April 14th, 2010 ONCAN requests assistance from ABV to find a web designer It is hoped to develop the network into an effective advocacy and capability-building agent for issues involving children-at-risk in the community utilizing the power of the worldwide web to review and update the current ONCAN website and train network members in basic website development and maintenance VOLUNTEER’S TASKS: - to enable ONCAN to come up with its own website to further advance its advocacies and fund raising capability. - to assist ONCAN member-NGOs, most of which have limited funds, to come up with their own websites. - to improve the capabilities of members-organizations in conducting advocacy and fund-raising campaigns through ICT.   SIDLAKANG NEGROS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 2010 “ADOPT A COUNTRY” February 12 – 14, 2010 @ the Sidlakang Negros Village, E.J Blanco, Piapi, Dumaguete City   RATIONALE Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental have been enriched by the presence of people from all over the world. The essence of a real community here means, being part of a global community- a truly inclusive community that embraces diversity in the midst of cross- cultural differences This is exemplified by our harmonious working relationships with foreign nationals, many of them meaningful partners of our numerous advocacies. Those of us in the organizing committee, had observed how a community celebration like the Buglasan Festival, the Sandurot Festival and the other festivals of the province, brought together, a unified community spirit, through culture and the arts. This time, we thought of a festival that we celebrate with other cultures of the world, where we can celebrate our commonalities and even our differences, to overcome the cultural barriers that limit our abilities to establish significant partnerships to achieve real community development. In my years of experience working as a church volunteer, with specific advocacy for children’s issues, I have come to know of friends from various parts of the globe, whose willingness to work with us, and to learn from each other, is exemplary. This is also inspired by the fact that our Province has a very unique venue for exhibits and other activities - we have this beautiful SIDLAKANG NEGROS VILLAGE, where each town can adopt a country, and just for a weekend, allow these foreign friends to share their arts and culture, their music, their tourist destinations, their unique culture among others. Hence the birth of the 1st SIDLAKANG NEGROS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL. We also thought, that for such festival to be made more meaningful, we have to identify an advocacy, which is close to our hearts, that is, our children. Hence is our theme: "For a globally united cause, that touches lives in a more positive way, through celebration.” We also aimed to make this a prestigious cultural and multi arts festival, to rank among the finest in the area, embracing and celebrating inter-country cross cultural diversities in History, Culture, Arts, Education, Trade, Cuisine and Sports among others. Of course starting a celebration of this kind is never easy, considering that we only had less than 90 days to prepare, in time for the Chinese New Year, Valentines’s Day and the Observance of the Arts Month this February. But we were hopeful, we were ready to take it on, especially with the enthusiasm of the foreign community and those among us in the organizing committee. There were talks of postponing the festival because of lack of time. But precisely, some of us think, TIME, is the only treasure we had. So within the time given to us, we were able to inspire the young people of the schools, open avenues for collaboration with other government and non-government groups, work tirelessly to overcome negative self-talk. So here we are with the Province of Negros Oriental through its instrumentalities, the Tourism Office, the Sidlakang Negros Village Management Board, the Sidlakang Negros Showroom among others. Special recognition to the Oriental Negros Children’s Advocacy Network, or ONCAN, which became the core-group of volunteers from both local and foreign, and where these efforts are geared to support the advocacy, or partner with the Negros Oriental Children’s Advocacy Network (ONCAN), a network of 30+ NGOs catering to the needs of children at risk, like street children, children in conflict with the law, abused children, children from disadvantaged families, orphans and children with disabilities in Negros Oriental. Today we celebrate! This is just a little beginning, a first step to a larger plan of making this a yearly festival which will form part of our Province’s main event this year and the years ahead. THIS IS THE 1ST SIDLAKANG NEGROS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL. Marietta “Baby “ Jambora. President Oriental Negros Children's Advocacy Network         THEME: “For a globally united cause, that touches lives in a positive way, through celebration.” A prestigious cultural and multi arts festival to rank among the finest in the country, embracing and celebrating inter-country cross cultural diversities in Culture, Arts, Education, History, Religious Diversity, Socio Economic events, Trade Exhibitions, Sports and Cuisine. among others… CAUSE: To support the advocacy or partner with the ONCAN, a network of 30+ NGOs catering to the needs of children at risk like street children, children in conflict with the law, abused children, children from disadvantaged families and children with disabilities in Negros Oriental. A total of thirty four (34) countries were represented. We would like to especially thank the Tourism Offices of Negros Oriental and the city of Dumaguete for their wonderful support. Following the presentation of ONCAN's rationale of the Festival both of civic offices were quick to respond to our request of their partnering the Festival and we now look forward to having the Tourism Offices of Negros Oriental and the city of Dumaguete as our permanent partner in the years to come. Below: Some of the many images of our first festival   300 Local Youth and NGO Workers Complete Environmental Projects on International Volunteer Day December 17, 2009 The youth of Dumaguete and Siquijor Island did not sit idly and wonder how to make a positive impact in their communities. Instead, they grabbed rice sack, plastic bag or mangrove seedling and set to work in their communities to complete a total of seven environmental projects for International Volunteer Day. Two projects had already been completed in advance. Some youth groups centered on trash clean-up in Dumaguete’s beaches, riverbeds, or streets. A separate group of youth and adult volunteers planted 500 mangrove seedlings in Banilad. The theme of “Volunteering for our Planet” was timely, given the recent onslaught of tropical typhoons here in the Philippines. As such, the activities planned for the Philippines concentrated on raising awareness of climate change and environmental issues, but better yet, focus on inspiring action. Participating volunteer groups included Calvary Chapel, GP Rehab, Federation of Habitat Youth Organizations, Oriental Negros Children’s Advocacy Network (ONCAN) including over six provincial NGOs, Silliman University, Silliman University Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter, Siquijor State College, St Paul University, and Barangay Talay Purok Habicore Youth Association. The afternoon culminated with a recognition ceremony in Freedom Park. International Volunteer Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. It’s now a global celebration, with thousands of events held worldwide to pay tribute to the volunteer spirit. Dumaguete proudly joined other Filipino cities in this international event. Amazingly, each UN-backed steering committee was only given 5,000php as start-up capital. The organizing regional steering committee this year was headed by VIDA volunteer Nicole Cooper and Peace Corps volunteers David Eisenhart, Karen Gados, David Lumsden and Elizabeth Singler. One may argue that one action cannot even scratch the surface of climate impact. But as these volunteers discovered last Saturday, not only the more the merrier, but the greater the impact. What would Dumaguete City look like if International Volunteer Day occurred every month?       Public Relations and Funding November 25, 2009 A recently arrived email from a supportive friend carried this information that other ONCAN members might find useful: “I suggest that researching Fillipino newspapers in the US or other Western countries and try to get a bit of press coverage about your project in those papers, with a link for donations. Putting together a press kit on your project would really boost your efforts. Looks like a very good start with the web site, but additional contact with US or GB based companies that have a strong presence in the Philippines is a good idea. Approaching them directly via e-mail for donations might get somewhere more quickly. The previous idea might take more effort but the press coverage could be used as a “tool” to approach some big multi-nationals. In particular, target computer or computer related companies such as the Gates Foundation. This would be an excellent basis from which to begin and expand, plus get into an easy-to-read format to send to news media. Getting PR, as we all well know, is an ongoing process. However, once you hit on something to get your name out, it generally snowballs. Never give up with sending and resending information out. Hopefully the info is a bit different each time it is sent, or at least new details when the projects etc. are presented. “   Media Opportunity August 16, 2009 Jennifer Tilos wrote to ONCAN members: “Greetings from PIA! The Unicef and Probe Media Foundation Inc. (PMFI) in cooperation with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) are partners in the production of a youth-oriented show entitled KABATAAN X-PRESS. Kabataan X-Press is a show that offers a unique window into the world of the Filipino youth. The show chronicles more than just what’s hip and what’s cool, it also looks into major issues that concern young people aged 14-20. They are part of an organization called Kabataan News Network (KNN), which provides a medium for the Filipino youth to voice out their opinions and views on national television and web. KNN is a network of about one hundred sixty young video journalists from ten different areas from all over the Philippines including the Dumaguete Bureau which I am the Bureau Manager. The KX can be watched on www.kabataannews.com and www.probetv.com and for local showing it’s over SU channel on Skycable TV here. We are pleased to inform you that KNN youth reporters of Dumaguete Bureau has already produced and aired more than 40 stories on environment, education, health, infrastructure and some children issues and concerns. These young journalists are not only given technical training on television production but are also nurtured to become good, ethical and well-rounded citizens. Probe Media Foundation provides the skills training while UNICEF provides them with the necessary equipment like camera, tripod and microphone. With the turnover of youth reporters as they graduate from high schools, may we invite your children aged 14-20 who are interested of media works to an audition for an additional reporters to compose the Dumaguete KNN Bureau. He/She must have the following potentials: good articulation in English and Tagalog/Fipino; interested in video and TV reporting; the creativity to compose story ideas that are appealing to Filipino children; willingness to be trained as junior TV reporters and scriptwriters. The KNN reporters do all the hard work with a little help from their adult bureau managers. They think of the topics for their reports and research about them. They shoot, interview, transcribe and write the scripts. This makes KNN’s Kabataan X-Press a first of its kind, a show that is truly for the youth and by the youth. We meet regularly every Saturday 1:00-5:00pm at the PIA office. For new recruits we tentatively scheduled an audition on August 8, 2008. From your group we need three (3) kids which you already screened based on our needs set above. Looking forward to your continuous support and cooperation, all for the best interest of the children. Thank you and best regards. JENNY CATAN-TILOS” Karen Gado, Casa Esperanza’s Peace Corps Volunteer, began invaluable coordination for the organizations wanting to take advantage of the opportunity. By Tuesday, August 4th, she was able to write: “Dear Jenny, Thanks for this updated information about the opportunity for ONCAN children to participate in Kabataan X-Press. At this point, we have three children from the G-Wave office, 2 children from Casa Miani, and several children from One Candle Schoolhouse who are interested in attending the audition on August 8. Would you mind providing some more information about the audition time and place? Also some of the caretakers have additional questions about the logistics of the program which perhaps I can gather on August 8. Regards and thanks again. Karen Gado Casa Esperanza Home for Girls”   One Candle Schoolhouse’s Director was not in the Philippines during this time, so her Assistant, Renato Dela Cruz, brought their Tambobo students into Dumaguete for the interview. To read about their experience, please visit OCS’s page, and also others as they become available… “Hello Ma’am Diane – About the Media Interview in Dumaguete last Saturday. It is very lucky because when we reach to the PIA building, we saw Karen Gados. We all very happy. She help us to find the place for the office of KNN. It is difficult to find but when Karen call Jenny (the woman who interview) that’s the time we find the place. When I look at our students they look excited and little bit nervous. But I encourage them to not be shy and nervous, “…be confident because this is your first step to success your dream. It is a big opportunity if you pass this interview and have a chance to train you to become a really Media Broadcasting.” I told them that if they ask, “Why you are interested? What is your purpose?” just say, “I like to learn more about Media and what ever I learn from this organization, I will share it my knowledge to the community and most of all to the One Candle Schoolhouse to live our life better.” Sorry I forgot to bring a camera for taking a photo for them. But Karen will take a picture, maybe you can ask for them a picture. I’m very happy for the successful Interview for the students. Jenny said, that she will inform to Karen what is the result the interview this coming Saturday. Best Regards Renato“     With Wings of Love… August 3, 2009 To our ABV consultant, Keith Barrett, who is flying back to Australia to be by his Mom Helen’s side as she continues her journey with terminal cancer, we extend our heartfelt wishes for a gentle reunion and peaceful passage for them both. Keith has become a part of the ONCAN family and as such, when he is hurting, we all feel the hurt. There are many praying for your family, Keith, sending their love and support while you are away. Keith replied on Aug 6th..... Dear Friends, My Mother passed away peacefully while sleeping at around 10pm on Tuesday, August 4. Unfortunately, I was in Taipei, enroute to Australia from the Philippines when she died. She wished to be cremated and her ashes sprinkled into the waters of the Broadwater near where she lived. My brother Malcolm and I will carry out that wish on Saturday. Keith Pilot Program with ONCAN July 28, 2009 excerpt from e-newsletter website BALITA-DOT-PH “PGMA’S Early Childhood Care and Development Council eyes Negros Oriental as pilot area for professionalizing day care workers July 23, 2009 By Judy Flores-Partlow DUMAGUETE CITY – The Early Childhood Care and Development Council (ECCDC) is highly considering the province of Negros Oriental as its pilot area for a program that will professionalize day care workers in the country… At a press conference Wednesday evening, ECCD Council officials disclosed the move is in response to the need of focusing on making day care centers not just a child-minding facility but also as a learning institution for children aged 0 to 6…The ECCDC, composed of government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Education, Department of Health, the Nutrition Council, and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), is currently undertaking a universal profiling of day care workers in the country, said Cucio…. To be able to achieve its goals of professionalizing the day care workers, the ECCDC has tapped non-government organizations such as the Australian Business Volunteers and the Oriental Negros Child Advocacy Network (ONCAN) to assist them...ABV in-country manager for the Philippines, Waya Araos, who joined the ECCDC team during Wednesday’s visit to Dumaguete, said that they provide technical assistance to partners from local governments, NGOs, and even the private sector…Araos said ‘ABV will assist ONCAN on strategic planning and other areas as required…’ “   International Aid Agencies July 3, 2009 Keith Barrett, ABV Representative MANILA VISIT – JUNE 21-24 Report by Keith Barrett, ABV, June 29, 2009 Ms Baby Jambora and I visited a number of international aid agencies in Manila during June 21 – 24, 2009 for the purpose of exploring opportunities for ONCAN to obtain assistance in implementing its Strategic Plan 2009 – 13. We found that in terms of ONCAN’s immediate needs for an office and administrative/management staff, these agencies were not empowered to offer us funds for such a purpose. Generally speaking, the agencies are geared to work in conjunction with the National Government in supporting the policies of the National Government with funds for infrastructure, education, health, emergency aid, and peace keeping. However, we found that there are very many sub organisations which exist to fund NGO/community projects, such as school buildings, sanitary improvements, shelters, new IGA’s and to provide trainings and technical/professional expertise. A brief summary of our meetings with the aid agencies follows: 1. Australian Embassy * Peter Jensen, Senior Counsellor, AusAid Peter advised that AusAid allocates most of its funds to support National Government programs in the areas of infrastructure, education, health, emergencies, and peace and stability (Mindanao). AusAid also operates PACAP (Philippine-Australia Community Assistance Program) which does fund NGO and community projects. Unfortunately, this program has expended all its funds and will expire in 2010. However, work is underway to review the program and replace it with a new 5 year program to commence in 2011. Note that GP Rehab was very recently successful in obtaining funds from PACAP to build a new physiotherapy centre. Peter also provided contact details of other aid agencies which provide direct assistance and specialist volunteers to NGO’s. These have been contacted and meetings arranged for later in July. (World Bank-Kalachi CIDSS, Canada Fund-CIDA, Japan-Grassroots Fund, Eur.Comm, NZAid). * Teodora Avila, Director, Direct Aid Program of Aust. Ambassador Teodora advised that DAP makes direct grants to NGO’s of up to PHP275,000 and may be able to assist with the provision of office equipment for ONCAN’s office. She gave us the Program Guidelines, which will be uploaded to ONCAN’s website for future reference, and invited us to submit an application. 2. Asia Development Bank * Claudia Buentjen, Sen Capacity Development Specialist * Sari Aman-Wooster, Sen Civil Society Specialist The advice here was similar to AusAid in that ADB is oriented towards working with Government on a large scale rather than NGO’s on a small scale. Sari suggested we contact Michael Diamond, the head of Plan International in the Philippines. 3. German Embassy * Beverly Gallmann, Head of Finance & Admin, German Devel Serv.(DED) * Rey Naranja, Sen Program Officer, Capacity Building Intern. (inWent) Beverly advised that DED exists to provide people rather than money. She felt that some of the required expertise identified in our Strategic Plan could be provided by DED, eg. child psychologist, nutritionist/menu development specialist, office manger, librarian, and invited us to develop a partnership with DED for that purpose. Note that One Candle Schoolhouse has already applied for a volunteer under the Junior Volunteer program of DED. Of special interest to ONCAN, Beverly suggested that we contact the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA), which provides Filipino volunteers for 1-3 years, funded by overseas aid agencies. It is possible a manager for ONCAN could be sourced from the PNVSCA. Rey advised that inWent is primarily concerned with providing a variety of trainings, as well as developing aid policy in conjunction with NGO’s. He was particularly interested in the Training Data Base which is being created as part of our Strategic Plan and would like to collaborate further with ONCAN in this area.   Above: Program Director Pastor Dong, Keith Barrett, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, Baby Jambora, PR Consultant Andrea Trinidad-Echavez Tessie-Oreta-Meeting-June22 4. In addition to the above aid agencies, Ms. Baby Jambora and I met with Cabinet Secretary, (Ex-Senator) Tessie Aquino-Oreta, specially appointed by President Arroyo in February 17, 2009 to head the Early Childhood Care and Development Council (ECCDC), a focal agency charged with implementing Government programs such as: health, nutrition, social services and early education for children six (6) years old and under. It supports parents as primary caregivers and their children’s first teachers. She was particularly interested in ICM’s program of rural pre schools, and community IGA’s. She expressed a strong desire to partner with ONCAN and has arranged for her Program Director, Paster Dong, to visit with Paster Sam of ICM in July with a view to developing and making Negros Oriental the ECCDC pilot project for Region 7. 5. Ms.B Jambora also met with Mr. Butch Albert, the owner of FILA Philippines and Chairman of Operation Compassion, who is interested in partnering with ONCAN in the development of housing projects in line with Ms.B Jambora’s Scandinavian Village (98 homes). He has indicated that he will visit Dumaguete later in July to explore further the opportunity to collaborate with ONCAN in this area. In summary, it is clear that there are many funding programs which make funds and professional/technical people available to individual NGO’s for particular projects. What this means for ONCAN is that individual members can identify projects – a new classroom, an orphanage extension , a new toilet block, a women’s shelter, a new medical centre, an IGA and associated equipment, a mobile library and librarian, etc. etc., and make application to a variety of funding agencies. The time frame from application to project commencement varies but generally at least 6 months. As regards ONCAN’s immediate needs for office and administrative resources, we are now writing to our local organizations, individual corporate partners, private sector associations, the sugar mills, civic clubs, and the three (3) Congressmen suggesting/requesting that they partner with us on a revolving 3 year partnership funding program. MESSAGE FROM WHITNEY April 24, 2009 Whitney Fleming Dear ONCAN members, Familiarization visits are designed to give each organization the opportunity to visit other ONCAN member organization at their own home sites and gain a more contextual understanding of each other’s mission, resources and innovative work. Having the opportunity to host ONCAN members will allow you to present your organization as well as network for resources and ideas in a more interactive way. Each visiting group will consist of 12 organizations and each organization will host 2 one-hour on-site viewing opportunities. Below, you will find a form that allows you to choose those two hosting days for your organization. When: Familiarization viewing days will begin in June and continue through November. They will happen on the last Wednesday and Saturday of each month. The member organizations will be able to choose between 4 dates (the last Wednesday and Saturday of two chosen months), however, because they are organized by physical address we will need to coordinate desired dates with other organizations. Most likely some organizations will have to compromise on a hosting date. Viewing Days: Each viewing day will have 4-5 host sites to visit. Therefore there will be 6 viewing days for each organization to attend within a 6-month span. Hosting Days: There will be six groups organized by addresses. The groups are: Valencia, Central Dumaguete, Goverment Offices, North Dumaguete , Candali-ay, South Dumaguete . Attending: Each organization will be offered six viewing-day invitations. If they are unable or would like to not participate it will not be possible to offer an alternative day, unless a private arrangement is made with a specific organization. Logistics: Transportation will be provided but each individual is asked to pack a lunch or bring a small budget for a meal so no one host site will be responsible for feeding everyone. Please return the form as soon as possible so a schedule can be made and the visits can begin in June. Sincerely, Whitney Fleming   Despedida March 25, 2009 Hello to all! Today is the presentation of action plans (1:30 p.m., Sidlakang Negros Conference Room), where the 4 steering committees that have been working so hard on future strategies for ONCAN, will be presenting their plans for confirmation and approval. These commitiees, Training, Income Generation, Public Relations, and Resources, are very important for the organization–they are the output of 8 weeks of visitation, brain-storming and discussions conducted by Keith Barrett, our ABV volunteer. The efforts of everyone have been geared towards making the network, and its member-organizations, more effective in its roles as service-providers and advocates for our children and, having invited the governor, an assortment of other government agency representatives and the media, we are eager for them see that our children, most of whom are marginalized and at risk of failure, have a strong voice through ONCAN. This gathering will also serve as the first despedida party for Keith who will be going back to Australia on the 27th. Although he will be coming back again after three weeks for the implementation and monitoring phase of the whole “project”, he, and some ONCAN members, have worked so hard on this that a “fellowship party” would be appropriate. Please bring anything that you can share, preferably something simple like fruits or camote or cooked bananas with “ginamos”. We have never really done this, have we? So now is the time. Your presence is highly important–we look forward to seeing all of you! Baby Jambora   The 2009-2013 Strategic Action Plan Presentation March 6th, 2009