How We Work
The Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation is a volunteer-driven organization composed of more than 300 Hope Paddlers and countless volunteers willing to devote their time and effort to their respective communities. Each Hope Paddler believe in the mission to end poverty and all its underlying problems through the education of our children, and that we can accomplish this mission by putting forth individual efforts towards collection action.
We trust in the innate characteristic of Bayanihan ingrained in every Filipino. Bayanihan is the spirit of unity, compassion, and volunteerism. We strongly believe that through collaboration and involvement, we can solve the education issues that we experience in our communities.
Gather Information and Identify the Problem
When we are informed of a community in need, we verify the community’s situation by thoroughly getting information through a local volunteer or partner-organization that has been able to work in the area. After verifying their situation, we connect and partner with a local public school or organization within the community to help us properly implement our programs.
Appoint Local Lead Implementer
After partnering with a local public school or organization, we appoint a lead implementer whose role is to learn as much about the community and its problems so that we can provide appropriate solutions. They become the overseer our main contact in the community who will send us frequent updates on the project implementation and the situation of their local public school or community.
Collaborate on Community-centric Solutions
In the process of developing a solution, our lead implementers collaborate with the locals since they are the most knowledgeable of their community. We always make sure that the community members are aware of the solutions we are trying to provide.
We involve community members and keep them informed in every step of the process to gain buy-in from the community so we can work hand in hand. Most importantly, these collaborative efforts allow us to provide a solution delivered in a manner that is in line with the community’s values, cultures, and beliefs.
Encourage Local Participation
In implementing projects, we require sweat equity or involvement from the community members and beneficiaries. When we donate yellow boats, for example, our beneficiaries directly participate in boat-building either by constructing or painting the boat. This is also true for our other structural projects such as the Yellow School of Hope, Yellow Dorm of Hope, and Yellow Bridge of Hope.
Through sweat equity and bayanihan, our projects cease to be mere donations and become the community’s own programs. By letting community members contribute, we are able to impart the importance of unity and hard work, promote dignity of labor, and provide them with a sense of ownership of the programs.
Ensure Impact and Efficacy
After project turnover, we remain in contact with the lead implementers and the community members to properly monitor and evaluate the impact of our programs. It is our duty to identify problems encountered and points for improvement on programs. In this way, we can make sure that our programs leave a lasting impact on our communities.
Work Towards Sustainability
Our mission does not end after the turnover of our projects. We continue to oversee the progress of our adopted communities and, when necessary, link them to other organizations and government agencies to ensure future sustainability. We remain engaged until we are not needed by the community anymore.
