BALAY has approved initial applications for urgent requests for grants. Your generosity would benefit the following programs:

Be A Child’s Better Future Builder

The program, undertaken by  a local NGO – Chistian Advocates for Justice and Development in Negros, Inc. (CAJDEN), – started in 2017. The program came about as CAJDEN’s response to the growing number of children who are working full time and have therefore dropped out of school, in order to help feed their family.  Although the main objective of the program is to get the children back to full-time education, CAJDEN has enriched this program with their parallel child workshops and camps intended to equip the children with important life skills and knowledge. As food on the table is almost always the main reason why children drop out of school, the establishment of livelihood programs for parents is an integral component of this program.

Be A Child’s Better Future Builder Programs’ target beneficiaries are children belonging to families with a monthly income of PHP10,000 (US$200) or less and who are categorized as ‘Child Labor’ or at ‘Risk of Dropping Out’. To date, 110 children are helped by this program.

CAJDEN’s  5-day camp, an annual event uses structured games and role-play to teach children in areas aimed at improving Attitude, Skills and Knowledge. Some of the sessions focus on teaching basic life skills, whilst others cover important safeguarding areas such as children’s rights, human trafficking, respect for the environment, and health and safety. For most of these children, this is their only opportunity to get away from home and for many, it is their only chance to get a glimpse of what getting an education is like. The camps are great fun for all.

The social and psychological development of the children is also an important success factor for the Be A Child’s Better Future Builder Program.