On Mission in Mindanao, Philippines
Gustavo Payan, MA 05

There are many things I like about working for the Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). Three elements make my job an amazing journey full of learning, fulfillment, and adventure: meaningful, transcendental, and interesting work; well-experienced, capable colleagues and mentors; and active physical involvement during project implementation in countries like the Philippines, Cyprus, and Bahrain.

In December 2006, during my second visit to the beautiful country of the Philippines, I took these pictures at schools in Mindanao, the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines, where EDC is active. This trip was very different from my first visit eight months earlier when we conducted pre-award assessment activities. This time, my 12-day mission mainly consisted of working with in-country project staff to develop a communication strategy to increase the visibility of project activities in Mindanao. The overall goal of this USAID-funded project, Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills Phase 2 (EQuALLS 2), is to increase access to quality education and livelihood skills, especially in the areas most affected by conflict and poverty. Focusing on the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao and mostly active in Zamboanga Peninsula and Cotabato, the project's three key objectives are to increase learning opportunities for children and youth through community support for education; strengthen capacity for teaching English, math, and science; and improve the relevance of training for out-of-school children and youth.

Traveling on mission to Manila and Zamboanga del Sur in Mindanao was an eye opening and enriching experience for me, both professionally and personally. I visited a few formal and non-formal schools where EQuALLS is either providing teacher training or implementing Alternative Learning Systems to give out-of-school youth an opportunity to access education and obtain accreditation in the formal system. During my trip, I also became friends with the project staff. I applied -- in a new setting -- some of my outreach and management skills and became more acquainted with Filipino culture and the cultures within. Most importantly, I gained some understanding of the needs of the region and the opportunities by the project so that children, youth, parents, teachers, and communities improve their education and eventually also their standard of living. It was very fulfilling to see firsthand how work in Boston translates into improving people's lives in a country that is now dear to my heart and reminds me so much of my own Mexico.



Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) is one of the world's leading nonprofit education and health organizations, with 325 projects in 50 countries. The organization brings researchers and practitioners together to advance learning and healthy development for individuals of all ages and institutions of all types.