AFS Zamboanga City Community

20/05/2025

𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳—𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴?✨👀

This 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟑𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, the 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐧𝐢 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐙𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐔𝐒𝐆𝐀𝐀-𝐙𝐂) is 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱.

This initiative aims to educate young women from Barangay Divisoria in 𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 “𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳” 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦. It’s supported by the 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 (𝐋𝐄𝐚𝐏) 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭, in partnership with Kids Who Farm and 𝐒𝐊 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚.

𝐉𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 is more than just a workshop, it’s a leap into action. It empowers every 𝐉𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐚, the everyday Filipina, to take charge of her household’s nutrition, build resilience, and discover livelihood opportunities from the ground up. It's about empowerment, sustainability, and bayanihan, all beginning with a single seed.

Together, let’s plant the seeds of change for a healthier, more sustainable future! 🌱♻️

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵!

28/03/2025

Feeding Souls: A Ramadan Iftar Initiative

On March 22, 2025, the YES Alumni Association Philippines successfully conducted a Ramadan iftar initiative, distributing 150 meals to individuals in need. With 75 meals provided at Masjid Lappasan in Brgy. Recodo and another 75 at Masjid Sakaluran in Brgy. Kasanyangan, Zamboanga City, the initiative ensured that members of the communities observing their fast had access to a warm, nourishing meal at sundown.

This effort not only addressed food insecurity but also embodied the values of compassion, generosity, and solidarity that define Ramadan.

Through acts of service like this, the initiative hopes to inspire more community-driven efforts that uplift and support those in need. Gratitude goes to the volunteers who helped bring this project to life.

21/03/2025

As the sun sets, so does the hunger of those in need. This Ramadan, the YES Alumni Association Philippines is coming together to provide 150 free iftar meals to underserved individuals in Brgy. Recodo and Brgy. Kasanyangan, Zamboanga City. Through this initiative, we aim to alleviate hunger, foster generosity, and strengthen community ties, ensuring that no one breaks their fast alone.

Join us in sharing the spirit of compassion and inclusivity this March 22, 2025, at 4:45 PM. Together, let’s feed not just bodies, but also hearts and souls.

06/03/2025

𝗛𝗲𝘆 𝗨𝗦𝗚𝗔𝗔 𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶! 👋

Let’s work together to make the 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗨𝗦𝗚𝗔𝗔) Network even better! It only takes a few minutes to fill out the 2025 membership form, and we’d love for you to share it with other alumni too. Your input is super important, it helps shape future events, programs, and plans for all of us. By joining, you’ll stay in the loop with exciting activities, connect with fellow alumni, and gain access to helpful resources and opportunities.

🌊 Sail with us into an exciting new year! Whether you're a returning member or new to our alumni community, we’re thrilled to have you on board. Let’s continue to inspire, connect, and make an impact together!

🔗 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
https://forms.gle/yerbRsLdumS1YHSF8

Share this with your fellow alumni and let’s grow our community of changemakers! 🌏✨

06/03/2025

06/03/2025

📰 The First-Ever Newsletter is HERE! 🎉

Hey, , friends, and supporters! We’ve got some exciting news—our very first YES Alumni Association Philippines newsletter is officially out! 🎊 This is more than just a newsletter; it’s a celebration of our collective impact, a showcase of our amazing projects, and a space to reconnect with the YES family.

Packed with inspiring stories, big wins, and highlights from January to December 2024, this issue is all about the passion, dedication, and unstoppable energy of YES alumni across the Philippines. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, updates, or just want to relive some awesome moments, this is for YOU!

We’re more than just a network—we’re a movement. And by sharing our stories, we hope to spark even more action, collaboration, and change — turning our 💡✨

🔥 Ready to dive in? Check out the full newsletter here:

https://online.fliphtml5.com/qcppt/xlne/

Downloadable content:

https://bit.ly/4gneX9q

💬 What are you most excited to read about? Drop your thoughts in the comments below! ⬇️

Youth Exchange and Study (YES) U.S. Embassy in the Philippines AFS Intercultural Programs Philippines

06/03/2025

Beauty Found in Education: Project Lingkat Launches in ZAMBASUL

Project Lingkat: Liwanag ng Katutubo, led by the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (KL-YES) Alumni, brought essential school supplies and renewed hope to three of the most remote schools in Zamboanga, Basilan, and Sulu. This initiative aimed to uplift indigenous students and their families, demonstrating the team’s commitment to overcoming challenges and making a meaningful impact.

September 21, 2024
The journey began in Simeon Josefa Elementary School in Basilan, where 70 AFS bags and books were delivered despite the logistical challenges of reaching this remote island school.

September 25, 2024
At Monte Central Indigenous People Elementary School in Patalon, volunteers braved a demanding 45-minute uphill mountainous hike to reach 70 students and their families. The distribution of 70 AFS bags, interactive activities, and the establishment of the Lingkat Corner mini-library showcased the project’s goal of promoting education and literacy in underserved communities.

September 27, 2024
The final leg took the team to Badjao Elementary School in Sulu, a community known for its rich sea-faring traditions. Seventy AFS bags were distributed to students bridging gaps between marginalized communities and essential resources.

In total, Project Lingkat distributed 210 AFS bags, impacting 210 students across the mountains, islands, and seas of ZAMBASUL.

Beyond material contributions, this initiative stood as a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of youth-led efforts and the enduring spirit of bayanihan.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the KL-YES Alumni, local volunteers, and community partners whose unwavering dedication made this project possible. Together, we have shown that no community is too distant and no challenge too great when education and empowerment are at the forefront of our mission. The beauty of education knows no bounds— no mountains, islands, and seas are exempt from this.