Where in the world?
On 20 February 2020, Sama Bajau learners proudly presented their artwork with the dream travel destinations. As part of the ALS sessions under the Sama Bajau Education Support Project (SBESP), the learners were are asked to illustrate and write about any place in the world which they dream of visiting.
While some children dream of going as far as Paris to take pictures with the Eifel Tower, some children like Esmelisa dream of frequenting a beautiful mosque located in Taluksangay, a barangay in Zamboanga City. For them, a place with a beautiful mosque means a place of peace – away from war, conflict, and displacement which some of them experienced during the 2013 Zamboanga Siege.
Despite their trying living conditions, many of them remain hopeful about their dreams. Perhaps, with a little help, they may be able to fulfill these one step at a time. This is what CFSI and Educo Philippines aspire to achieve with the SBESP.
Recognizing the rate of out-of-school adolescent children and young adults belonging to Indigenous communities, the SBESP aims to provide greater learning and employment opportunities for 400 Sama Bajau adolescent children and young adults through the Alternative Learning System (ALS) of DepEd and later on, Technical Vocational Skills Training of TESDA. The learning sessions for the children are expected to run for 10 months with the utilization of ALS Modules contextualized to fit Sinama-speaking learners.
The SBESP is being implemented by CFSI through the funding support from Educo Philippines and will continue through December 2020.
