Dear Friends,
Elfie is at it again with his crazy antics and magical powers bringing toys to life and making children of all ages smile and laugh. The first 3 nights of One Wish performances brought in more than 300 people who reveled in the spirit of Christmas. It was a delight to watch children and old Mangyan women roaring with laughter at the nonsensical slap stick comedy or gaze wide-eyed at the glittering set design, sparkling costumes and props. One Wish is a truly magical extravaganza! But, the real magic is witnessing the tremendous transformation of the boys during the development and the actual performance of the One Wish production. It is a potent force in heightening the children’s self-worth and belief in their innate ability and potential, which is a significant first step on their journey of recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration.
National Safer Internet Day for Children
Back in 2014 Stairway hosted the first International Safer Internet Day for Children in the Philippines. This year we have seen concrete results from lobbying within the Presidential Office, as they have now declared an official National Safer Internet Day for Children to be celebrated nationwide every year in February. A major event to mark the first celebration this coming February 12 will be the launching of our E-learning platform. A very appropriate time and venue, as the event will be participated by several government departments and major Civic Society Organizations.
Youth for Change
Stairway hosted no less than 10 Youth for Change camps in 2018. Working over the theme of children’s rights, the Stairway campus makes an ideal setting for bringing youth of different nationalities, cultures and backgrounds together. 2 new partners from Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur are lined up for 2019.
E-Learning
The Break the Silence basic training modules on Child Rights, Child sexual abuse Prevention and Cyber Safety have been transformed into six interactive and engaging e-learning tutorials.
Department of Education and Cyber Safety
Stairway continues to offer technical assistance to the Department of Education in developing their Cyber Safety curriculum, and the collaboration has expanded further to also include IMMAP, a network of corporate companies in IT and Communication. This rare collaboration between government, the private corporate sector and an NGO has resulted in the production of a series of small cyber safety animations for elementary school kids, which was launched at a major event at the DepEd headquarters last November.
DANIDA, the British Embassy and Plan International
DANIDA, our long term supporter and partner, granted us a new 4 year contract to expand and consolidate the BTSNN (Break the Silence National Network).
The British Embassy entered as a new partner engaging us to train ZOTO (Zone One Tondo Organization) on child protection, particularly on cyber safety. ZOTO is a federation of 182 urban poor local organizations.
Plan International requested our support to train a large number of their people on Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC).
Seeing the increasing demand for our training and services, it was good timing that we managed to purchase a lot in Makati for the purpose of building a Learning and Resource Center with large training facilities in the midst of the city. This major new project is in partnership with Tondo Foundation, who will also occupy a portion of the new center. The time projection for opening the center is towards the end of 2020.
Roedkilde Gymnasium, Skanderborg Gymnasium and Singapore American School
2018 marks 26 years of support from Roedkilde Gymnasium in Vejle, Denmark. This year students set yet another new record with their fund raising efforts in supporting Stairway’s programs. Skanderborg Gymnasium, joined the ranks of student fundraisers from Denmark with an impressive first year support. Further south in the island city-state of Singapore, students from Singapore American School started out the year by organizing an impressive fundraiser gala dinner, which was attended by nearly 100 paying guests and generated a substantial financial contribution to Stairway’s work.
No good deed goes unnoticed. Our good friend, Francesco Caruso, founder and head of Tondo Foundation, added to the Danish students’ motivation this year by doubling their contribution.
Environmental Awareness for Children and Youth (EACY)
Marshall Foundation continued its substantial support of our EACY Program, and Grundfos added a generous contribution through an ingenious CSR initiative.
The Sea Adventure School (SAS) ran 88 trips with a total of 2200 students learning about marine habitats and conservation.
A total of 5740 people watched A Plastic Ocean
The Lorax
Stairway’s rendition of Dr. Seuss’ classic environmental story called The Lorax reached nearly 2500 students in 2018 and had a special performance at the Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival last March.
The Lorax reached nearly 2500 students.
Sustainable Development!
Solenergy Systems Inc. continued their work in transforming our main source of electricity from diesel generated power to our own solar generated power. 77 panels and 96 batteries will cover between 70-80% of Stairway’s total energy consumption from here on.
World Oceans Day
On June 8 we hosted a huge celebration of World Oceans Day with several hundred students and teachers participating. A renowned professor and pioneer female marine biologist, Dr. Calumpang, graced the event with her presence. Dr. Calumpang also spoke at the local National High School to inspire the local youth towards a responsible relationship between human and nature.
Community Assistance Program
The number of children/families receiving financial and educational assistance increased to 485 this year. The number of children who benefit daily from the feeding program in the Baclayan Mangyan elementary school reached nearly 200.
Annual Book Fair
Dr. Rodrigo, a professor and a children's book author, opened Stairway's annual book fair last April 7 to an audience of 150 students and teachers from the community. Dr. Rodrigo presented her colorfully illustrated children book series, The Women in Science, which features stories from the careers of some of the Philippines' most respected female scientists.
Children’s Health and Education Center (CHEC)
Located next door to the Baclayan Elementary School, CHEC offers bi-weekly medical check-ups with Dr. Francis. The health center also offers information and education on health and hygiene to the local community. CHEC will also be powered by solar energy by the first quarter of 2019 with support from Rotary Vejle Nord as well as Solenergy Systems Inc.