December 2016
This August, Mano Amiga Philippines opened their campus to double the number of students they had enrolled in the 2015 school year! This huge leap is thanks to the generosity of so many donors who have made it possible for Mano Amiga Academy to expand and move into a new building! This new building now has nine classrooms and 171 students who are eager to learn. Partners also enabled Mano Amiga Philippines’ students to swap their heavy textbooks for e-tablets, a change that is more cost-efficient long-term, and will create an engaging learning experience that fosters responsible digital citizenship among the students.
Mano Amiga Philippines was also granted a five-year Non-Government Organization certification by the Philippines Council for NGO Certification! Meaning they can better serve the community by maintaining their nonprofit certification.
Mano Amiga principal, Revelyn Tria-Siasoyco, shares, “To develop life-long learners, students need to associate learning with both fun and hard work. We take pride in giving our students an exciting and enriching learning experience.” (philstar.com, 21 November 2016) The students at Mano Amiga Philippines come from extremely impoverished families. Without the generosity of donors and the Catholic World Mission family none of this would be possible.
May 2016
Earlier this year Mano Amiga Philippines broke ground on their new site! Their school is going from a three room house for 95 students where they currently take turns attending class between morning and afternoon shifts to a dedicated building where all the children can attend school at once! When Deacon Rick, Executive Director of Catholic World Mission, visited Mano Amiga Philippines this year he saw how happy the children are at their school!
“I’m excited for my son, John Christian, as he joins the move of Mano Amiga from FTI, Taguig to Betterliving, Paranaque. He and his friends at school will have a different and better environment where they can actively learn through their access to world-class facilities.” – Mary Jane Gorgonio, Mano Amiga Parent for 5 Years
The new permanent campus will enable Mano Amiga Philippines Academy to accommodate between 800 – 1200 students at once! The school year begins in August 2016, and Mano Amiga is in the process of acquiring tiles, piping, windows, doors, and other materials needed to finish the building. The facility is three stories high, and students are already lining up to take a seat in the new building. Mano Amiga Philippine’s long-term goal is to build a library with a technology-enabled classroom to enhance the students’ learning.
See photos from all updates below: