May 1, 2020 – Statement on COVID19 from Former First Ladies Libary President and Chairman of the Board Stephen J. Raynor.
President Duterte has ordered an extension of a very strict lockdown of the Philippines for certain higher risk areas like Manila and seven other cities.
Smaller cities on various islands are now slowly opening for business.
The good news is that the underfunded, understaffed hospitals of the Philippines are coping with COVID19 as best they can and so far have not been overwhelmed by patients. Much of the credit has to go to experienced, professional and dedicated nurses, doctors, med techs as well other essential support staff. Filipinos helping other Filipinos.
However lack of testing, contact tracing which would invite treatment, remains problematic throughout the Islands, whose GDP if measured in dollars is less than the State of California with 2.5 times the amount of people.
The Philippine economy, like many others in South East Asia relies heavily on tourist income, primarily from South Korea, Japan, the United States and in the winter months- Europeans.
Aware that South Koreans and Japanese absolutely follow the dictates of their governments, it appears that the Philippines is focused on stamping out or containing the virus quickly so as to get a safe seal of approval from those countries as far as tourism and business is concerned, even at the expense of significant local populations suffering from lack of income.
Currently each citizen has been given the equivalent of $100 USD to buy food for their families.
However with Tricycle drivers unable to work openly, it would appear that 5% of the population that engages in that gig work, are going to be in bad shape in July or August. Add in a 40% drop in remittances from nurses and OFW, overseas foreign workers, and an economy that was projected to have a 6% increase in 2020, will instead have a slight contraction.
Former First Lady Libraries classes have been impacted with the Filipino Stay at Home Order. Acting Director Stephen Raynor learned that physical classes are forbidden. And that 70% of the students have no in home wifi or internet. And the expense to have their phone converted to wifi hotspot is beyond reach of most families.
Mr. Raynor immediately undertook the following steps. First to protect the teachers financially so they can protect their own children. Second, was to order take home work and lessons to be prepared for future use, except where they can be hand delivered. Third was to send monies for nutrition of all of the students many who depend on FFLL to provide some food Monday through Friday. Fourth additional money was sent so that the students could during this time, use it with discretion to buy some school supplies, books or food for themselves or family members.
Suicides in the United States have recently doubled mostly among teen age girls but others have been affected within the USA. We have no statistics for the Philippines but we do know stress from loss of income can cause problems in any family.
We have suggested during this time of zero physical classroom instruction that to the extent students can avail themselves of take home work, or internet distance learning or phone calls to at least one other student to practice what they have already learned, they should buddy up with at least one other student.
Former First Lady Libraries has made a difference in the life of each and every girl who has received an annual certificate from us. In the coming months we will highlight examples.
We would urge anyone reading about us to consider a donation to their local school, library, church or other house of worship, or to our organization.
Citizens of the world, we must all work together because this disease like polio strikes without warning and has the potential to create panic in a billion families.
Both the United States and the Philippines have stopped international flights, costing each country millions of jobs. As someone whose relative got Polio after the vaccine was available but too expensive for most families, I call upon everyone to remember we are all soldiers in this fight against an invisible enemy.
Please remember who is helping us win this war! We all are! If you work in cleaning or sanitizing, or preparing or serving food safely; if you work as a taxi driver or Jeepney driver, Uber driver; if you work as a policeman, EMT, Med Tech; if you work as a journalist, editor, copy boy, newspaper seller; if you work as a stockboy, cashier, bank teller; if you work as a gas pumper, mechanic, supply clerk; if you are a care giver who insures Lolo or Lola has a clean fork or clean hands, or clean water, you are enlisted in the worlds’ salvation army.
The fate of our children – even more than our parents – rests in your actions. Because if we can not win this war by February 28, 2021, then children around the world will lose another year of not learning and remembering and able to use what they should have learned. It will be as if our children get dumber and dumber while we sit by helpless to prevent that.
We are all giving up something in this battle. The Filipino guerrillas in WWII, gave up their lives so that complete strangers might be saved. Seventy five million people around the world died during WWII.
We are not asking for an ultimate sacrifice. We are however asking you to consider that if you have enough money to last more than 2 years, that you consider helping out your own local community. And if there are any funds left over you consider helping us help at least 1 child, whether in America, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Vietnam or Nepal.
Because that one life you save might just be your own someday.
NO FEAR HERE!
Stephen Raynor
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April 18, 2018 – Remembering Barbara Bush
The passing of Barbara Bush deeply saddens the Former First Lady Libraries. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the Bush family. Through our continued work to promote literacy worldwide, we will honor the life and legacy of Barbara Bush.
Photo: Getty Images
“Barbara Bush has been the wife of one President and the mother of another President, Mrs. Bush has transformed America in ways few other women have. We thank her for helping make American and the world better by promoting literacy, civility, and honesty.”
– Stephen Raynor, Founder, and President of the Former First Lady Library
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October 30, 2017 – Essay Contest
Elementary students in the Houston Independent School District are encouraged to submit an essay discussing lessons learned from Hurricane Harvey. Essay contest announcements have been sent to primary schools in the Houston ISD.