Year 2022 marks our 7th anniversary
It has been a long journey from our beginnings in 2015, where I first met the indigenous Aeta people living in the mountain without access to clean water due to the after-effects of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991. Since then, we have seen a transition from the homeless Aeta people occupying metropolitan cities and town plazas, begging for food as they have been able to move back to their villages. Today, we rarely see Aeta families who are homeless but instead, they are proud.
The foundation’s support has changed many lives by continuing to build water systems in villages, distributing 5-gallon blue plastic containers, water buffaloes, agricultural tools, and seeds. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, we were able to supply over 16 thousand cloth facemasks and abundant food relief. All our accomplishments have been possible because of your ongoing support and donations.
The foundation’s support has changed many lives by continuing to build water systems in villages, distributing 5-gallon blue plastic containers, water buffaloes, agricultural tools, and seeds. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, we were able to supply over 16 thousand cloth facemasks and abundant food relief. All our accomplishments have been possible because of your ongoing support and donations.
HISTORY, MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS, AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Aeta lived in the forest near Mount Pinatubo for over 400 years when the region suddenly became uninhabitable in June 1991 after the volcano erupted. The government provided them with resettlement areas but failed to address either the short-term or long-term adjustment and accommodations needed by the Aeta communities. After 31 years, many Aeta villages still have no access to clean water. Crops are destroyed year-after-year by the annual monsoon rains, resulting in erosion and food shortages.
Extreme poverty is the health and developmental context of the Aeta communities throughout Central Luzon. Most Aeta communities prefer to settle in mountainous and geographically isolated areas that lack roads, electricity, safe water, toilets, and health care, and there are few primary schools. The majority of Aeta are illiterate, and few children remain in schools.
In the period immediately after the eruption, government employees, non-government organizations, and local and foreign faith-based or human-rights organizations intervened to provide livelihood opportunities, education, and health services while protecting and preserving the Aeta culture and way of life. However, these interventions were short-lived given the limited budget to sustain initiatives for an extended period. Lack of water and sanitation facilities were major obstacles, as was the lack of access to health-care services. By 2008, relief efforts had halted entirely. Hunger and disease are on the rise among Aeta children, who suffer from diarrhea, parasitic infections, and skin diseases. In response to this humanitarian crisis, the Aeta Tribe Foundation was formed in April 2015.
Since 2015, the Foundation has experienced both successes and failures. Overall, we have built and repaired 9 artesian wells, installed 25 water systems or water-catchment systems, and built 10 toilets with 10 handwashing stations. We have distributed 33 water buffaloes, of which 3 have since died (one from a poisonous snake bite, and two falling from a cliff). To date, we have distributed almost 70,000 five-gallon blue plastic containers for household use. We had provided food, seeds, and agricultural tools to approximately 30,000 Aeta people. However, efforts to do more have at times been hampered by uncontrollable natural forces such as the annual monsoons or typhoons and mudslides.
For 2022 and 2023, we are committed to building 17water systems and/or water-catchment systems and toilets for 17 Aeta villages. Collectively, they are known as in the Sta. Juliana Proper located in Capas, Tarlac Province. These villages are geographically isolated in the mountainous areas, and villagers lack basic needs such as safe water, toilets, and health care. The majority of Aeta have a low level of education and the children are stunted and malnourished to an extent that prevents them from attending primary schools. Because of the severe lack of access to health services, most mothers do not receive maternal care; as a result, there is a high rate of maternal and child morbidity and disease. There is persistent hunger among the Aeta tribes, and significant food insecurity.
Our beneficiaries or constituents are in the municipality of Capas in the province of Tarlac, about four hours of travel by car north of Manila. We have identified 17 villages in need of assistance: Alunan, Bulacan, Dalig, Duray, Malalabatay, Maligaya, Manalal, Patal Bato, Pantol, Pula, Pilien, Pisapungan, Settler, Taliktik, Tambo, Tarukan, and Yeyang. These villages contain approximately 2000 families with 10,000 individuals, including children.
We estimated that we would need to spend an average investment of $4,000 per village to provide safe water and toilet facilities. In addition, we aim to address the high drop-out rate among primary-school students. There are currently 470 students enrolled at Pisapungan Elementary School. We hope to build watercatchment systems and toilets for the Aeta communitiese in Pisapungan village, and the school should have the safe water they need for drinking, cooking, and growing vegetables. However, a total of 750 school-age children should be able to enroll. Of these, 280 cannot stay in school because of illness and malnutrition.
By the end of 2022, we hope to implement the “Lifesaving and Feeding Program” in January/February 2023, which will provide daily lunch meals on school days for the entire school year. Teachers have agreed to include a gardening class to work on a small farm to grow vegetables and support the lunch program. The teachers have also spoken to parents about building a small farm to help grow vegetables for their home and school. The goal is that all the children will have food both at home and at school so they have the nutrition they need to learn. Simply put, children cannot thrive if they are hungry. We expect to spend $36,000 in 2023 for the food program. The eventual goal is that through the promotion of ecological farming methods based on traditional knowledge of organic and sustainable practices, the Aeta people can improve agricultural productivity and feed entire villages on their own, including students. Thus, our total operating budget needed for 2022 is $50,000.
On behalf of the of the foundation’s board members and myself, thank you for all your donations. All the board members and Aeta representatives of the Aeta Tribe Foundation are unpaid volunteers. During these challenging times, please continue supporting our cause. Together, we can improve and save lives!
Sincerely,
Fernando Briosos
President
Extreme poverty is the health and developmental context of the Aeta communities throughout Central Luzon. Most Aeta communities prefer to settle in mountainous and geographically isolated areas that lack roads, electricity, safe water, toilets, and health care, and there are few primary schools. The majority of Aeta are illiterate, and few children remain in schools.
In the period immediately after the eruption, government employees, non-government organizations, and local and foreign faith-based or human-rights organizations intervened to provide livelihood opportunities, education, and health services while protecting and preserving the Aeta culture and way of life. However, these interventions were short-lived given the limited budget to sustain initiatives for an extended period. Lack of water and sanitation facilities were major obstacles, as was the lack of access to health-care services. By 2008, relief efforts had halted entirely. Hunger and disease are on the rise among Aeta children, who suffer from diarrhea, parasitic infections, and skin diseases. In response to this humanitarian crisis, the Aeta Tribe Foundation was formed in April 2015.
Since 2015, the Foundation has experienced both successes and failures. Overall, we have built and repaired 9 artesian wells, installed 25 water systems or water-catchment systems, and built 10 toilets with 10 handwashing stations. We have distributed 33 water buffaloes, of which 3 have since died (one from a poisonous snake bite, and two falling from a cliff). To date, we have distributed almost 70,000 five-gallon blue plastic containers for household use. We had provided food, seeds, and agricultural tools to approximately 30,000 Aeta people. However, efforts to do more have at times been hampered by uncontrollable natural forces such as the annual monsoons or typhoons and mudslides.
For 2022 and 2023, we are committed to building 17water systems and/or water-catchment systems and toilets for 17 Aeta villages. Collectively, they are known as in the Sta. Juliana Proper located in Capas, Tarlac Province. These villages are geographically isolated in the mountainous areas, and villagers lack basic needs such as safe water, toilets, and health care. The majority of Aeta have a low level of education and the children are stunted and malnourished to an extent that prevents them from attending primary schools. Because of the severe lack of access to health services, most mothers do not receive maternal care; as a result, there is a high rate of maternal and child morbidity and disease. There is persistent hunger among the Aeta tribes, and significant food insecurity.
Our beneficiaries or constituents are in the municipality of Capas in the province of Tarlac, about four hours of travel by car north of Manila. We have identified 17 villages in need of assistance: Alunan, Bulacan, Dalig, Duray, Malalabatay, Maligaya, Manalal, Patal Bato, Pantol, Pula, Pilien, Pisapungan, Settler, Taliktik, Tambo, Tarukan, and Yeyang. These villages contain approximately 2000 families with 10,000 individuals, including children.
We estimated that we would need to spend an average investment of $4,000 per village to provide safe water and toilet facilities. In addition, we aim to address the high drop-out rate among primary-school students. There are currently 470 students enrolled at Pisapungan Elementary School. We hope to build watercatchment systems and toilets for the Aeta communitiese in Pisapungan village, and the school should have the safe water they need for drinking, cooking, and growing vegetables. However, a total of 750 school-age children should be able to enroll. Of these, 280 cannot stay in school because of illness and malnutrition.
By the end of 2022, we hope to implement the “Lifesaving and Feeding Program” in January/February 2023, which will provide daily lunch meals on school days for the entire school year. Teachers have agreed to include a gardening class to work on a small farm to grow vegetables and support the lunch program. The teachers have also spoken to parents about building a small farm to help grow vegetables for their home and school. The goal is that all the children will have food both at home and at school so they have the nutrition they need to learn. Simply put, children cannot thrive if they are hungry. We expect to spend $36,000 in 2023 for the food program. The eventual goal is that through the promotion of ecological farming methods based on traditional knowledge of organic and sustainable practices, the Aeta people can improve agricultural productivity and feed entire villages on their own, including students. Thus, our total operating budget needed for 2022 is $50,000.
On behalf of the of the foundation’s board members and myself, thank you for all your donations. All the board members and Aeta representatives of the Aeta Tribe Foundation are unpaid volunteers. During these challenging times, please continue supporting our cause. Together, we can improve and save lives!
Sincerely,
Fernando Briosos
President