“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” says a famous African proverb.

For the first half of 2019, it has been encouraging to see how far and fast the Sama-Bajau community of San Dionisio, Parañaque City has gone in working in collaboration with its many partners.

 

On September 2, 2019 a multi-stakeholders’ meeting on said community was held in Manila to share updates from January to August 2019 and plan for the months ahead. Organized by Cartwheel Foundation, in collaboration with its development partners Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation, Department of Social Welfare and Development – National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR) and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) of Parañaque City, the alignment meeting is among the initiatives under the joint program, Culture-based Education for Sama-Bajau Children.

Thirteen meeting attendees included the teachers to the Sama-Bajau children, as well as representatives from Cartwheel, DSWD-NCR, and CSWDO-Parañaque.

 

Areas of strength

The group affirmed the areas of strength that have been instrumental in helping sustain the program so far: commitment and participation of the Sama-Bajau community, collaboration among government and non-government partners, dedication and hard work of teachers, use of the Binajau mother tongue as main medium of instruction, and the rehabilitation of the children’s safe space for learning.

Related project results that reflect these are the following:

• 19 Sama-Bajau family representatives have been actively and consistently participating in community assemblies;
• 3 learning activities have been conducted and participated in by said family representatives;
• 2 relevant resolutions have been passed in relation to the project;
• The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) has formally attested on the legitimacy of 2 tribal leaders who would have the authority to certify the birth of Sama-Bajau children in the area;
• 9 pool of teachers and community facilitators have been trained on culturally-relevant and rights-based learning facilitation;
• 2 have been selected to conduct regular classes for Sama-Bajau children;
• A Curriculum Development Writeshop has been conducted with selected teachers and education volunteers;
• 10 session guides have been developed for enrolled learners.

 

Areas of growth

In planning forward and determining ways to further improve over-all program implementation, among the areas of growth that have been identified are the following: equipping activity center with more learning resources, setting up a security and maintenance system for said center, putting in place a regular monitoring system, and engaging the Department of Education for formal recognition.

 

Filled with much gratitude and renewed energy, collaborators have become all the more determined to move farther with and for the Sama-Bajau community–together.