Fire in the Badjao Community

It was a chaotic and frightening scene next to our Lighthouse Learning Center. In the middle of the dark and overcrowded community, there was a bright wall of fire that quickly spread to adjacent ramshackle dwellings. Screams for help were heard and our staff who were still at our school sprung into action. 

The Lighthouse Learning Center is on top of this hill just left of the fire.

Fires in these kinds of poor communities typically end in complete destruction. Thousands of homes have been destroyed before in similar situations and everyone feared this would end in the same way. In our community, next to the sea-dwelling Badjao, there are no public roads for firefighting equipment. Even worse, there are no fire hydrants and water to the entire community was shut off the past two weeks due to a lack of local supply (a very common situation). We had discussed at our local board meeting three weeks ago about adding more fire extinguishers than were required and also installing a long fire hose to be connected to our two 500 gallon water tanks. We were uncomfortable with the cost involved because we hadn't anticipated this $300 expense, but our local director made the wise decision to get it installed right away. 

The flames were coming from several houses that were fully consumed and poised to spread to the entire community of over 12,000 people. It was then our junior teacher Ann, who we recently hired to help our kindergarten class, ran for the 250-foot fire hose. Ann remained calm and helped with the first response. Others grabbed our fire extinguishers and slowed the fire just long enough until the firemen finally arrived. Not able to bring enough water then, the firemen used our water tanks too. After one hour it was put out and although 10 houses were destroyed, no one was killed or injured. The displaced families are being housed in our classroom for now until they can rebuild their homes. 

Ann is pictured second from the right.

We are thankful for our all-female staff who sacrificially and heroically help kids every day... and are apparently qualified firefighters too! If you've had anything to do with supporting our organization, an entire community is grateful to you. We didn't intend our building to serve as the local fire department, but it sure did help prevent major catastrophe. Thank God!

Holistic Help for a Marginalized People

About five months before my wife and I got married, my friend (and Badjao Bridge founder) Dan offered to shoot our engagement photos in Bohol as a gift, believing he wouldn’t be able to attend our big day. My wife and I jumped on the opportunity. You would too, if you knew that he’s a professional photographer who covers weddings as well as humanitarian projects for organizations like Compassion International. But the bigger reason was that he is a longtime friend. We got acquainted when he served as staff with the Navigators, the campus ministry group I was involved with in college, and he has been like a brother since then.  

After the shoot, Dan invited us along with a number of friends to a brief tour of the Badjao community in Dauis, about 10 kilometers from Tagbilaran, where we were graciously hosted by the chieftain’s family. We learned about how hard it was for them to continue their traditional livelihood because of new laws, and about how even though they recognize that education can give their children a chance at a better life, from the start the odds are stacked against these kids--no birth certificates with which they can enroll, often coming to school on an empty stomach, not enough means for school supplies and other fees, occasional bullying, and even for those who do get to advance to high school or college, the pressure to stop in order to help provide for the family.

One of the daily realities that Badjaos deal with is discrimination. While several breakthroughs have shined a positive light on them, it’s still not uncommon to hear people sharing a joke or two about the Badjaos’ hair color and complexion, mendicancy, or general outsider status. Ask random folks on the street what they most associate them with, and you’d get answers like skillful coin divers or annoying beggars with infants in tow or with their loud makeshift drums. That was about everything I knew about them before. And I’m glad that getting involved with Badjao Bridge has helped me to see much more.

What many people don’t realize is that there are several Badjao settlements scattered around the country, and that they face struggles common to many Filipinos: a decent livelihood, food and shelter, peace and order, preserving the environment from which they get resources, raising children to have better opportunities. 

The Badjao Bridge Foundation is working with three such communities, focusing on children’s scholarships, tutorials, feeding programs, school supplies, and other educational support. But while these are essential for the long term, the foundation has also come to see the necessity of mitigating short-term needs of their families. The availability of clean water, for example, minimizes the chances of getting sick, and a permanent structure can be a venue for alternative learning and tutorials. So aside from the Lighthouse Learning Center building in Dauis, a water and hygiene facility in General Santos City and a multipurpose building in Roxas, Palawan, are also underway. Like other charitable organizations, we are learning that sustainable solutions need a more holistic perspective. 

On July 18–20, the foundation brought together community leaders from Bohol and Palawan to a three-day seminar called Discipling for Development, a whole-life ministry approach focused on a biblical understanding of poverty and development, empowering communities to develop a vision, and giving them skills to help them solve their problems. A team from partner organization Community Help Alternatives Inc. (CHAI) facilitated the training. 

Drawing from the biblical story of the creation, fall, and redemption, trainors Kuya Wency, Ate Celia, Kuya Danny, and Kuya Celso helped the participants come to understand the physical, spiritual, social, and environmental aspects of poverty. Community leaders and pastors who minister to their people cannot just focus on Bible studies and then ignore facts like diarrhea among children, absence from Sunday service due to hunger, pollution that affects the neighborhood, or conflicts between individuals or tribes. These are factors that help make up people’s spiritual reality, and God’s redemptive process is wide enough to cover them. 

Nine young leaders (four from Palawan, four from Bohol, and one from Sogod, Southern Leyte) completed the course, including a young couple who had to bring their baby with them. 

“Two participants I got to talk with are June and Gesmar,” says Kuya Danny. “June is particularly excited about music. He is a self-taught musician and is very willing to be used by God in this area. He recognizes God's intervention in his life, such as when he miraculously recovered from pufferfish poisoning that killed one of his brothers. He was inspired to serve God when he prayed for a keyboard and was provided one, but he says he wants to serve God even when the keyboard is gone.” 

Gesmar, originally from Agusan, married into the Badjao tribe and now lives in the Roxas community. He is thankful to have been given a chance to go to seminary and now using what he learned by ministering among the residents of nearby Johnson Island for two years now, through good and bad weather. He said he used to care only about billiards, and is glad to have been called to the greater pursuit of serving the Lord. After the seminar, he is more encouraged in the need to have strong partnerships with other leaders in ministry to address local problems. “Walay mahitabo kung walay mosugod (Nothing will happen if no one initiates),” he says, adding that the lack of leadership is itself one of the needs in the community.

At the close of the training, participants were asked to share what they learned. “Ang pinaka-makatabang sa komunidad mao ra sad ang mga taga-komunidad. (The persons who can help the community the most are the people who come from the community),” the Bohol group wrote. “Importante pud kaayo nga mailhan nimo ang imong komunidad ug imong kaugalingon (It is also very important to know oneself and one’s community). Ug kinahanglan dili magdali-dali sa paghimo og desisyon. (One should not be hasty in making decisions.) Ang Bibliya usa ka source sa kaalam. (The Bible is a source of knowledge.).” They also enjoyed the storytelling method. 

The Palawan group also appreciated the new knowledge that they gained. “Importante kaayo ang paghatag og atensyon (Paying attention is very important). Di namo makalimtan ang mga istorya, parehas atong sa yuta nga dili makapatubo og tanom tungod kay gitunglo. Na-enjoy namo ang mga istorya, sama sa pagpakalma ni Hesus sa bagyo uban ang mga disipulo. Bisag unsay mahitabo, mosalig gyud ta sa Ginoo.  (We won’t forget the stories, like the one about the piece of land that was infertile because it was cursed. We also enjoyed stories like Jesus’ calming of the storm when he was in the boat with the disciples. Whatever happens, we should trust the Lord.)”

They shared that in their place in Palawan, there is a river that is becoming increasingly polluted because of the carelessness of the residents. They want to address this problem and start a cleanup and preservation effort. “What we learned from this training will be useful.”

“I would say that the word ‘empowered’ is still an intriguing thing in their minds,” relates Kuya Celso. “They are not yet empowered, but a vision has been cast in their minds, and we hope that all things working together can help them envision a better, empowered, and transformed community. And we have to tell ourselves that this is a process.” 

As they returned to their homes, it is our hope and prayer that they would develop and sustain a godly vision for their communities, and that their equipping would continue. It is definitely a tall order, but this training was a step forward.

As a “regular” Filipino, it is easy to keep a distant or even cynical view of the plight of the Badjaos, what with the many national, local, and personal concerns we face at any given day. But a Bible-based perspective reminds me that they are not just another indigenous people group; they’re one of the “nations, tribes, and tongues” that God said he will bless, though they happen to be among “the least of these.” And the Badjao kids are not just beneficiaries or a statistic; they’re every bit as precious as the children of whom Jesus said “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Thanks to people like you who support us and pray and partner with us, hindrances are indeed being overcome. 

Please continue to do so, and consider spreading the word.

(A guest blog by Kevin Desabelle)

To Dream Some More

As a little girl, she used to tag along her mother who was tasked to take her cousin to school. During those times, she had a secret wish that she, too, could study. The classrooms fascinated her. What would it be like to learn how to read and write? But her parents could not afford it, so all she could do was just dream about it. 

This young girl’s prayer, however, was answered. Claire Kim became a Badjao Bridge scholar. At the age of seven, she was finally able to go to school. Her academic performance speaks of her hunger to learn and excel. From first to seventh grade, she is the top student in her class. 

Now 14, Claire has maintained her academic standing. She is also one of our volunteer tutors. She comes almost every afternoon from school to our learning center to teach younger Badjao kids some basic reading skills. 
 
In 2016, she was inspired to see Lorna Cuham, one of our first two Badjao scholars to graduate, walk the stage in her graduation toga. It gave her hope and motivation that she, too, could finish college and one day become a teacher to help her Badjao community especially the children. She also wants to honor and help her family have a better life. She is thankful to her parents for the support despite financial difficulties. And of course, she is deeply grateful to her sponsors.

“Without them, I do not know if I could ever study at all. For this opportunity, I will give my best.”
 
When asked if there’s anything more she wishes, she smiled shyly and said, “I wish to see my sponsors even just in a photograph. I am so grateful to them that I dream to meet them one day to thank them personally, or at least, have their picture for now. My other fellow Badjao scholars have photos of their sponsors. I wish I have, too.”

A New School Year Begins

For many kids in the Philippines with parents of means, it’s an annual shopping ritual to make – buying their educational supplies sometime before the school year starts - new school bags, notebooks, pencils or pens, crayons, uniforms, and more.

But not so for Badjao children, where an average family survives on just $2 a day. The required school uniform and supplies often cost, at a minimum, over $30. It’s simply an insurmountable obstacle for the majority Badjao.

When classes started this month, these kids pictured here were ready to go with everything they need for school. This was only made possible through our Child Sponsorship Program, where we are now helping 223 kids everyday! 

Kid Magnet

"I’ve worked with young children for over 25years…some people call me a “kid magnet.” It is my career choice, my profession, my passion! But one day I was invited to work with a different type of kids and it challenged me in ways I couldn’t describe. Dan Johanson invited me to go with his team to the Philippines...I was not willing. Dan didn’t give up inviting me for almost a year. Until something happened - my love for children button was pushed, my heart softened and suddenly – I had to go. It was as if God tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hey, you with the gifts and love for children – it’s time to think beyond yourself." So, I agreed, renewed my passport, and packed my bags." - Kandi Tasker-Dill

"I've worked with young children for over 25 years...some people call me a "kid magnet." It is my career choice, my profession, my passion! But one day I was invited to work with a different type of kids and it challenged me in ways I couldn't describe..."

Kandi was one of our volunteers from the US who visited our community earlier this year. Thank you, Kandi, for taking that trip of faith and blessing the Badjaos with your heart.

One Step At A Time

April is one of our favorite times of the year here at Badjao Bridge. It’s when we see our sponsored Badjao children graduate from school or climb even just one level higher from where they started. It is a joy to witness their journey and see them get closer to their goals and dreams one step at a time, reaching another milestone in their lives. 

In the photos are Mempe, Sabina, Elena, and Ricky (above) and Carla (right). They are our five scholars who recently graduated from senior high school. They have overcome great odds to reach this far. Mempe, 19, said he never thought he could make it. But with determination and with the support of Badjao Bridge, he did it. Carla graduated with high honors. We also have 10 students who graduated from elementary school, two of them also with honors. We are so proud of them! 

All of this would not have been possible if not for your continued partnership with us through your prayers and financial support or any other way you have extended help to our work among the Badjao communities. We are truly grateful.

Lighthouse Learning Center

A little over four years ago, we witnessed the complete devastation of a sea-dwelling village from the strongest typhoon ever recorded on earth. This was the moment we realized that as an organization dedicated to partnering with land-less Badjao families, we needed a structure of protection to shelter more than 150 vulnerable children during calamities.

The idea grew to include a preschool, after-school tutorial center, occasional health clinic and bathrooms for children and families lacking sanitary facilities. The Lighthouse would be dedicated to empowering the lives of hundreds and even thousands of children. Though not yet finished, we dedicated this building in a community wide celebration.

By the end of this year, we aim to complete the needed water filtration system, kitchen for school lunches, and bathrooms. If you've been a part of this project, or simply sponsoring a child, we share this exciting news with you in appreciation for your help. Thank you! 

A Learning Center to Change Lives

Born and raised in a hut over the water in a family which struggled to eat, Carmel’s prospects to escape poverty seemed dim. But thanks to Badjao Bridge’s sponsorship program, she became the first of her family to graduate high school and now studies accounting in a local college. Soon she’ll graduate with honors, and her career goals include helping Badjao Bridge to support other families in need.

This didn’t happen by itself. The support of donors and boundless dedication of volunteers and staff are improving the prospects of hundreds of Badjao.

We’re in the final stretch of fundraising for our new learning center, The Lighthouse. This multi-purpose facility will serve as a preschool, tutorial center, and emergency shelter for vulnerable children. It also will provide families with access to safe water and sanitation through a rainwater filtration system and access to toilets.  Donations totaling $100,000 have brought us through design, planning, and most of the construction phase. We are heading toward the finish line to complete this project by the end of 2017. Thanks to donors who have adopted this vision and partnered with us so far.

Video Update!

We've got a lot of great updates to share with you here! Thank you everyone who has sponsored a child, gifted a computer, donated money for our property, building or community toilets. Your help has changed the lives of hundreds of Badjao sea-dwelling children!

Here's a quick update on everything we're doing. 

A Sense of Urgency

With heavy hearts we report that another tragedy struck the community this month. Jovert, three years old, passed away due to complications after contracting a virus that swept through the tribe.

At one point, more than 40 children were hospitalized at the overrun government hospital, all suffering from gastroenteritis and most of them were severely dehydrated. Our staff and volunteers quickly mobilized to purchase the prescribed medicine, which is not provided by the hospital. As of today, there are just a handful of children still admitted and they are all expected to be discharged soon.  

Sadly, deaths among children we work with have become common enough that we've added a line item in our annual budget to help pay for funerals. If there is anything good to come out of tragic situations like this, we find it can serve as a renewed sense of urgency to help this  community find a way out of the mire of poverty they endure each day.

Most kids we work with are malnourished, which weakens their immune system and leads to situations like the one this month. We've been providing school lunches for years now, but soon will start a breakfast program using fortified meal packs from Kids Against Hunger.

A special thanks to Auburn Presbyterian Church for sponsoring 24 new children and a special donation for our septic tank project!

Hear Some Good News

Coming alongside our Badjao friends these past seven years, we've had more than a few setbacks. Children have died, parents have been killed, young teens in our program decided to leave school and get married.  But the last few months have been different. A steady stream of good news!

• Lorna and Madonna, the first ever in the community to attend college, were helped with a college scholarship the last 5 years and graduated in October! With a Criminology degree, they'll enter the police academy next year.
• Our short-term team of health professionals successfully taught more than a 100 kids health and hygiene basics (a big deal with communicable diseases that have been fatal with kids). 
• With a lot of community support, we are now helping 140 kids get to school everyday. To help oversee this expansion, we've hired a part-time interim Executive Director, Mr. Ronnie Saguit. He has both the heart and organizational skills to help us expand even further.
• We are finally moving forward on our Lighthouse Project - with a serendipitous change of plans! 

We ambitiously planned a three-story preschool, office, livelihood training center and storm shelter during typhoons. To no avail, we have spent two years trying to resolve a thorny road access issue which prevented us from starting construction. Our latest plan is to scale down our Lighthouse Center to a size that can be constructed without a road for construction equipment. This one-story building, with the option for a second story later, will break by April 2017!

Because this building will not cost as much as we planned, we were able to purchase a second property for another Badjao community that desperately needed land to build their huts. The 3.2 acre ocean front property can accommodate more than 120 families. In the Lighthouse spirit of providing a refuge for sea-dwellers, this expansion to the second location was fortuitous - we're now helping two communities instead of just one!

Shown above are some of the families visiting the property we purchased in November. After we build enough toilets, (with their sweat equity) they will be able to move! 

Shown here below is an aerial shot of the property.  After years of renting beach space from land owners, they will finally be able to settle on their own property.

The Gift of Learning

Are you able to read this post? No doubt, your immediate answer is, “Yes, of course!”  What a gift literacy is! Though it impacts our lives daily, we take the skill as a given. Yet, in communities such as the Badjaos in the Philippines, this is not a skill taken for granted, nor a skill that historically has existed in the community. Without this skill, it severely limits one's life's choices. That’s why Badjao Bridge stresses its importance and is at work in advocating literacy along with the Good News.

“Education is very important because most of the children are not literate and mostly the parents can’t help them read and write,” says Paz Oroyan, our teacher in the Alternative Learning Program.

Since their parents are also illiterate, most of the children need learning assistance, coaching, or tutoring outside their homes if they are to be educated. They need to be literate if there is any hope for them to assimilate with peers outside of their tribe and for them to have any vocational choices in adulthood.

Sharing our vision to spread literacy, Paz came to work with Badjao Bridge last September, bringing positive energy and a creative bent in her lesson plans as an experienced teacher. A native of the Visayan community next door, she has been familiar with the lifestyle and needs of the Badjaos all her life. Yet, as she works with unschooled children, she finds this the most challenging teaching position she has held.

“These children’s needs are different,” she says, “so I adapt various teaching methods to their particular learning styles.” These are kids who don’t have a basic elementary education but who enjoy coming every afternoon to the Alternative Learning Program where they have a chance to grasp basic concepts in reading and writing. Paz’s desire to see the kids excel is rewarded with the kids’ enthusiasm and progress. One such middle-school aged boy, Brian, makes it a priority to come even with his active work schedule.

Brian senses responsibility to help provide for his family. So, like other boys in the community, he works in the evening preparing their boat for night sea fishing. Then, about midnight, he sails out with his dad in hopes of a good catch he can sell in town the next day. After fishing through the night, about 7:00 a.m. he finally falls into bed for five or six hours’ sleep. It’s then time at 1:00 p.m. to join other kids in the Alternative Learning Program for a couple of hours of focused literacy training. Learning to read is the highlight of Brian’s day. If he oversleeps and the group starts a session without him, this mild-mannered kid gets upset.

So, along with all her other challenging responsibilities, his teacher, Paz, makes sure someone stops by Brian’s stilt dwelling in the sea to wake him before they begin the afternoon’s learning exercises and activities.

Brian’s teacher says, “The children are eager to learn. They enjoy being within their own community and have great love for their unique culture. My hope, though, is that slowly, through education, the children will mingle with other children outside the Badjao community and will find acceptance, realizing that in commonality, they all are Filipino, and the communities will merge.”

Badjao Bridge provides four streams of education for the children of sea gypsies:

• Preschool for youngsters to prepare them to enter public elementary school
• Assistance for children to attend elementary and secondary public education by providing mandatory uniforms, school supplies, homework coaching, and lunch
• Alternative education for the unschooled older children so that they can master educational basics such as literacy while sustained by a chili-spiced, protein-fortified lunch
• A children’s Bible program and teenage discipleship training in partnership with the Badjao church on weekends

Occasionally, Badjao Bridge also provides a scholarship beyond high school for worthy students who dare to reach beyond what the community ever thought possible.

Another Goodbye

Wished the story we are about to share now is a happy and encouraging one. But sadly, no. A tragedy just hit our community again. About once a year now, we have to share a sad news that one of the children in our programs has died.

This time around, it’s Louella - a super sweet and fun-loving girl who wanted to be a teacher someday. Her father died tragically two years ago in a fishing accident. Having lost their father was hard enough, but it also meant the family lost all sources of income as well.  Louella persevered and with her mom's blessing, we found her a way to attend school. She contracted meningitis and with no adequate medical care, she died suddenly in a government hospital. Because her family is so poor, they could not afford to transport her body back home, let alone pay for a proper burial.

With great love for the family, our Program Director Weng put Louella in her car to bring the body back home. We paid for the burial expenses and will do our best to support Louella's only surviving sibling, a boy with partial paralysis, to attend school.   

Despite health and hygiene training, and the free medicine we provide each child, the reality is we are reaching out to one of the world’s poorest communities. Wish we could say that Louella will be the last one we would bury, but most likely she won't be. 

We urgently need to empower sea-dwelling communities to break the cycle of poverty through access to quality education and sustainable source of income. That way, they will have better chances of having better quality of life, and that no child or no one dies anymore simply because of lack of money and access to medication.

A small team makes a big difference! Trip Report - By Kim Huggett

 
While the hand built motorized outrigger churned toward our small group standing on the coral north shore, we could just make out a smiling Joshua, top spear fisherman of the Badjao tribe, standing in the bow holding out to us something long and silvery.

As the boat drew closer through the slightly choppy blue-green water of the Cebu Strait it became apparent that he was holding our lunch, a huge barracuda he had just caught.
As the group of four Badjao fishermen piled out of the boat it was obvious they were as excited about sharing their prize with us as they were about catching it. A fish that could have brought 600 pesos at the market –a good price for an entire day’s work – was their gift to their American guests visiting as part of a mission trip from Badjao Bridge and the First Presbyterian Church of Hayward (CA).

As the fish was chopped up and put in a pot of boiling water for us to share with rice and vegetables, we realized this just another example of how some of the world’s most desperately poor are among the most unreservedly generous.

The impromptu lunch was followed by a voyage on two outriggers into the channel between Panglao and Cebu islands, where we visited a desert island before enjoying spectacular snorkeling in the waters above the reef. Off to the west we could see darkly looming from the southern tip of the island of Negros Oriental the 6,200 foot high Mount Talinis, considered by seismologists a “potentially active” volcano.

The afternoon was more than ecotourism, it was an opportunity to see how these sea gypsies practice their traditional livelihood. At the same time, the heads of Badjao households wrestle with the opposition of governments to their fishing methods and some recognize their impoverished tribe may be faced with developing a lifestyle more dependent on the land, including jewelry making with pearls. That means the children of these nomads who largely live on houses on stilts above the ocean will be dependent on the one thing most other cultures take for granted: an education.

That’s the mission of Badjao Bridge, the nonprofit organization dedicated to raising the Badjao up from poverty by sponsoring children to attend school and other classes, providing nourishment with free lunches, and giving educational experiences in hygiene, gardening, and the arts.

A recent week-long visit to a Badjao tribe allowed seven of us from the Hayward and Castro Valley communities to see how the Badjao live. Working mainly with children, we treated their hair for lice, gave out toothbrushes and showed how to use them, and gave lessons in how to wash their hands. The children were delighted to plant tomatoes that will grow in special upside down planters. Children who live over the sea or on a coral shore can be unfamiliar with basic gardening.

There was singing and dancing, and a group of young professionals from the nearby island of Cebu dropped by to talk about different careers that can be open to children who take advantage of going to school.

More than 100 Badjao children are able to go to school thanks to sponsorships that allow them to have uniforms and shoes. Another 50 children, who are not allowed to attend public school because they don’t have birth certificates, attend classes in a Badjao Bridge classroom in the village.

A bittersweet highlight of our visit came on our last day, when we distributed 200 pairs of shoes donated by members of the First Presbyterian Church of Hayward. The need was so great that we could have used 50 more pairs.

The work of Badjao Bridge continues because of the generosity of donors in the USA and the Philippines. Anyone interested in visiting the Badjao can do so during guided trips hosted by our director here and staff on site in the Philippines.

Of Dreams and Possibilities

On the shore where scrap-built houses on stilts rise precariously out of the waves of the sea fourteen feet below, Badjao children play, work, study, and sometimes dream. Few of their dreams, however, float very far. But with some help, encouragement, and guidance, a child’s dream can find its way to realization.

Finishing high school was one of Carmel’s dreams. In a recent gathering of Badjao Bridge’s sponsored youth, Carmel, a child dreamer, shared how she was beginning to see the promise of her big dream. She had applied herself to her studies on a Badjao Bridge scholarship and was able to realize that first dream: completing high school! Yes, it had been tough living in squalor with her siblings and struggling single mother. But despite a very difficult and dysfunctional family background and impoverished economic circumstances, she made it! That was an achievement worth celebrating. What’s more, the fulfillment of this dream, birthed the possibility of another.

When Carmel discovered that Badjao Bridge was providing local college scholarships to a few outstanding students in the community, she went for it. Now enrolled as a sophomore in college, Carmel is working toward her baccalaureate degree in accounting. Not only is she excelling in her studies, but her enthusiastic application to studying has earned her a place on the dean’s list!

In a community where more than 90% of the adults are illiterate, that is indeed an achievement to celebrate!

For practical application of the skills she is learning, Carmel is helping Weng, Badjao Bridge’s Program Director, with the organization’s bookkeeping. She also helps in tutoring younger children so that they, too, can float a dream and see it become reality.

A dream realized for one Badjao child has a ripple effect of encouragement for other students whose dreams are few. Since she comes from the same community, they can resonate with Carmel’s story as an overcomer and pursuer of dreams. As she gratefully and tearfully tells her powerful story of how she never thought it would be possible to attain her dream to become an accountant, she, and others, get a glimpse of possibilities and dream their own dreams despite the obstacles that often seem insurmountable.

Grieving

By Ronnie Mosley, Humanitarian Photographer

A few weeks before I was to accompany Dan Johanson (Badjao Bridge Director) and the Badjao Bridge team to the Philippines, I received an email from Dan containing a heartbreaking story. Little Pina, a five year old Badjao girl, had slipped and fallen into the water during the night after leaving her father’s side where she slept. Little Pina always slept with her head on her father Abel’s chest. Abel felt responsible for her death as he failed to wake up when she lifted her head.

Dan informed me that Abel and his wife Paysa (mother of Pina) were in shock over the loss of Pina and needed someone to talk to who could better relate to the loss of a child. I wept as I read the email and saw the photo of little Pina. Not only did she have a beautiful smile but she was such a promising student in the Badjoa Bridge school. So much loss, so painful to think about, having for my own frame of reference our families indescribable loss only a year ago.

As I sat before Abel, Paysa and Abel Jr., in their little house on stilts over the water on  Panglau island in the Philippines, I wept with them as they told me of their loss. They described feelings that I could certainly relate to, and they asked me several questions. One of their questions was; will the pain go away, the pain that caused poor Paysa to climb to her roof and contemplate taking her own life, the pain that keeps Abel from going back to work. I told them that I wish I could tell them that the pain goes away, that time heals all things but that is simply not true. Instead I shared that in my experience,  and from the experience of those whom I have talked with at length, the pain does not stop. You learn to live with it. I call it starting a new life. 

 You learn to live this new life and you learn to accept this pain that cannot be “fixed” or made better. I let them know that they hurt so much because they loved little Pina so much, I encouraged them to work on associating the pain with love. You can’t have one without the other. To work towards letting that pain remind them of the intensity of the love they have for their precious daughter. The importance of realizing that it’s ok to hurt, it’s ok to feel really really bad. The pain is bad enough without the added anxiety of thinking you should work at fixing the pain. To shut out the pain is to also end the relationship with the one that you lost here on earth.Most importantly, I had the privilege to just listen to their stories about their little girl that they loved and continue to love so very much. To assure them that they are not alone in their pain, that I share their loss and their grief and that we walk this path together. In the early stages of grief, that is about all that one can process. It does not remove the pain but it makes it a little more manageable, sharing the load with another.I was blessed to offer them hope, to encourage them to focus on the things that little Pina loved and was passionate about; that by doing this, the relationship continues and her story lives on.

 To read Ronnie’s complete story of this trip, head over to his blog: Coastal Traveler.   

A Cause for Celebration

We are excited to report that the end of March marked not only the end of the school year in the Philippines but a significant accomplishment for eleven of our Badjao students who graduated from elementary school (the equivalent of a 6th grade U.S. education).

For nine girls, ranging in age from 12 to 14, and two boys, age 15 and 17, this was a significant personal achievement as they overcame the odds to be education trail blazers in their families and community.

Throughout the past school year, the two boys—Juvy (far right) and Wowie (far left) both of whom want to become doctors—experienced particular pressure to abandon their education goal. Nonetheless, with the support and guidance of Badjao Bridge, they persevered.

In the impoverished Badjao economy, a teenage boy typically contributes to his family’s livelihood, precluding him from attending classes or spending the necessary time to study. This is especially true in single parent households, as is the case with Juvy whose father died while fishing a couple of years ago. While most kids were finishing their homework and getting a good night’s sleep, both Juvy and Wowie worked as tenders on fishing boats each evening from 10:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. to earn enough money for the day’s meals. (A tender is someone who manages the lines for fishermen.)

Even with the late night schedule, Juvy was awarded recognition for outstanding attendance and Wowie completed his studies despite a battle with degenerative eyesight. Often the boys were tempted to succumb to life’s pressures. But, leaning on each other, they overcame adversity and the pressure to abandon their education dream.

The success of these eleven graduates is Badjao Bridge’s shared success! One of our primary goals is to change the trajectory of the next generation’s lives through the foundation of education, a portal to new opportunities.

Partner Visit - Day 1

By Ronnie Mosley, Humanitarian Photographer

There is no preparation or reading, no stories that can prepare you for what you see here with the Badjao Sea Tribe.

The Badjao people have been occupying areas here in the Southeast Asia since 500AD, yet they are the most discriminated against, least protected of any people group here. They live in intricate networks of little shanties made from boards and rotting lumber with tin roofs, propped above the water on stilts and connected by a intricate maze of tattered boards. Walking is dangerous as many of the boards are rotting and have broken through. I made sure that each step I took involved my foot encompassing at least two boards since a single board could brake through easily, resulting in falling into a stench of trash filled water. Only last week a precious little 5 year old girl, Pina got up during the night, presumably to make her way to the bathroom and lost her footing and fell. The father pulled her lifeless body from the water the next morning. Life here is hard, unfair and very difficult here, yet there is an interesting beauty on there faces that tells a story that goes far beyond poverty.

Traveling with Badjao Bridge today, our team dentist, Suzanne, along with other team member Coleen. We partnered with a Badjao church, the Sama Bajao Christian Fellowship and Pastor Bogel  to perform much needed dentistry to many Badjao children. We were able to provide cleanings and molar sealants to several children before Suzanne's dental machine broke down. While it was disappointing that we could not help more children, we certainly made a good connection with this particular tribe before we hopped on a boat to travel to another tribe just 80 miles to the south.