The first batch of U.S. Peace Corps Philippines trainers under the Leadership Academy join hands with their Filipino counterparts to form the Habitat house sign. /Contributed Photo
Habitat for Humanity Philippines—one of the leading nonprofit shelter organizations in the country, and U.S. Peace Corps – a global humanitarian and development agency of the United States government, partner to train 6,000 youth in 2019 under the Habitat Young Leaders Build Leadership Academy.
Habitat in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership, developed the Academy to equip young people in Asia Pacific to create and lead programs that address problems in their communities.
“As an organization, Habitat remains dedicated to provide decent shelter for all. If we train the youth to lead their communities to build clean and safe neighborhoods, we can reach this goal much faster,” says Lili Fuentes, Chief Operating Officer of Habitat Philippines.
At least 100 Peace Corps volunteers have been trained to facilitate the modules in the Academy. These trainers will then conduct Youth Leadership workshops in their assigned communities.
Max Wilson Hammond, a Peace Corps volunteer who attended the Academy in Cebu says, “The Academy has helped me improve my leadership skills and gave me the confidence to encourage the youth to implement projects that benefit their communities.”
In the Philippines, about 300 Senior High School students have trained under the program’s initial rollout. By 2020, Habitat Philippines and its partners aim to train at least 10,000 youth.
In Asia, at least 5,000 youth have trained in Cambodia, Philippines, India, Indonesia, and Nepal since the Academy was launched in November 2017./dcb