Asian Development Bank- Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction A2:
Access to Emergency Employment and Livelihood Support
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Dear development partners,
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After the onslaught of Yolanda in 2013, the government of Japan extendedgrant assistance Grant 9175-PH to the Philippine government through the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction Fund (JFPR) managed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Entitled “Emergency Assistance and Early Recovery for Poor Municipalities Affected by Typhoon Yolanda,” the grant has six sub-components.
Sub-component A2, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as lead implementing agency and Plan International as implementing partner, is committed to the following:
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Since the start of the sub-component A2, we've been inspired by stories of hope and resilience from our communities. Through series of emails, we commit to also share with you these stories--stories which will not only bring a smile to our hearts but will remind us that together we are Building Back Better.
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“I wish that my fellow students will study harder to achieve their dreams for themselves and their families,” shares Christian (13), grade six student and president of a Supreme Pupil Government Organization (SPG).
Christian's dream, when elected SPG president was simple. He wanted his fellow students to be excited to study harder. Because when the typhoon Haiyan hit their school, it left most of their classrooms roofless and their books, tables and chairs destroyed.
“Two days after typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), I went to school and was saddened to see the roofs blown away and our books soaking wet and destroyed.”
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When classes resumed in January 2015, teaching and learning conditions were still difficult for both the students and the teachers. Damage caused by the typhoon limited the number of available classrooms. Grade sections had to be combined, leading to crowded classrooms and additional teaching and learning challenges.
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Three newly constructed classrooms students are using since December 2015.
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Committed to promote quality education for all through rehabilitation and refurnishing of disaster resilient schools for the re-establishment of the education system, JFPR through ADB, DSWD and Department of Education, with Plan International as the implementing partner, identified the construction of three new classrooms of his school. The new classrooms were designed with ramps for Persons with Disabilities and separate toilets for boys and girls. When Christian and his classmates discovered this, they were excited.
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Christian was even more excited when he was given the special task to colour the weather chart, which serves as a reference to see the weather conditions through-out the construction. Each day, he would check if it was raining or sunny and use crayons to colour the weather chart.
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On December 8, 2015, three new classrooms, pre-assigned to grade 1, 5 and 6 sections, were turned-over to their school.
“Some students were too excited to enter their new classrooms, some students would innocently push each other into the room,” he candidly shares.
Today, a little over two months since the turn-over, students are still eager to go to school every day.
“Because of the new classrooms, we are more excited to go to school and feel more comfortable in class. I think our teachers are also more excited to teach us. Now, each classroom has two toilets—one for boys and another for girls.”
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At the start of the academic year, Christian's wishes were simple—that his fellow students would study harder to achieve their dreams. Now, with their new classrooms, his dreams are coming true little by little--not only by the current student population but for the next generations to come.
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