Projects We Have Funded

Our mission is not only focused on addressing the needs of people in the Philippines. We are equally committed to serving and strengthening our local community here in Utah. Through outreach programs, community events, charitable activities, and volunteer efforts, we strive to support individuals and families facing hardship. We believe helping others begins in our own community, and by working together, we can build meaningful connections, provide assistance where it is needed most, and make a positive difference in the lives of those around us.

Nourishing our Community

We supports local food banks by helping provide essential food and supplies to individuals and families in need. Through donations, volunteer efforts, and community partnerships, we work to help fight hunger and ensure that our neighbors have access to the basic necessities they deserve.

What you can do

Join us in making a difference by donating, volunteering, or helping us spread the word. Together, we can help ensure that no family in our community has to face hunger alone.

Funding the Nagba Water project

In Siaton, Negros Oriental, Philippines, over a hundred families live in an area called Sitio Nagba, Barangay Maloh. The residents of Nagba have struggled to access a reliable source of clean water for daily use due to the lack of sufficient water pumps.

Sitio Nagba is located in the hills near the ocean and consists of three areas that the locals refer to as "floors":

1st Floor: The foot of the hill by the seashore.
2nd Floor: The top of the first hill, directly above the 1st Floor.
3rd Floor: Everything beyond the 2nd Floor, where most of the community resides.

A Well of Hope

On the 1st Floor, the community once had a gasoline-powered water pump, which served as the primary source of water. Residents would take turns using the pump to push water through a connected hose to their homes once a week. About 15 years ago, that gasoline-powered pump broke down and has since dried up, leaving the community with only a manual pump on the 1st Floor as their sole water source.

The majority of families in the area are forced to make the arduous trek down to the 1st Floor to access the manual water pump, hauling heavy gallons of water back up to their homes by hand. Without cars or motorcycles to ease this burden, many residents must endure the backbreaking task on foot. This physically demanding chore can take more than 30 minutes just to carry a single bucket of water to their homes, making it a daily struggle for survival.

Compounding the issue, the manual pump is located on privately owned land, which is now up for sale. Residents on the 1st Floor are being asked to vacate, threatening to cut off the entire community’s access to this critical water source.

Despite the severity of the situation, the local government has not yet provided a viable solution. As a result, families are forced to rely on rainwater to meet their needs for both household use and agriculture. This already fragile system becomes even more precarious during the dry season, when rain is scarce, leaving the community in a dire situation.

From Need to New Beginnings

Since the gasoline-powered water pump has long since broken and dried up, the only sustainable solution is to locate a reliable source of clean drinking water and build a new water system. The proposal was to install two electric water pumps, which will alternate in drawing water to storage tanks—one on the 2nd Floor and another on the 3rd Floor—ensuring easy access for those living higher up the mountain.

Due to the challenging terrain of Sitio Nagba, nestled in the hills and near the ocean, contractors had to carefully survey the area to find the best location for drinkable water. Fortunately, the water testing survey has already been funded, and a generous donation of land has been made for the construction of the water pumps.

We have successfully completed the construction of the electric water pumps and storage tanks, now providing more than a hundred families in Sitio Nagba with reliable access to clean water. What was once a daily struggle to carry water up the hills has become a thing of the past. The newly installed pumps efficiently draw water to tanks on the 2nd and 3rd Floors, ensuring that everyone in the community, even those living higher up the mountain, has easy access to a dependable water supply.

The impact is already being felt throughout the community. Families now enjoy the comfort of knowing they have a consistent and clean water source, greatly improving their quality of life. The people of Sitio Nagba now have a brighter and healthier future ahead.

A School Gymnasium for the Community

In Tarlac, Philippines, we discovered an elementary school in a remote community where students, parents, and teachers had little protection from the rain and scorching sun during school activities and special ceremonies. Many of the students come from families with limited financial resources, and several of their fathers work in construction. Although the parents wanted to provide a safe, comfortable gathering place for their children, financial hardship made it difficult to build a simple, durable gymnasium that could serve the school for years to come.

Last year, UCFAA stepped in and began raising funds to help this community. We hosted a fundraising gala, sold homemade food, and organized a Zumba for a Cause event. Through these efforts and our supporters' generosity, we purchased the construction materials needed for the project.

Together We Built Hope

As construction moved forward, the project became more than simply building a gymnasium. It became a symbol of what can happen when people work together for a common purpose. Parents, volunteers, donors, and community members each played a part in creating a safer, more comfortable place for the children.

For UCFAA, this project reminded us why our mission matters. Every fundraiser, donation, and hour of volunteer work helped bring this dream closer to reality. What began as a simple need became a shared effort filled with hope, generosity, and compassion for the children and families of this community.