Background
The Office of Community Extension Service (OCES), now known as the Center for Community Extension Services (CCES) was created on June 16, 1993, under the Office of the University President. It was founded to take care of the extension programs of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, in line with its vision “to serve as an agent of change in bringing about peace and development in the city, the region, and the nation”.
The Ateneo community extension program has risen from purely teacher – student off – campus activities to service in the community. Community development projects are being implemented by AdZU in many poor communities in the city.
In line with the university’s thrust of creating more evident contribution towards the improvement of the quality of life in the city and the region, CCES focuses its efforts on building partnerships with communities of mixed lumads (indigenous peoples), Muslims and Christians which situation of poverty and vulnerability to conflict in this part of the country are found most serious.
At present, the three main extension programs – Education, Health and Livelihood – are still implemented in response to the various development issues and concerns that has been identified and the emerging development challenges that it hopes to address within the next five (5) years. Aside from the main programs, the office is handling projects that are aligned to the objectives of the programs as well as tackling other issues that are signs of the times such as on IP Rights, Women and Youth Empowerment, Election/ Voters’ Education, Environmental Protection and CoVid 19 awareness.
Programs
For the past 27 years, the Center had evolved with the programs and the communities it serves. The first programs and projects that were implemented are focused on 4 components: Health and Medical Services, Local Governance and Community Empowerment, Livelihood Assistance, and Functional Literacy and Skills Development.
For its Health and Medical Services component, the Ateneo Medical Assistance for Doctorless Areas or most commonly known as AMADA is a community outreach program which provides better access to health and medical services to the poor in isolated, depressed, and difficult and hard-to-reach areas of Zamboanga City where government doctors do not serve. This program also aims to help in community development towards self – reliance and empowerment. AMADA is implemented in collaboration with DOH, CHO and the barangays with funding support from the “German doctors for the third world” in Frunkfart, Germany.
For Local Governance and Community Empowerment component is implemented thru the Center for Local Governance. This is a capability building program which provides training, consultancy, research and information services and technical assistance to LGUs, NGOs and POs, in support of the implementation of the Local Government Code of 1991.
The Livelihood Assistance is being carried out in a joint project of Ateneo de Zamboanga University and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) entitled “Kaunlaran Pangkabuhayan Project (KPP). The KPP is a livelihood – support undertaking which offers interest – free and collateral – free loans to self – help groups in marginalized communities.
Lastly, the Functional Literacy and Skills Development Program address literacy problems of adults to transforming them from pre- literate to literate and skilled adults. It also provides a pre – elementary education for children of poor families in four barangays in Zamboanga City. Funding is also provided by the German Jesuits Social Action Group.
On 1995, 2 of the original programs remained with an additional 1 new program was created that is aligned to the new direction of the University. AMADA remains the program for Health with a tagline “We Serve Because We Care”. While Non – Formal Education had 3 program components where Functional Literacy and Skills Development is included together with Preparatory school education for children of poor families and Nutrition Feeding Program for registered pre – school children in the program.
The newly created program termed as Community Development and Empowerment captioned with “Transformation through Collaborative Efforts” is in line with the University’s thrust for the 21st century which is the Transformation of Communities, reinvented strategies for the marginalized communities came to the fore. The program is divided into two approaches: Multi – Assist Community Project where a developing community is being provided with the needed developmental assistance from the collaborative efforts of the AdZU community and the community selected while Full – Force Community focused on underdeveloped community which is fully assisted in terms of a comprehensive development project from the AdZU community in partnership with the community selected.
Later on, CCES narrows down its intervention in the areas of livelihood, health and education in recognition of the interrelationship of these factors in achieving the vision of creating communities of peace. Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihood implements a program on organic farming that will help secure supply of food for the families. This aims to equip the farmers in vulnerable areas with appropriate knowledge on sustainable farming techniques that hopes to achieve maximum yield. CCES operates its health program by coordinating with established community health volunteers organizations and their officers under AMADA program in order to monitor the program’s sustainability, and integrating health in its literacy program and sustainable agriculture project where skills in preventive healthcare, waste management and nutrition are shared with community partners.
Meanwhile, Education is segregated into two: On one hand, the Non – Formal Education Preschool Program provides preschool education to children of poor families in a number of communities in the city. It also incorporates feeding for the preschoolers and vegetable gardening among parents in an effort to improve health condition of the children and their families. The program thrives in strong parents’ support, and highly committed tutors, On the other hand, Functional Literacy for Peace in Multi – Cultural Communities reaches out to communities where vulnerability to economic and political abuse, to disease and to conflict and violence in highest. Hence, the crafting of a literacy program for peace in communities where lumads, Muslim and Christians live together which main objectives are achieve the following: 1. Higher level of literacy for youth and adults in the community; 2. Culture of Peace and Tolerance for Diversity practiced in the community; and 3. Improved health condition of the community.
At present, the three main extension programs – Education, Health and Livelihood – are still implemented in response to the various development issues and concerns that has been identified and the emerging development challenges that it hopes to address within the next five (5) years. Aside from the main programs, the office is handling projects that are aligned to the objectives of the programs as well as tackling other issues that are signs of the times such as on IP Rights, Women and Youth Empowerment, Election/ Voters’ Education, Environmental Protection and CoVid 19 awareness.
Nominations & Recognitions Received
- The AMADA program was nominated by the Department of Health to the International Sasakawa Award in 1997;
- MEDCO recognized AMADA as one of the best Poverty Alleviation programs in Mindanao;
- AMADA was awarded as the Most Outstanding School Project undertaken thru Volunteerism in Region 9 in 1999 by the Office of the President thru National Economic Development Authority;
- The Non – Formal Education Program was awarded as the Most Outstanding Literacy Project in Region 9 in 1995;
- The Jollibee Group Foundation recognized AdZU – CCES for its excellent leadership in implementing the Busog, Lusog, Talino School Feeding Program in 2015.
