In these times of deep invitation for change, it has been most heartening when people unite in showing solidarity and care for each other, especially for those most in need.

Initiated by Cartwheel Foundation through its partnership with Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation and in coordination with the Ateneo de Zamboanga University’s Center for Community Extension Services (ADZU-CCES) and the Barangay Local Government Unit (BLGU) of Kasanyangan, a COVID-19 Response Project which ran from June 22-July 31, 2020 reached out to Sama-Bajau children and their families residing in Vale Vista, Barangay Kasanyangan, Zamboanga City.

 

The project aimed to help sustain access to essential services that would ensure the safety and well-being of the Sama-Bajau. Restarter Care packages were provided and reusable face masks were produced for a total of 427 individuals.

Forty-five Sama-Bajau families received food packs, hygiene kits, and vitamins, as part of the Restarter Care packages distributed on July 22, 2020.

 

The same Sama-Bajau community members received three pieces each of reusable face masks sewn from malong—indigenous fabric with colorful patterns that are traditionally worn by the Sama-Bajau people. A total of 1,281 reusable face masks were distributed between July to August 2020.

 

Community members expressed appreciation for what they received, saying, “Unique at kakaiba ang face masks; maayos ang paghinga at hindi mainit.” (“The face masks are unique and different; we are able to breathe well and it is does not feel hot.”)

Those whose collaborative efforts have made the project possible have been gratefully recognized by the Sama-Bajau as “walang sawang tumutulong at naghahatid ng biyaya” (“tirelessly helping and bearing blessings”).

 

Overall, the COVID-19 Response Project has demonstrated the importance of prioritizing the safety and well-being of those in the social margins, such as the Sama-Bajau. It is hoped that, through these efforts, the Sama-Bajau community’s inherent strengths may be re-affirmed and harnessed, as they strive to overcome the challenges brought on by the pandemic, with responsive action and abiding resilience.

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Consuelo Foundation is also Cartwheel Foundation’s partner in implementing Life Skills Plus Project in 2019.  It is a private, U.S.-based foundation that works for the prevention and treatment of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children, women, and their families in the Philippines and in Hawaii.  It is named after Dona Consuelo Zobel Alger whose generosity and genuine love for children paved the way for its team to “renew hope to those who have lost it and give hope to those who never had it.”

Ateneo de Zamboanga University’s Center for Community Extension Services (ADZU-CCES) provides development programs and services to marginalized and isolated communities in the city, the peninsula and its neighboring island provinces, through building capacities and partnerships.