WeLcOmE!

FishNets
Lord Jesus' Bible Church Young Professionals
Manila, Philippines

Background and Justification

Education sharpens one's mind, triggers knowledge and brings wisdom and financial freedom all set in a silver platter. Also, they say education, being the most powerful tool for poverty alleviation and economic enhancement, is the way for a better life – THEN, WHY IS IT NOT ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE?

The Philippines is known to all as a third-world country. It's poverty level has reached a point where education is no longer a right for all but is a privilege for the few. Only six (6) of every one thousand (1,000) grade six (6) – equivalent to eight grade – elementary students get to proceed to High School. To add to that, only two (2) out of every one hundred (100) fourth year (high school seniors) students are fit to enter college or study in a university (http://www.moveonphil.org/resources/sorry.state.of.public.education.htm, 2006).

How can something so important be just a dream for majority? Why then is it considered an unreachable desire? Is education no longer a right for all? Every child has an inherent right to quality education and not only that, to deny a child's equal access to quality education is to deny his / her future.

With these facts in mind, the Lord Jesus' Bible Church Young Professionals responded by starting an educational assistance program called FishNets. FishNets because we don't want to help them by just giving the fish but we want to help them help themselves.

This school year, 3 high school students and 1 college student were able to pursue their studies through this educational assistance program and will be relying solely on this program until the end of the school year.


II. Objectives

Fishnets' vision is to be able to produce economically productive and spiritually matured individuals by providing better opportunities to less fortunate individuals through educational assistance.

III. Project Beneficiaries

Fishnets' target people are elementary, high school and university students whose families' annual financial income is below the poverty line and is active in church.


IV. Project Activities
All activities will be handled by FishNets organizers
Project Promotions (Feb-May)
Project launching (May 18)
Accept applications (1st and 2nd week of May)
Screening and approval (3rd and 4th week of May; 1st week-2nd week of October for second semester)
Releasing of Funds (1st week of June onwards)
Monitoring of students (quarterly for elementary and high school, thrice per semester for college students)
Reporting of Students (every grading period)
Project evaluation and planning (1st and 2nd week of April)


IV. Budget

A. Student's Expenses

Elementary/High School
School Fees (upon enrollment) P500/student
Students' weekly allowance P 100-300/student

College
School Fees (upon enrollment) P 7,000/student
Students' weekly allowance P 500-700/student


B. Operating Expenses per school year

Promotional Materials P 5,000
Supplies P 1,000
Monitoring/Transportation P 2,000