Education + water + land = opportunity
“This was just a dream before. Now it has become a reality.”
EDUCATIONAL ACCESS
2022 Inauguration of the first new Badjao Bridge Classroom in Bohol with Director, Dan Johanson and local dignitaries.
New Classrooms
Since local resources are limited, Badjao children are often denied space in public schools. The children are taught in outdoor spaces, unsheltered from rain, heat, and distractions.
Give 2023, an initiative of First Presbyterian Church Hayward in California, raised funds for Badjao Bridge to build the first new classroom dedicated to schooling Badjao children. In February, 2022 the first new classroom was inagurated. Local government officials, school heads and stakeholders attended the event.
This Kindergarten classroom was the first to provide dedicated educational access for Badjao children in Bohol.
In 2022 we received a surprise donation to build a school kitchen and two more classrooms for First and Second Graders! Thank you for making education possible for these amazing children who are so hungry to learn.
Learning is challenging outdoors in the heat and daily thunderstorms.
Students love their new classrooms, complete with desks, a handwashing station and bathroom. They are so excited to come to school every day!
Community Access
Badjao Bridge’s work fosters community sustainability. Many of our scholars go on to higher education and career training that formerly would have been out of reach. We also collaborate with parents and tribal leaders to build healthy, educated communities.
Lighthouse Learning Centers
Nearly 10 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 to protect hundreds of vulnerable children and their communities during calamities. Two Lighthouse Learning Centers have since become hubs for Badjao communities.
The centers host free meals, health and hygiene classes, income-earning tutorials, Preschool, and tutoring for the Badjao children. Occasionally, local government health officials use them as vaccination centers for the Badjaos. On Sundays, the communities gather at the Lighthouse Centers to worship.
Badjao Bridge has built two Lighthouse Learning Centers. Each of these buildings serve the Badjao community in many ways.
land & clean water
Owning land provides the opportunity to grow food and to construct strong buildings.
Building new wells provide safe drinking water for the Badjao communities.
Land
Badjao Bridge works to provide infrastructure so that the Badjao can become self-sustaining in the face of scarcity and systemic oppression. The Badjao seldom have the opportunity to live on land and are forced to cope with the affects of 'super' typhoons, which decimate entire villages. There are sometimes unjust barriers that prevent the Badjao from making a living from the sea.
Badjao Bridge is sourcing land to help the Badjao own their own property, grow their own food, and build resilient villages on land.
Water
Water supply has been a problem for the community. Thank you for helping us provide two 500 gallon water wells inside the Lighthouse Learning Centers and outside for the community.
Currently in Bohol, there are close to 100 families living together in approximately 60 houses over the water. Due to lower government fishing restrictions on this island, we are expecting more Badjao families from other provinces to move here. Our Lighthouse and water facilities in Bohol will be serving a bigger community.
