MAASIM, Sarangani (October 29, 2011) – Acting Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon (center) together with Mayor Jose Zamorro (4th left) and municipal officials hand over the check worth P300, 000 to barangay captain of Amsipit Allan Moyak (4th, right) and his councilors for the construction of dormitory at sitio Kyumad Integrated School at Blat Elementary School Friday, October 28. (SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE/Bon-Bon Quiño)

MAASIM, Sarangani (October 29, 2011) – Mayor Jose Zamorro (left) leads the distribution of workbooks from QUEST (Quality Education for Sarangani Today) and Union Bank for Grade 1 and 2 pupils of Blat Elementary School in line with the community outreach and Bantay Bata 163 Caravan 2011 at barangay Amsipit Friday, October 28. (SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE/Bon-Bon Quiño)

ALABEL, Sarangani (October 26, 2011) – Board Member Eleanor Saguiguit, Sangguniang Panlalawigan chair of the Committee on Women, Children and Family Relations, delivers an inspirational message during the provincial daycare workers’ year-end evaluation Wednesday, October 26, at the Capitol gymnasium with the theme: “Advancing Environmental Protection and Disaster Risk Reduction Management in Early Childhood Care and Development”. (Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

ALABEL, Sarangani (October 26, 2011) – From left to right, assistant provincial social worker officer Raquel Panal, Board Member Virgilio Clark Tobias and Board Member Eleanor Saguiguit award the plaque of appreciation to Abundio Edicio dela Torre for being the guest speaker and resource person for Environment Protection and Disaster Risk Reduction in the Philippines during the provincial daycare workers’ year-end evaluation Wednesday, October 26, at the Capitol gymnasium. (Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

ALABEL, Sarangani (October 26, 2011) – Board Member Virgilio Clark Tobias commits to support daycare workers by increasing their honorarium starting next year. Tobias issued the commitment during the provincial daycare workers’ year-end evaluation Wednesday, October 26, at the Capitol gymnasium. (Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

ALABEL, Sarangani (October 26, 2011) – Daycare workers from Alabel perform a dance number during the year-end forum on ECCD (Early Childhood Care and Development) and daycare workers’ evaluation Wednesday, October 26, at the Capitol gymnasium. (Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

ALABEL, Sarangani (October 26, 2011) – Vice Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon delivers his message to the participants of the 1st Sarangani Secondary Statistics Challenge emphasizing on the importance of statistics in our daily lives. The selected participants who came from different secondary school of Sarangani competed at the Capitol gym Tuesday, October 25. (Ritchie Tongo/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

ALABEL, Sarangani (October 26, 2011) – Participants raise their chip boards as they show their answer on a statistics question of the 1st Sarangani Secondary Statistics Challenge. STATQUIZ was hosted by the National Statistics Office Socsargen at the Capitol gym Tuesday, October 25. (Ritchie Tongo/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

Deputy Mission Director Reed Aeschliman (3rd from right) of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) gave the keynote address at a celebration marking the successful collaboration between parent-teacher associations, educators and USAID in completing 1,000 Education Matching Grant projects in Mindanao schools. He is joined in the photo by (l-r): Ricky Dalida, principal of Marbel National High School; Deogracia Romero, PTA president of Mindanao State University- College of Education Training Department (MSU-CETD) High School; Undersecretary Janet Lopoz of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA); Bai Cabaybay, school head of Madrasah Abubakar Al-Islamia Elementary School; Bai Alibai Benito-Aliuden, Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division Superintendent for Maguindanao 2, in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM); and DepEd-ARMM Undersecretary Bai Mayan Sinsuat. The PTAs in 900 Mindanao elementary and high schools have raised more than $1million, matched dollar for dollar by USAID through its Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, to improve programs and resources that have benefitted approximately 600,000 students. These funds are frequently used to establish or improve small libraries, home economics rooms, science and computer laboratories, and multi-media centers in the PTAs’ respective schools. USAID’s GEM Program is implemented under the oversight of the Mindanao Development Authority.

US Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Mission Director Reed Aeschliman is presented with a citation of appreciation for USAID’s matching grant assistance by Undersecretary Bai Mayan Sinsuat of the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM). Through its Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, USAID matches, dollar for dollar, the funds raised by parent-teacher-associations (PTAs) to establish or improve small libraries, home economics rooms, science and computer laboratories, and multi-media centers in their schools. PTAs in 900 Mindanao elementary and high schools have raised more than $1 million, matched by USAID, for more than 1,000 matching grant projects benefiting approximately 600,000 students. USAID’s GEM Program is implemented under the oversight of the Mindanao Development Authority.