensing exams, AAI is not only showing confidence in students and teachers as individuals but demonstrating potential success for Muslim women around the world. School Director, Nurse Frissida says, "Support from AAI and your donors means a great deal to us. Your generosity creates a positive attitude our girls need to overcome challenges and sustain success in their studies.”
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