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From:	"joya banerjee" [ profile ]
Subject:	Fwd: A Worthy Cause - the Philippines Youth Employment Network
Sent:	Jun 21st, 2007 - 17:12:05
Attachments:	Philippines 015.jpg Philippines 022.jpg PYEN Newsletter.pdf

	Hi GYCA AP How are you all doing? My good friend Sarah is in the Philippines working at PYEN. Please read about her work below! If you are in Manila I'm sure she'd love to connect with you- sarah.whittemore (at) gmail.com Joya Mabuhay!! That means "hello" in Tayalic, the dominant dialect of the Philippines, and the literal translation is "may you have life". People here greet each other that way, isn't that great? I have been in the Philippines for two weeks now working for the Philippines Youth Employment Network (PYEN), an internship that is part of my master's degree program in International Educational Development from Boston University. I hope this email will provide an opportunity for you, and your families, to learn more about what I am doing here, the wonderful work of PYEN, and how you can help this NGO continue improving it's community and enriching the lives of impoverished youth nationwide. One of the more "business-minded" tasks I've been given is to create a financial plan for PYEN that will reduce their dependency on grants. One of the more fun tasks I have includes traveling out to municipalities where PYEN operates so that I can begin designing a monitoring and evaluation system (benchmarking, qualitative and quantitative data etc...). I feel very lucky to meet the youth involved in PYEN programs and fortunately Audrey (the chairman of PYEN and my extremely generous host while I am here) couldn't agree more with my belief that I can't create an evaluation scheme for a program until I've experienced the life of the program -- the youth. This meant that last week I got to spend time with 7 amazing entrepreneurs (ages 13-15) living in a class 4 municipality, the poorest ranking in the Philippines, and learn about the organic farming company they have created. They have partnered with their Local Government Unit (LGU) so that they become the recipients of all food waste generated by the 30,000 people living in their town of Baras. The students raised 1,000 pesos (roughly $25, which is a lot of money in their area) to purchase a type of earthworm that will quickly turn the waste into nutrient-rich, organic fertilizer. I've attached a few pictures of the project location for you to see the students and their project site. This business is just one of 24 successfully launched entrepreneurial businesses (meaning they have that have demonstrated profit earnings for a minimum of two quarters) which cumulatively employ 300 impoverished Filipinos. PYEN has fostered the growth of youth-led entrepreneurship in the Philippines since becoming a registered NGO in 2003. This process is done through two different programs: 1) Community-Based Youth Entrepreneurship Program, and 2) The Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship Competition. Community-Based Youth Entrepreneurship Program (CYEP) is an entrepreneurial training program the PYEN staff leads in impoverished communities. A training like this happens after a member of the LGU or a civic leader in the municipality contacts PYEN asking for a training -- therefore, the local desire for this opportunity to learn is purely intrinsic and not imposed. Since 2003 PYEN has trained approximately 150 people through CYEP, yielding the creation of 20 businesses. Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) is an NGO based in the US which partnered with PYEN a year ago. Last year, PYEN piloted the program in 4 schools, including the Baras school I described earlier, and was such a success that the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the US Embassy has partnered with them and this year the SAGE competition will be run in 60 schools nationwide! The primary difference between these two programs is that SAGE is offered in schools where CYEP targets youth in communities who aren't in school. The issue of out-of-school youth could be caused by a myriad of reasons such as there not being a school in the area (some kids at the Baras school I visited walk 10-15 kilometers to get to the public school) or if the parents can't afford school fees (a common practice for public schools in most developing nations). Unemployment is a serious problem in the Philippines and is a major contributor to the perpetuation of poverty. Without the creation of local industry the number of Filipinos forced to leave the country to become over-sea laborers whose remittances, money sent back home, account for 25% of the GNP. In other words, the Filipino economy is becoming dependent on these remittances which means families will continue to be split up and those who leave will have to continue working under deplorable conditions in order to send just a few dollars back home. PYEN is working to end this dependency on remittances by supporting the creation of local employment opportunities through programs like CYEP and SAGE. PYEN is able to offer both of these programs because the staff works for free, Audrey and Tess (the Chairman and Executive Officer respectively) have cashed in their savings, and the Board of Trustees have also made generous contributions -- about $12,000 USD. Right now, PYEN is at a crucial point in it's development because it is growing quickly and making important relationships with key stakeholders in the region (partners include, but are not limited to, Asian Development Bank, Association for South East Asian Nations - ASEAN, US Embassy, National Youth Council, International Labor Organization, Global Knowledge Partnership, SAGE, University of Asia and the Pacific, and University of the Philippines). So far I have be lucky enough to attend meetings with the US Embassy, the National Youth Council, SAGE, University of Asia and the Pacific, and I will be attending an ASEAN conference in Cambodia in two weeks. WOW! PYEN has become a major advocate of impoverished communities in the Philippines and the staff desperately wants to continue with their work but they won't be able to keep going unless PYEN starts earning some money to pay for programs and can pay its staff. So far I have come up with several ways for PYEN to generate income and it will hopefully do so in 2008 but I am reaching out to all of you in hopes of conducting an informal kick-start fundraiser so that PYEN can pay for the next CYEP training without going into debt. Any money donated resulting from this fund-raising effort will be used to pay for the CYEP training which costs approximately $4,000 USD (fluctuates based on the exchange rate). I do not expect to raise that full amount but any donations will be truly appreciated by PYEN and more importantly by the youth and their communities who will ultimately benefit. I am asking that people donate as little as $10 or $20 which can be given as either cash or check. Because PYEN is a Filipino NGO and not registered with the US IRS there won't be a tax break on the donation but all donors will be updated on how the money was spent through emails, newsletters, and pictures. Because I am in the Philippines my parents are kind enough to act as facilitators of this process from the US end. Please send your cash or check to: Carole Whittemore 64 Summit Road Belmont, MA 02478 You can make out a personal check to Carole who will collect all of the donations and send the sum amount as a wire transfer to PYEN. Please make your contributions by July 15 so that the money can be received in time for the August CYEP training. I've attached the latest newsletter from PYEN for your information along with pictures from the Baras public school. Thank you for taking the time to read this email and I offer my utmost gratitude for any donations. Please feel free to forward this letter to any of your friends or collegues who you think would be willing to help. If you have any questions about PYEN or about how to give please send me an email and I will respond as soon as possible. thank you, Sarah sarah.whittemore (at) gmail.com -- Joya Banerjee \| Program Coordinator \| Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS \| www.youthaidscoalition.org joya (at) youthaidscoalition.org \| 307 West 38th Street, 1805 \| New York, NY 10018 \| 212.661.6111 \| 1-212-661-1933 (fax) \|

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