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Mission and Programs

Mission

BOOKS for the BARRIOS is a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening elementary school education in the Philippines so that all children "even the most disadvantaged" can receive a great education. Our award-winning approach emphasizes local community involvement in the Philippines and the United States. Our programs are based on very real needs in both the Philippines and the U.S. Some of the concerns our programs are designed to address include economic development through education, environmental conservation, landfill diversion, environmental education and character education.

Programs

The backbone of the Books for the Barrios(BftB) approach is the redistribution of high-quality educational materials from the United States to poor, remote schools in Philippine barrios. Our national National "Model-of-Excellence Schools" and National Teacher Training Convention programs assure that these materials are used effectively. BftB also involves U.S. children in breaking the cycle of poverty, promoting awareness of poor conditions in other countries and sustaining the future viability of our work. To that end, our American Schools Program reaches out to U.S. children to donate supplies, pack shipments and learn about the children abroad who benefit from these efforts.

In addition to addressing poverty and access to education, our efforts benefit the environment: We make productive use of large volumes of material that otherwise would become landfill, and emphasize environmental education of both Filipino and U.S. children throughout our programs. BftB regularly advises individuals and organizations interested in replicating our model.

Please visit our website, www.booksforthebarrios.com, for detailed descriptions of all of our programs.

Program / Activities (NTEE Code)

Primary/Elementary Schools
Nonmonetary Support N.E.C.
Community Improvement, Capacity Building N.E.C.

Accomplishments for Fiscal Year Ending 12/31/2001

1. National Book Distribution Program: Our central program involves collecting high-quality books and educational materials in the United States and shipping them to poor, remote schools in Philippine barrios. To date, we have shipped more than 4.5 million pounds of educational materials to 9 million Filipino children.
2. National Model-of-Excellence Schools Program: To date, we have transformed 35 Philippine barrio schools into learning institutions that set a new national standard. This program helps assure that the materials we ship are used as effectively as possible.
3. American Schools Program: In addition to improving education in the Philippines, BOOKS for the BARRIOS educates children at home, involving U.S. children in breaking the cycle of poverty, promoting awareness of poor conditions in other countries, and sustaining the future viability of our work. During the 2000-01 school-year, approximately 7,200 U.S. children took field trips to our National Children's Education Sharing Center, where they packed materials and learned about their sister Filipino classmates. Hundreds of thousands of additional children participate in accompanying school donation drives each year, which emphasizes the reuse of educational resources.

1. American Schools Program: During the 2000-01 school-year, about 7,200 U.S. children took field trips to BftB's National Children's Education Sharing Center, where they packed materials and learned about their sister Filipino classmates. Another million children have participated in accompanying school donation drives. Goal: Double field trip participation to 14,400 children.
2. National Teacher Training Convention: Over the past six years, 2,000 Filipino teacher delegates have been trained every two years as yecho-trainers, equipping their peers with modern teaching methods using indigenous resources. Goal: Continue to train all 500,000 elementary school teachers in the Philippines every two years.
3. National Book Distribution Program: Maintain current shipping schedule of sending at least 29,000 lbs. every three weeks.

BOOKS for the BARRIOS is committed to evaluating all of our programs. Test scores of students at recipient schools reflect the dramatic impact BftB's programs have had on public education in the Philippines. Teachers also report increases in both interest in learning and skill level among their students. Additionally, our National Model-of-Excellence Schools are carefully monitored by staff from our sister agency in the Philippines who regularly visit the school sites. The National Teacher Training Convention program tracks the number of teacher delegates that participate as well as the number of teachers that are "echo-trained" through our train-the-trainer model. We also track the number of participants in the American Schools Program and collect testimonials from children.

Poundage of materials shipped is carefully tracked by warehouse staff. The number of Philippine students reached is estimated to be two for every pound of educational materials based on the method used by the Department of Education of the Philippines. Oversight for distribution in the Philippines is provided by our sister organization in Manila, BOOKS for the BARANGAY, which also organizes the community ceremony that accompanies each delivery. Additionally, every school district receiving materials is required to sign a memorandum stating that the materials will be used as intended. Recipients are also required to write a description of the impact the materials have on the school and the community. The memoranda and the impact descriptions are sent to the Philippine Secretary of Education with a copy to BftB's U.S. headquarters.

Chief Executive Profile

BOOKS for the BARRIOS began in 1981 while Nancy and Dan Harrington were raising their young children in the Philippines. From 1981 to 1986, they worked closely with other knowledgeable, motivated volunteers as well as the U.S. Navy and Philippines Airlines to distribute hundreds of thousands of books throughout the Philippines. During these years, the Harringtons also developed a passion for improving the economic situation of all Filipinos.

While the Harringtons still provide organizational leadership, Nancy serves as Executive Director and Dan is organizational Chair, volunteers and board members play a pivotal role in building and driving the organization's vision and operations. Growth of the organization is always managed with an eye toward emphasizing the contribution and critical role of all participants, whether staff or volunteers.

Additional Comments

BOOKS for the BARRIOS has received awards from both the Philippine and U.S. governments. In 1993, the Philippine President bestowed the Trusted Friend of the Country Award on BOOKS for the BARRIOS. We have also been endorsed as a primary intervention to reverse the decline of the Philippine education system by Philippine Businesses for Social Progress; the Philippine Department of Education, Culture and Sports; the Office of the President; and hundreds of Filipino education leaders. In 1999, BOOKS for the BARRIOS received the U.S. President's Service Award. Also that year, Nancy Harrington received the Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center. BOOKS for the BARRIOS received a County Recycling and Source Reduction Award during a 1993 Earth Day event in Contra Costa County, California.

The most meaningful rewards, however, come from the children with whom we work. When asked what she had learned after a daylong field trip to BOOKS for the BARRIOS, a fifth-grader from Oakland, California said, "I learned that the poor children need more books, so my class boxed some books for the Philippines. I feel happy that we are helping the Philippines to have more of the things that we have." The words of this Filipino student speak volumes about the importance of our work: "Poverty is no hindrance, now that we have books."

Financial Data
From the organization's FORM 990

Revenue and Expenses: Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2007

Revenue			Expenses
Contributions $7,467,677 Government Grants $0 Program Services $0 Investments $1,349 Special Events $0 Sales $0 Other $0			Program Services $7,374,912 Administration $3,915 Other $1,601 Total Expenditures $7,380,428
Total Revenue	$7,469,026		NET GAIN/LOSS	$88,598

Balance Sheet: Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2007

Notes
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot long survive, but the types of assets and liabilities also must be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Assets	Jan 1, 2007	Dec 31, 2007	Change
Cash & Equivalent	$52,936	$137,423	$84,487
Accounts Receivable	$0	$6,983	$6,983
Pledges & Grants Receivable	$0	$0	$0
Receivables/Other	$0	$0	$0
Inventories for Sale or Use	$0	$0	$0
Investments/Securities	$0	$0	$0
Investments/Other	$0	$0	$0
Fixed Assets	$6,288	$3,416	$(2,872)
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Assets	$59,224	$147,822	$88,598
Liabilities	Jan 1, 2007	Dec 31, 2007	Change
Accounts Payable	$0	$0	$0
Grants Payable	$0	$0	$0
Deferred Revenue	$0	$0	$0
Loans and Notes	$0	$0	$0
Tax-Exempt Bond Liabilities	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Liabilities	$0	$0	$0
FUND BALANCE	$59,224	$147,822	$88,598

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