by: DJ Mojo JoJo
(note: the author sang for then Pres. Bill Clinton's inaugural ball in Washington)

Although Valentine’s Day has come and gone, the season of love is still in the air! While the Day of Hearts may have been a time of romance, in today’s Mojo:lations, I hope to keep love rolling, this time in a charitable sense. Sharing and spreading of love and hope for children in need here in the Philippines.

Recently, I was invited along with other celebrities and media through my good friend Odette Velarde to the launch of Samsung’s latest philanthropic initiative aimed at bringing communities together to help underprivileged kids. The initiative which is called “Samsung Hope” urges people to open their hearts and give hope to charitable organizations in their communities by taking an active part in raising social awareness on the plight of underprivileged kids, and spur the public to help these kids imagine the future and realize their full potential. Pledging a record US$700,000 in grants to 21 children beneficiaries across Southeast Asia and Oceania, the program empowers the community to actively contribute to causes they believe in through deciding how the grant will be allocated.

In a heartfelt presentation at Greenbelt’s MyCinema, the three Filipino charities chosen for the project were unveiled: Atriev, The Don Bosco Fondation and The Knowledge Channel.

ATRIEV

Atriev’s goal is to make a remarkable difference in the lives of visually-impaired individuals through education, enabling them to obtain mainstream employment and similar opportunities.

ATRIEV (Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired) provides post-secondary education for visually-impaired persons through adaptive technology.

ATRIEV’s success comes from its project called Adaptive Technology for Training, Resource and Access Center (ATTRAC). The ATRIEV team provides input and output alternatives for blind users. A screen reader and voice synthesizer give audio feedback that enables the user to execute computer tasks like word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, web surfing, E-mail, and programming.

Since the year 2000, ATRIEV students have garnered recognition both in the Philippines and abroad. ATRIEV has been successful in changing the lives of visually-impaired individuals for the better. ATRIEV hopes to conduct a sponsorship program to deserving trainees who qualified for support and passed the eligibility criteria set. An IEC campaign will be mounted as part of ATRIEV’s advocacy campaign. This will help promote the services of the Center as well as develop awareness among youth and other stakeholders how visually impaired youth can obtain post-secondary education, and gain access to regular employment opportunities, though they are disabled.

DON BOSCO FOUNDATION

The Don Bosco Foundation is a Non Profit institution of education of the Salesian Congregation of Don Bosco, composed by Salesian religious (priests, brothers and sisters), lay persons and sympathizers of the Salesian work in the Philippines. It was created to support the education of children and youth in need.
The name, Don Bosco, refers to the founder of the Salesians, Saint John Bosco, the Apostle of the Youth, who opted for the most poor boys and girls of his time (19th century) in Italy.

In 1976, on the occasion of the 25th year of Don Bosco in the Philippines, the Salesian Society of St. John Bosco was founded as a continuation of the educational works of Don Bosco around the world. Currently, the DBF has technical schools, literacy centers, scholarship programs for poor children and food programs for students.

The Vision of Don Bosco Foundation is to be a lead institution in the education and promotion of children and youth from poor backgrounds or at risk due to physical or moral dangers. The children and youth must have a place where they can continue their studies until they are ready to face their own future with a skill and better opportunities of employment. In such context they seek to fight poverty through education.


KNOWLEDGE CHANNEL FOUNDATION INC.

Knowledge channel foundation’s objective is to deliver quality education to every Filipino student, especially those in rural areas, and to build a nation through television.

Founded by its President and Executive Director Rina Lopez Bautista, Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI), formerly known as the SKY Foundation, is a non-stock, non-profit organization that aims to improve the academic performance of students all over the country, particularly in remote areas, through television.
The Foundation helps educate millions of students through instructive programs for English, Math, and Science with the use of audio-visual transmission technology. The programs are created to help advance the comprehension and retention of students. In remote areas, KCFI is not just a learning tool. It also gives hope to the principals, teachers, students, and community, knowing that there are foundations like the KCFI who continuously seek educational programs that help nurture the future generation.

Out of 42,000 public schools in the country, KCFI have only reached 1,709 schools. With your support, KCFI can reach out to more schools, bring quality education to every student, one school at a time. With your donation, you can help foster a child’s intellect, improve his education, and most importantly, shape his future

How you can spread the hope

More information on the beneficiaries mentioned above can be found by logging on to www.samsunghope.org, where everyone can support their favorite beneficiary by pledging to let hope take off. Each beneficiary will receive a base amount with an additional grant to be determined by the number of pledges it receives.

Take an active part in rallying your community in making a difference and sharing your blessings with the Filipino children who will directly benefit from pledging to the charities mentioned above. Love is not just about roses, chocolates and paper hearts… it’s about sharing hope and giving a chance to those in need.