Annual Activities Report 2010
This year marked five years since the founding of the Pistorio Foundation. In 2010, the Foundation launched a new project in Azrou, Morocco; opened a new chapter in Milan, Italy; increased the number of underprivileged children on scholarship by 22% reaching 1668 children by year end; completed in Thailand two major infrastructure projects: the construction of a Kindergarten and of a Dormitory for Professional School Students; and launched the construction of Teacher Accomodations, Dormitory, and Computer and Library School Building for the Primary School of Huay Kuk (this Primary School was built in 2009 by the Foundation). This year we also welcomed a new Member to our Board of Directors, Professor Ugo Amaldi, a leading Italian physicist, reknown Director at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), and a University Professor of the Bicocca University. Ugo Amaldi has been at the forefront of cancer treatment research, and brings an extensive breadth of experience in the non-profit sector, particularly in the medical field. The Foundation has also further developed its Village Model in Thailand, our primary focus being providing education, basic nutrition and primary health care to all the children of a given village, and subsequently addressing issues of village sustainable development through agriculture and adult education. Village by village, the aim is to give to every child their inalienable right to education and primary health care, giving them access to quality education and creating the necessary school infrastructure that becomes also a focal point of the village, and in a second phase, improve the income generating possibilities of families so that the village will be self-stainable in the medium term. The Foundation supports the long-term scholarship of every child until the child completes professional school and is qualified to obtain a job. We feel that one of the most tangible and concrete educational outcomes is the number of children that are effectively able to complete successfully their academic career up to professional school level or beyond and thereby find employment. For all our scholarship programs we monitor year by year the pass rate, drop-out rate, teacher to student ratios, and the number of students that successfully complete Professional school in a given year and that find employment subsequently. We are convinced that economic development of communities is closely correlated to the level of education and health that they can access. It is crucial that underprivileged children living in extreme poverty from early on have access to quality education and health care. In addition, as we have witnessed in our projects, this takes the burden from their families to have to give up most of the times over half of their income to support their children’s education, and forced to chose one child over another as most of the times these families are composed of many children and they cannot afford to send all of them to school. Savings in their children’s education and health care allows parents to further their income generating possibilities and increase the living standards of the family. Five years into our long-term scholarship programs, we have witnessed that most children of our scholarship programs who have already completed professional school and have started working, are now helping to support their families and younger siblings in their home villages. For the fifth consecutive year, the Foundation has continued to operate exclusively on a volunteer base and in close collaboration with local partners. The Foundation has no employed staff and all operational costs including auditing, legal, and banking fees, website development and marketing materials, have been funded by personal contributions by Board Members. Furthermore, all Board Members, Country Managers, Project Auditors, and other volunteers, travel and stay on location at their own expense. 100% of Donations received have been devolved to projects on location to directly benefit underprivileged children, providing them with scholarships, basic nutrition, basic health care, and school infrastructure. The Foundation has also made donations to NGOs that provide emergency relief in regions in developing countries struck by natural disasters. In response to the tremendous earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, the Foundation has made a donation of 10,000 US$ to each of the following humanitarian organizations: Médecins Sans Frontières, Lumières pour Haiti, and Entrepreneurs du Monde. The Foundation also donated 20,000 CHF to Médecins Sans Frontieres, for the victims of the devastating flood that struck Pakistan in July 2010. Number Children on Long Terms Scholarships: 1668
NIBAGDO, BURKINA FASO – Burkina Faso Village Project
The Foundation continues to sustain the long-term scholarship of 100 underprivileged students in the rural region of Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso. Scholarships include school supplies, uniforms, backpacks, one meal in school, vitamins and mineral supplements, access to clean drinking water, and primary health care. Sponsored children are from the neighboring villages of Nibagdo, Bourou, Konkinnaba, Savili, Soula, Tatyou. In 2006 the Foundation expanded the school of Nibagdo and built sanitation facilities, kitchen and canteen. Subsequently, in 2008-2009, the Foundation built a secondary school in the village of Sogpelcé as there was no previously existing secondary school close to these villages. Lack of infrastructure is one of the main reasons for extremely low enrollment rates in secondary school in rural Burkina.
Scholarship Program Results: Pass rate: 65 % of the students were promoted to the next level. In 2009 the pass rate was 90%. This has dropped in 2010 mainly due to the fact that many of the children we are supporting have reached CM2, the last year of primary school in the French school system (which is the education system followed in Burkina Faso), and every student must pass a very demanding examination to access secondary school. It is a challenging examination, and students who fail must repeat the academic year and attempt the exam a second time the following year. LITHANG (TIBET), CHINA - Lithang School Project
The Pistorio Foundation continued to support the long-term scholarship of 80 children coming from nomad families of Lithang. In 2006, the Pistorio Foundation built a dormitory at the Lithang Primary School Campus to allow children of nomad families to spend the school year at the campus and return to their families in the summer. Each scholarship covers school and boarding fees, teacher salary supplements for extra hours worked to tutor children, three meals per day, and medical assistance. Carmelo Pistorio travelled to Lithang in June 2010 with Partner volunteers Gemma Randelli and Giovanna Giorgetti. They witnessed how the children have benefitted in these past years. They are in very good health and developing both intellectually and socially. They receive a very high level of academic instruction as well as civic values and education on hygiene. This is very important as when they go back to their families they transmit these experiences to their families. The children demonstrate enthusiasm to study and many excel in Tibetan, Chinese, and Maths. They are also very strong in the arts and music. The project contributes to maintain alive Tibetan culture and traditions while allowing underprivileged children of nomad families to receive an education and have therefore prospects for a brighter future and reduce existing inequalities with their peers living in towns. The nomad population counts over 700,000 people, and the large majority of the children of these families are illiterate like their parents, and unable to attend school due to the frequent migrations of their families whose livelihood depends on raising yaks and other animals. Better nutrition, education and improved hygiene standards have made it such that the children on scholarship are thriving and many more nomad families are hoping that more children will be able to benefit from the Project. Scholarship Program Results: CHIANG RAI, THAILAND – Chiang Rai Village Project
The number of direct beneficiaries of the Chiang Rai Village Project grew in 2010 from 1001 to 1315 minority hill-tribe children. In 2010, the project reached out to four new villages for a total of 17 villages supported. Our programs begin in pre-school, upgrading existing preschools in every village we support, increasing where necessary teaching staff and providing preschoolers with uniforms, supplies, toothbrushes and toothpaste and one meal per day at the Nursery School. Preschool is important because it allows these minority children to be exposed to the Thai language early on (as only tribal language is spoken at home), increasing their chances of success later on in primary and secondary school. In addition, improving preschools allows mothers to dedicate more time to their work and improve the level of family income, while their toddlers are being taken care of by qualified staff in safe, stimulating, and adequate environments.
In 2010, a new Mobile Clinic Program was launched to provide primary health care to remote villages, helping the families of the children we support. Villagers obtain free medical check-ups including skin, dental, and eye check-ups. A file is kept for every villager. In 2010, the Pistorio Foundation completed infrastructure additions to the Primary School Campuses built in 2008 and 2009 in Ban Mhai Pattana’ and Huay Kuk, respectively, the two main poles of the Chiang Rai Village Project. For each village, full infrastructure facilities built by the Foundation in the past years include one Primary School, School Dormitory for children of neighboring villages, Library and Computer Room, Canteen and Kitchen, Teacher Accomodations, and Kindergarten. Both villages have active agricultural programs for the school and villagers. In Huay Kuk, the primary school is self sufficient in the production of vegetable crops and cereals for the school canteen. Teachers teach students how to cultivate the land, and all around the school and in the village land is being cultivated for the school and village consumption. The infrastructure projects realized in 2010 are the followings: Ban Mhai Pattanà
Huay Kuk
Ban Bahla
Chiang Rai
Curriculum Enforcement Program Crop Cultivation Program
Inauguration in March 6, 2010 of the Huay Kuk Primary School Pasquale Pistorio and Elena Pistorio were also present at the ceremony. The Primary School opened its doors in September 2009 and counted 88 students. In the course of 2010, the Foundation has built a school dormitory, teacher accommodations, school and library building. The School caters to three villages of a total population of over 800 hill-tribe villagers.
The integrated village model aims to help one village at a time. When we support a village, if it is possible, ie. the road conditions allow and the primary and secondary schools are not too far, we provide transportation to school to children. If the village is too far and there are no road infrastructures, we build the Primary School, Teacher Accomodations, Computer and Library Room, and Dormitory for children of neighboring villages. In every village, we renovate the Nursery and make sure that the young children have a canteen and kitchen and sanitation facilities at their nursery school. We also make sure that every village has access to clean drinking water. Subsequently we explore potential projects to improve income generation possibilities of parents. The aim is to bring the village to self-sustainability and move on to another village in the medium term.
Scholarship Program Results: PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – Back to School Project
The Pistorio Foundation supports the education of 133 children at the Center of Pour Un Sourire d’Enfant (PSE). Of these children, 82 are attending the PSE “Ecole de Rattrapage” (Catch-up school), which allows students to do 2 years study in one academic year, to catch up for the years lost outside of school. 51 students are enrolled in Professional Schools at the PSE Center. All of the children we support come from extremely poor families that worked on the municipal dump as scavengers to resell plastic and other waste to recycling companies. These children were forced to work to help support their family, and PSE rescues them and provides them with an education, nutrition, health care, and in many cases, safe shelter and accommodation. Families receive a compensation in rice to allow their children to attend school. In recent years, the municipal dump next to the PSE center has relocated, and families have been forced out of their shacks surrounding the dump, and this had increased the challenges faced by PSE to keep children of relocating families in school. Most of the students that we support have not been affected by the relocation of the dump, in the sense that they are continuing to study at the Ecole de Rattrapage of PSE and their studies have not been disrupted, although some have had to abandon the program due to this relocation.
The academic standards of the PSE Catch up School and Professional Schools are very high. The government has commended them in the past for having the highest pass rates in the country, and their Professional Schools have been taken as models by the government. PSE helps students in their search for jobs, preparation for interviews, providing internships during their schooling, so that they are best equipped to succeed in their job, and there are many success stories of students who are now working for prestigious Hotels, Restaurants, and companies in Phnom Pehn. It is also moving to witness that many of the students now working are sponsoring themselves their younger siblings at PSE. The cost of maintaining a child in Professional School is double that of a child in Primary or Secondary school. The professional schools benefit from very advanced and high quality curricula and programs, to better prepare students for their future jobs. Scholarships cover school supplies, uniforms, teacher salaries, toiletries, two meals and two snacks per day in school, primary health care, compensation in rice to families. Scholarship Program Results AZROU, MOROCCO – Back to School Project
The Pistorio Foundation launched a new project in 2010 based in Azrou, Morocco, in partnership with the Azrou Center for Community Development. The Project aims at improving the enrollment rate in the extremely poor neighborhoods of the city of Azrou, Morocco. According to UNICEF, secondary school enrollment rate in Morocco is as low are 34% falling to 15% in rural areas. Dropout rates in Morocco are among the highest in the Arab countries, and the second highest in the Maghreb. The project works with street children who have dropped out of school to work on the streets to help support their families. Many of them have also left school because of abusive behavior of teaching staff in their previous school. The Foundation project aims at providing Non Formal Education for two years to students in order to reinsert them in a public school within those two years. Students receive instruction in all the subjects of Formal Education, and also take part in extra-curricular activities such as sports and field trips. Currently, the students are following classes at the ACCD center. We intend to partner with ACCD and Local Authorities and Institutions to build a new structure in 2011 that will provide a fully equipped building with facilities such as computer room and library, canteen and kitchen, classrooms and workshops, for these children to enhance their learning. Should the children not succeed in being reinserted in school, the Foundation will sponsor vocational training programs for them at the ACCD center, including tailoring, hairdressing, sculpture, among others. The project has started with 40 students. Scholarships cover teacher tuition, meals in school, field trips and extracurricular activities, textbooks and school supplies, and medical assistance. Local teaching staff and administrators also meet twice a year with parents to encourage parent’s collaboration in maintaining children’s attendance to classes and reviewing challenges and obstacles. They will meet more often with parents of children who have more absences.
Program Results: Overview of Project Investments by Country :
Donations Received 2010
Private Donors Above 10,000 CHF Pasquale Pistorio Isabelle and Loic Lietar Elena Pistorio Above 5,000 CHF Above 1000 CHF Above 500 CHF Others Many sincere thanks to Maria Grazia Maraffa for donating one day of revenues from her beauty centre business “Istituto Privilège” in Ostuni, Italy. The Chapter has had three successful events that have raised a total of S$ 186,628 . The Singapore Chapter held the following events in 2010: Springtime Lunch at the residence of Marco and Kerry Bardelli in March 2010 – thank you to Mr and Mrs Bardelli for hosting the event, Oso Ristorante for sponsoring the event, and to the following sponsors and live auction donors: Harper’s BAZAAR, Lisa Zanatta, Ketna Patel, Emilio Pucci, Molteni & C, Asiatique Collections, Swatch, The Orientalist, Sagem Wireless, Singapore Repertory Theatre, Arete Culture, The Boon's Pottery, Carrot Banana Peach; Dolce Vita Charity Dinner in November 2010 - thank you to Massimiliano Sponzilli and the Italian Trade Commission, celebrity Chef Michel Magada, Shangri-La Hotel, Professor Ostelio Remi and the Italian Institute of Culture, MC media celebrity Anita Kapoor, Zoe Johnson, tenor Melvin Tan, pianist Shane Theo, Aman Resorts, Audemars Piguet, Bawa House 87, Emilio Pucci, Ermenegildo Zegna, Forlino, Gelyn’s Original, Ketna Patel, Autium, The Orientalist, Bata, Moschino, Missoni, La Perla, Etro, Traders Hotel, Pan Pacific Orchard, Bluebell Group, Carolyn Wong, Carolyn Strover, Havoc, The Frame Society, FBI Wines, Marchesi Incisa, Galta Gelato Artigianale, China Collection, Electrolux, Emp, Fifth Element, Carrot Banana Peach, Blu Kuzina, Bello e Buono, Hediard, Lush, Powermoves, Perfetti, CityNeon, Expat Auctions. Many thanks also to our dedicated and committed volunteers who work selflessly and tirelessly to make our events possible and to raise funds for children in need. Kids for kids – funds raised by children in Singapore for children in Thailand Luciano Contini S$ 660 Giulia and Luca Vandie together with their mother, Daniela Beltrani, spent three days in February at PSE center in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. Giulia and Luca played with and helped look after the preschool children whose parents are labourers at the municipal dump. In Kind Donations We would like to thank Analou Assiss, Michelle Morton, Sarah Meisch, Sharoff Our deepest gratitude goes to Food from the Heart for the donation of six boxes of soft toys and board games that have been distributed to our Preschools, Kindergartens and Libraries. Having access to toys is a child’s right, and there is a dire lack of toys in the villages we work with. We are happy to supply children of the villages we support with educational toys to stimulate their development and growth.
We would aso like to thank our Volunteer Singapore Chapter Team Members:
Thank you for yout support!
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Translate
The secondary school built by the Foundation opened the school year 2010/2011 with 346 students. This school caters to a total of 13 villages, serving a total population of 34,000. The school also benefits 30 women that provide a daily meals to the students and benefits 300 inhabitants of Sogpelcé that have access to the new well built next to the school. We expect 80 new students each year, and the school itself can hold up to 560 students.
Nursery School Renovation and Water Project
Construction of gate around the nursery school and tiling of floor in the nursery school.
Mobile Clinic Program
Many of the families forced out of the former dump of Stung Mean Chey have moved to the new dump about 10 km away (even though they cannot work on the new dump by law, authorities are closing an eye, and many are working at the new dump, although conditions are even worse, there are fewer buyers and they pay less for recycles materials, and there are no shelters for shade along the dump as in the previous dump since it is not legal to work on the dump). Some of the children of relocating families are provided housing at dorm facilities of PSE, others have gone with their families and are provided with bicycles for daily transportation to school.
