Project
BATA Children’s Aid International offers sponsorships for children in the Philippines, in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sponsorships are a personal and direct way of providing children access to nutrition and education and of giving them an opportunity to help themselves out of poverty.
Origin
BATA Children’s Aid arose from the aid project Hayag that was founded in 2004 by Judith Pomm together with a friend in Cebu City, Philippines (www.hayag-project.com). Until 2013 the Hayag Project aimed at two things: the maintenance of a project house for girls and young women seeking a high school or college degree (House Hayag) and the support of younger children through sponsorships (Hayag Sponsorship Project). Both projects have grown and developed successfully. For the sponsorship projects however new and interesting options came up in 2013 to extends its reach beyond the Philippines to Uganda and Congo as well. In order to offer optimal conditions for the recruitment and administration of sponsorships in these three regions, the organisation BATA was founded.
We have chosen the name BATA because it means ‘child’ in Cebuano, the language of the region where our Philippine children come from. Our colleagues in Cebu, however, suggested another meaning to it. The single letters could be read as:
B – believe in yourself
A – aim for success, and
T – thank God for your
A – achievement
Ideas and Goals
BATA Children’s Aid aims to help children out of poverty through better education. The children that are accepted in the sponsorship project come from extremely underprivileged families. The children continue to live with their parents or other relatives who cannot afford to send them to school.
Each child is supported by a unique donor. Donations are used for buying school uniforms, books, materials, and occasionally food as well. In order to support children successfully, our local colleagues strive for a close inclusion of the children’s families: The money is disbursed at monthly meetings and together with the parents it is discussed how the money is best spent for the benefit of the child.
Apart from these monthly allowances we organize food distributions, school supply or medicine whenever our budget allows. Our aid is intended for the long term in order to achieve a sustainable impact. We want to give children a chance to become responsible adults who are capable of making their own decisions, shaping their own future and having an impact on the world they live in.
Mode of Operation
Each child sponsored through BATA is paired with a unique donor. This means that the donor commits him or herself to support a particular child with 20 Euros per month, or more. In return he or she receives letters and reports on the child’s school achievements several times a year.
If you are interested in becoming a donor please contact us and tell us the country in case you have a special preference. We will forward your request to our local colleagues who will choose a child for you. Within one month you will receive the child’s profile with information on its age, gender, family situation and living circumstances.
If you wish to get into personal contact with the child you sponsor you can take the initiative and send a letter or even a package. An if you plan to go on a trip and meet with your child we can help you with further information.