{"id":10333,"date":"2024-10-23T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/?p=10333"},"modified":"2024-10-18T18:08:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T17:08:42","slug":"the-philippines-yellow-boat-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/10\/23\/the-philippines-yellow-boat-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"The Philippines. Yellow Boat of Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"

A foundation in the Philippines builds and donates yellow boats to students who must cross water to go to school. For over a decade, they have built and donated thousands of boats. In addition to boats, they also build classrooms, bridges, and educational hubs\u2013all in yellow.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wading through and swimming in the water to get to school can be fun. But doing it every day is not only unexciting but also dangerous. Many students from various parts of the country went through this exhausting and risk-taking routine.<\/p>\n

But the good news is that some people who couldn\u2019t just close their eyes went to explore opportunities to help address it. In October 2010, one of the volunteer group\u2019s founders, Jay Jaboneta, took it to social media. He posted a status on Facebook requesting funds to build a boat for students in Layag-Layag, an island in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.<\/p>\n

Financial donations poured into the volunteer group following its call. The amount raised was used to build a double-outrigger engine-driven boat that could ferry about 30 elementary students. The volunteer group turned over their first boat in 2011, a year before they officially registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first students from Layag-Layag swam to get to the school with plastic bags, containing their learning materials, over their heads,\u201d said Dr. Anton Mari H. Lim, DVM, co-founder and current president of Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, Inc. \u201cThey arrived in the class starved, wet, and tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

The initiative to raise funds and build and donate boats to students who had to cross water did not stop there. The number of boats donated kept growing, and the program\u2019s reach expanded. \u201cWe donate both paddle and motorized boats,\u201d Lim said. \u201cThe boats are designed to adapt to the community needs and the boat builder capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The paddle boat could carry three to five elementary students, he added. The regular motorized boat could load about 10 while the large, motorized boat can transport around 30 students. \u201cThe foundation sources funds mainly through fundraising campaigns,\u201d Lim said. But sometimes they get funds through grants, he added.<\/p>\n

Patricia Diana S.A. Ayo, foundation grants and partnerships officer, explained how the construction of boats gets support. \u201cThe process for donation usually goes like this: a community reaches out to us on their need for a school boat,\u201d she said. \u201cWe assess the community by mobilizing our Hope Paddlers within or near the area. Once we confirmed the need for a school boat, we connected with the local boat builder to get the cost of the boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

When an organization, or an individual, communicates interest in donating, she explained, the foundation submits to them the assessment and estimates, providing them with an idea of the cost. \u201cOnce we receive the donations from organizations and individuals, we mobilize our Hope Paddlers in the communities or schools that need yellow school boats,\u201d Ayo said. \u201cOur Hope Paddlers coordinate with the local boat builder. They also turnover the yellow school boats to the recipients.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Hope Paddlers are mostly public-school teachers,\u201d Ayo said. \u201cSince our programs are directly provided to public schools, teachers as Hope Paddlers are helpful in documentations and information. They can also best assess what is most needed by the schools since they work there.\u201d \u201cThe parents of the students can use the boats to catch fish while their children are in school or have no classes,\u201d Lim said. The school boats are painted in yellow like the yellow buses and other vehicles that transport students. The colour also warns other watercrafts that the yellow boats are carrying young students.<\/p>\n

In 2023, the foundation, in collaboration with various organizations and individuals, turned over 123 boats under its Adopt-A-Fisherman program. Better Giving (formerly Angel Giving and Angel Protocol) donated 88 boats for the programme. The recipients were fishing communities in Bohol, Cebu, and Siargao hit by Super Typhoon Odette in December 2021.<\/p>\n

Under the programme, Yield Guild Games Philippines, a web gaming community, donated three boats to fishermen in Bohol and Cebu struck by typhoons. Another group of fishermen in Pang-an, Cebu were handed over 10 boats in March 2023.<\/p>\n

Fishing communities in Bohol received 34 boats in May 2023. Out of the number, nine were turned over to fishermen in Cabul-an, 10 to the fishing community in Bagonbanwa, 10 to the fisherfolk in Cuaming, and five to fishermen in Mocaboc. Also in May, 11 more boats were handed over to the fishermen in Cubian, whilst fishermen in Cebu received one boat, and fishermen in Bohol were handed over one boat.<\/p>\n

In the following month, 13 boats were turned over to the fishing families in San Isidro, Siargao. Also in April, Steve and Ella Davies donated two boats to the foundation\u2019s newly-adopted community in Mainit Norte, Perez, Quezon. Under the programme, the Santa Clara Marine Plywood also donated 20 boats to the families of students of Dungon Elementary School in Tongkil, Sulu.<\/p>\n

The boats were turned over in December 2023, together with two more boats sponsored by Kabataan Culture, one boat by DefiJedi, and seven boats by various private sponsors. Under the programme, the fishermen are encouraged to transport children to school and back home when needed. Also, they should use the boats to generate income to support the children\u2019s education.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis initiative not only helps restore livelihoods but also ensures access to education for children in these communities,\u201d the foundation said.<\/p>\n

Aside from boats, the foundation also offers the programmes of Yellow School of Hope, Starter Classrooms, Yellow Dorm of Hope, Yellow Bridge of Hope, Educational Hubs, Support Our Schools, and Hope In A Box. They also provide school supplies and groceries. The said programmes are offshoots of the boat-giving advocacy of the foundation.<\/p>\n

In 2023, phase three of the construction of the Yellow School of Hope for the Sam-Bajau learners of sitio Teheman, Maluso, Basilan was completed. The foundation was supported by Sun Life Financial, Sun Life Philippines, KC of the Yellow Boat of Hope USA, Kindreds Spirits of Arch.<\/p>\n

Peach Buencamino, and Dr. Angela Pineda of VBP Dermatology assisted in the construction of this yellow school. Also last year, the foundation handed over 847 Hope Boxes to schools and communities in Romblon, Bulacan, and Tarlac. Hope Boxes contain notebooks, pencils, paper, sharpeners, erasers, scissors, crayolas, bond papers, and other school supplies.<\/p>\n

Jenny Tulawi, now 16 years of age, received not only a boat, but also a \u201clifeline to education.\u201d \u201cWhen Jenny was still 14 years old, she collected seashells to sell them to help her family earn a living,\u201d Lim said.<\/p>\n

The story started with Allison, an 8th-Grader from Qingdao Amerasia International School in China, who raised funds for a paddle boat, Lim recounted. Allison had the boat signed \u201cIn memory of NINA ELIF ROWE,\u201d in honor of her late friend Nina. The boat found its way to Jenny. Jenny graduated from elementary last 2022 and is currently in 8th Grade.<\/p>\n

Since its inception, the foundation has donated 5,373 boats to schoolchildren. Over 81,600 students have benefited from the boats, covering 149 adopted schools nationwide. (fuzzy wuzzy)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A foundation in the Philippines builds and donates yellow boats to students who must cross water to go to school. For over a decade, they have built and donated thousands of boats. In addition to boats, they also build classrooms, bridges, and educational hubs\u2013all in yellow. Wading through and swimming in the water to get […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10334,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}