M'lang student wins global art competition
Posted:
Friday, July 27, 2007
STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS WIN PRIZES
IN GLOBAL WFP DESIGN COMPETITION
WFP Global Art Competition winner Jeric Mansat of New Kalibo Elementary School, New Kalibo, Mlang describes his artwork, showing how a little boy (whom he says is himself), if given enough food, will be able to study well and fulfill his dreams.
Although only 12 years old, Jeric Mansat has been named as one of the winners in the international WFP Children's Art Competition for 2007, an annual event organized by the United Nations World Food Programme. Today he was presented with his prize – US $100 for himself, and $200 for his school to purchase stationery and art materials.
Jeric Mansat’s winning design, which used bright colours to show the transition from child participating in WFP-sponsored school feeding programme to happy graduate, was one of 13 finalists selected from a short-list of 200 drawings by primary schoolchildren in 40 different countries.
All the students are attending schools participating in WFP’s worldwide school feeding programmes, designed to both fortify the health of primary school children as well as keep them in the classroom. Participating students receive a daily, mid-morning snack of recipes from corn soya blend (CSB) enriched by 13 essential vitamins and minerals.
Jeric, who likes honest and helpful people and lists reading books and magazines as some of his hobbies, wants to be an engineer when he grows up so he can build houses for street children. He was only a 6th grade student at New Kalibo Elementary School in Mlang, Cotabato Province when he joined the competition but now attends high school in South Cotabato.
“These children are our future. It’s important to invest in them,” said Valerie Guarnieri, WFP Country Director for the Philippines, as she co-hosted today’s prize-winning ceremonies along with Cotabato Provincial Governor Jesus Sacdalan.
The theme of this year’s competition, involving both a drawing and an accompanying explanatory text, was “The Difference WFP School Meals Make To My Life”.
Five drawings exploring the theme were originally submitted to the competition judges in Rome, Italy. They were selected from more than 11 designs sketched by students from schools in the Philippines.
“All of us at WFP congratulate these young artists for creating such unique and inspiring works,” said WFP Country Director Guarnieri.
The designs from WFP’s global competition are currently being incorporated into greeting cards, calendars and agendas, all of which will soon be available for sale on WFP’s website.
# # #
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs, including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest countries. WFP -- We Feed People.
WFP Global School Feeding Campaign – For just 19 US cents a day, you can help WFP give children in poor countries a healthy meal at school – a gift of hope for a brighter future.
Visit our website : www.wfp.org
For more information please contact (email address:
firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Antonina Ducusin, WFP/Philippines,
Tel +63-2-750-2561, Cell +63-917-8803145
Aveen Acuña-Gulo, WFP/Philippines,
Tel +63-64-421-4647, Cell +63-917-880-9366
Valerie Guarnieri, WFP/Philippines,
Tel. +63-2-750-2561, Cell. +63-917-883-4413
Paul Risley, WFP/Bangkok, Tel. +66-2-6554115, Cell +66-1-7019208
IN GLOBAL WFP DESIGN COMPETITION
WFP Global Art Competition winner Jeric Mansat of New Kalibo Elementary School, New Kalibo, Mlang describes his artwork, showing how a little boy (whom he says is himself), if given enough food, will be able to study well and fulfill his dreams. Although only 12 years old, Jeric Mansat has been named as one of the winners in the international WFP Children's Art Competition for 2007, an annual event organized by the United Nations World Food Programme. Today he was presented with his prize – US $100 for himself, and $200 for his school to purchase stationery and art materials.
Jeric Mansat’s winning design, which used bright colours to show the transition from child participating in WFP-sponsored school feeding programme to happy graduate, was one of 13 finalists selected from a short-list of 200 drawings by primary schoolchildren in 40 different countries.
All the students are attending schools participating in WFP’s worldwide school feeding programmes, designed to both fortify the health of primary school children as well as keep them in the classroom. Participating students receive a daily, mid-morning snack of recipes from corn soya blend (CSB) enriched by 13 essential vitamins and minerals.
Jeric, who likes honest and helpful people and lists reading books and magazines as some of his hobbies, wants to be an engineer when he grows up so he can build houses for street children. He was only a 6th grade student at New Kalibo Elementary School in Mlang, Cotabato Province when he joined the competition but now attends high school in South Cotabato.
“These children are our future. It’s important to invest in them,” said Valerie Guarnieri, WFP Country Director for the Philippines, as she co-hosted today’s prize-winning ceremonies along with Cotabato Provincial Governor Jesus Sacdalan.
The theme of this year’s competition, involving both a drawing and an accompanying explanatory text, was “The Difference WFP School Meals Make To My Life”.
Five drawings exploring the theme were originally submitted to the competition judges in Rome, Italy. They were selected from more than 11 designs sketched by students from schools in the Philippines.
“All of us at WFP congratulate these young artists for creating such unique and inspiring works,” said WFP Country Director Guarnieri.
The designs from WFP’s global competition are currently being incorporated into greeting cards, calendars and agendas, all of which will soon be available for sale on WFP’s website.
# # #
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs, including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest countries. WFP -- We Feed People.
WFP Global School Feeding Campaign – For just 19 US cents a day, you can help WFP give children in poor countries a healthy meal at school – a gift of hope for a brighter future.
Visit our website : www.wfp.org
For more information please contact (email address:
firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Antonina Ducusin, WFP/Philippines,
Tel +63-2-750-2561, Cell +63-917-8803145
Aveen Acuña-Gulo, WFP/Philippines,
Tel +63-64-421-4647, Cell +63-917-880-9366
Valerie Guarnieri, WFP/Philippines,
Tel. +63-2-750-2561, Cell. +63-917-883-4413
Paul Risley, WFP/Bangkok, Tel. +66-2-6554115, Cell +66-1-7019208
Nostalgia of South Ubian, Tawi-Tawi
Posted:
Monday, July 23, 2007
This is not about Oliver North of Fox News war reporting in the southern Philippines. This is about the personal account and snapshot of Hector Minoza in the early days of 2004 visit at South Ubian island of Tawi-Tawi.
South Ubian – is among of the many islands in the southern Philippines that are not known to common Filipino people. This island municipality had a total population of more or less 27,300 in the year 2000. The indigenous people are predominantly the Sama tribe.
Luckily, I was able to visit the island community and witness the distinctive lifestyle of the Sama people. This was a memorable experienced I’ve encountered during my interface with the locals, listening to their sentiments, their stories, their despair in life, their dreams, and their strong faith to survive economically. The locals had a hard life to cope with their problem on scarcity of potable water and they are used to take rainwater for their continued existence. Their livelihood is highly dependent with what resources available they can catch at Celebes Sea.
AMSAI Sunrise in Alabel
Posted:
Saturday, July 21, 2007
from Didi Amita
Every step I move my leg in Gensan, my first posting I saw children around. They are so pure and when I look to their eyes full of hope telling me that they want to have a better future. I went to Alabel a small village 45 minutes from Gensan, to visit one sister, many kids are there. When I ask them do they go to school, they answer me “no” in very sad face. I can feel they’re telling me why my friends can go to school, and why I can’t?
I observe there’s not enough school. That sister requested me to build one school for them. I ask myself how can I fulfill her request? I have nothing in my hand even a single Peso? After long discussion finally she offer her land 150m to be donated! I was so happy… I still don’t know if is it still possible to build the school only for 2 weeks before the classes started and nothing is in my hands? Even a single cloth for banner I don’t have, that night I just cut my sarii and write on it for enrollment.
Can you imagine that still nothing in your land but already accepting kids, within three days we get 4 kids enrolled and until 7 kids! But how they will study? I just close my eyes and calling His name, then I was so happy when I saw Dada and Didi with some brothers from Davao Training Center came with chairs, tables, and many things.. They came to build the school! I can’t express how much happiness I feel, only one word shout from my heart “thanks Baba……” That day we start to build the school, everybody do the carpenter work. In the evening we have our first DC there! Finally the school finished in 5 days!
The building is so simple and still not complete yet but we have to use already. Jiivaprema, Janaki, teacher Rama, some sisters and myself do painting. I can’t express my feeling when I saw all of them doing the work very sincere.. I can’t control when my tears rolling down. Also sister Sadhana, I feel happiness in my heart because I could share something with them. Only one sentence can express my feeling is “thank you Baba for your grace”.
Now the school is going on with 11 kids.
I observe there’s not enough school. That sister requested me to build one school for them. I ask myself how can I fulfill her request? I have nothing in my hand even a single Peso? After long discussion finally she offer her land 150m to be donated! I was so happy… I still don’t know if is it still possible to build the school only for 2 weeks before the classes started and nothing is in my hands? Even a single cloth for banner I don’t have, that night I just cut my sarii and write on it for enrollment.
Can you imagine that still nothing in your land but already accepting kids, within three days we get 4 kids enrolled and until 7 kids! But how they will study? I just close my eyes and calling His name, then I was so happy when I saw Dada and Didi with some brothers from Davao Training Center came with chairs, tables, and many things.. They came to build the school! I can’t express how much happiness I feel, only one word shout from my heart “thanks Baba……” That day we start to build the school, everybody do the carpenter work. In the evening we have our first DC there! Finally the school finished in 5 days!
The building is so simple and still not complete yet but we have to use already. Jiivaprema, Janaki, teacher Rama, some sisters and myself do painting. I can’t express my feeling when I saw all of them doing the work very sincere.. I can’t control when my tears rolling down. Also sister Sadhana, I feel happiness in my heart because I could share something with them. Only one sentence can express my feeling is “thank you Baba for your grace”.
Now the school is going on with 11 kids.
First Mindanao Bloggers Summit
Posted:
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Welcome to the event details page of the 1st Mindanao Bloggers Summit!
The following information, as well as the program of activities below, will be kept up-to-date:
· Date: 27 October 2007 (Saturday)
· Time: 1:30 to 6:00 P.M.
· Venue: 4th Floor, NCCC Mall, Ma-a, Davao City
· Registration Fee: FREE! (However, participants will be required to post an entry on their blogs declaring that they intend to join the Summit. More details on this very soon!)
There will also be a bloggers party after the Summit. Watch this page for more updates on that!
Kindly visit the web site: http://www.mindanaobloggers.com
The following information, as well as the program of activities below, will be kept up-to-date:
· Date: 27 October 2007 (Saturday)
· Time: 1:30 to 6:00 P.M.
· Venue: 4th Floor, NCCC Mall, Ma-a, Davao City
· Registration Fee: FREE! (However, participants will be required to post an entry on their blogs declaring that they intend to join the Summit. More details on this very soon!)
There will also be a bloggers party after the Summit. Watch this page for more updates on that!
Kindly visit the web site: http://www.mindanaobloggers.com