Support 50 Muslim Girls to Become Nurses

The fall semester marks the beginning of the 10th year for AAI-sponsored nursing students at the elementary and college levels, providing an opportunity for education and to assist their schools and communities.  In a world of declining healthcare standards and personnel, every nurse and doctor matters. On the island of Sulu in the Philippines, 19 districts are subdivided into 410 barangays [villages] serving a population of close to 1 million people. There are fewer than 16 medical doctors. Nurses are the framework of public health and rural health centers. 

Globally, Muslim women have been denied educational opportunities that could benefit their communities. AAI began this program in 2015 to provide 50 female students in Sulu, Philippines, with a quality education in order to launch their nursing careers.  With your support since then, AAI has helped more than 300 young women to become nurses.

We support female nursing students with their basic educational needs, classroom materials, graduation fees, and the cost of licensing exams. These young women demonstrate the potential for success of Muslim women around the world. As healthcare providers, nurses are providing vital services to all community members and expanding the employment base in one of the most economically deprived areas of the world. They are also positive symbols for local youth.

The nursing programs in Sulu are a beacon of hope for the entire community. With support from AAI, Sulu State College, and Mindanao State University, nursing students are performing among the top 20 percent of all such schools in the Philippines - compared to just a 30 percent student pass-rate in the national nursing exams when the program began.

If you would like to continue making a difference for these nursing students, please click the project title below. With your help, we can continue to support young women in becoming nurses who are vital to a community's survival. If you are interested in making a sustainable monthly donation, GlobalGiving offers this option to help plan expenses for the students during the school year.

Support 50 Muslim Girls to Become Nurses

I wish you peace,

Albert Santoli

Director, Asia America Initiative

Links:

• Asia America Website

Dear Friends,

Worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic and school closings had a tremendous psychological and emotional impact on elementary school children and high school youth. The effects of fear, isolation and limited classroom socialization did not meet young children's and adolescents' educational needs and social development. As a result of wide-ranging study, Asia America Initiative increased our nursing sholarship programs to include future psychologists and expanded training for school nurses. 

Unfortunately, three years after the impact of the COVID pandemic, related trauma and social effects persist. Today, many young learners are having difficulty concentrating and focusing their attention in school. In addition to declining grades and academic scores, many teachers report a substantial increase in shyness, anti-social behavior, and a lack of the joy normally seen in children in their age groups.

AAI has targeted geographically remote area such as the Sulu archipelago in the remote islands between the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia where there is growing influence generated by the internet and social media in our island schools, we support  school communities as students are encouraged to engage in various programs to promote student involvement in group activities.  In the initial stages, supported by psychology departments in the nursing schools such as Notre Dame College, Mindanao State University and the Ateneo in Zamboanga, there has been commendable success. Our programs are a popular antidote to heal the isolation that students have experienced. We are supporting reading and math camps, school gardens, lunch programs, storytelling and arts and music programs, to name a few creative experiments. But for many students, this has not been enough.

AAI has increased our efforts by sponsoring Psychology Nursing students during the years post-COVID, and the new nurses are beginning to make a profound difference in their communities and on social media. As a supporter of this program, we know that every psychological nurse matters.  This is especially true when a community is impoverished and most residents live well below the poverty line. In a place with few medical doctors and no psychiatrists, nurses are the framework of public health. 

"Psychology nurses in Sulu are a beacon of hope," says elementary school principal Merhama in Jolo, Sulu. "They are role models and heroes for the entire community. They are also positive symbols for local youth, which helps them to interact with classmates successfully."

Psychology nurses are trained to work with students, one-on-one, to help them overcome the learning hardships they have endured. Feeling behind in their studies has an adverse spiral effect on young students. Their minds become closed.  Proper assessments and getting them to engage with others in the same situation helps to them attend remedial reading and math camps without the stigma of embarrassment that is often a stigma at a young age.

Asia America Initiative serves as a bridge for such action. Starting with children, by promoting positive interaction and equal treatment of various cultural groups facilitates mutual respect and inspiration. We could not do this without the assistance, care and love of GlobalGiving donors from around the world.

If you would like to add to your support or begin a monthly donation, please click through this report.

Support 50 Muslim Girls to Become Nurses

Your contributions have truly made a difference.

Sincerely,

Albert Santoli,

AAI Director

Links:

• Asia America Website