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Our Mission: AAI is a private international humanitarian organization dedicated to building hope and empowering communities. Our award-winning programs address conflict and poverty in diverse cultures through: sustainable economic development, mentoring young leaders, strengthening health systems, education, the arts, emergency relief, ecology and peace mediation.

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Asia In Focus - Number 29 SOFT POWER: CONCEPTS vs REALITIES For the past decade as an NGO director I've developed grassroots social and economic programs in the Philippines war zone. Under all these conditions peace building is hard. This is especially true when soldiers and marines are asked to perform this critically significant and difficult mission.	In December 2011, AAI Director Al Santoli met Salesian Order priest Father Rocky Evangelista, Director of the Tuloy Foundation orphanage for 800 street children in Manila. Father Rocky has created an abundant urban farm and fishery without the benefit of natural ponds or topsoil through a process called "Aquaponics." Young urban farmers transform organic garbage collected on the streets and crushed rocks and cement into fertile soil fertilized by continuously recycled waste water from small cement fish ponds through inexpensive plastic tubing, powered by plastic solar panels.
In order to expand AAI's Gardens of Peace concept, Al Santoli conducted a meeting between Tuloy Foundation director Father Rocky Evangelista and Lt. Col. Sam Sagun of the Philippine Army's Civil Military Relations. AAI donated boxes of vegetable boxes of seeds, and the soldiers added seedlings of many local plants and hundreds of tilapia fishlings. LTC Sagun and his soldiers, many of whom grew up on farms, were inspired by a visit to the Tuloy Foundation orphanage. They began transforming areas of Camp Aguinaldo, the Philippines' military headquarters. A nationwide aquaponics movement fueled by the creativity of Father Rocky, and supported by AAI is now being planned by the "peace soldiers."	The ‘Aquaponics Soldiers’ of Camp Aguinaldo. Filipino soldiers who spent half of their lives in service fighting for freedom are now using their survival training to combat hunger and starvation. The Internal Peace and Security Program (IPSP) has created Aquaponics, a sustainable backyard food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture in tanks with hydroponics.
Ongoing relief and seed distribution for food security will continue. We remain the "little engine that could."  Thanks to the dedication and big hearts of our AAI team and allies, including many private donors and Filipino soldiers who transport our teams to areas that were previously unreachable.	AAI inter-faith youth volunteers and Filipino soldiers in the Iligan area, Manila and Virginia spent Christmas-New Year holidays conducting ongoing emergency flood relief in remote areas in Mindanao where the people's needs are great, including areas of conflict.
AAI's Inter-Faith Trauma Healing in war torn Mindanao; conducted by Asia America Initiative, Muslim and Christian clergy, Province Government , AAI's Catalyst for Peace youth volunteers and Christian Operation Blessing social harmony professionals and Philippine armed forces.	AAI Peace Caravan: at Maharlika Elementary School in Muslim neighborhood in Manila with students and mentors from Catholic Assumption faculty and Muslim school teachers and artists, and AAI's Catalysts for Peace youth volunteers.
Jovellee Dionglay, 9 years old and an orphan. She had lost her parents at a very young age. She was brought to the urgent attention of Asia America Initiative in October 2011 by our colleagues at Kythe Foundation in Manila to be included in our “Cancer Treatment for the Poor” or “The Art of Hope and Healing” program. Jovellee’s young body and mind had been fighting cancer for almost three years. She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2007, when she was just 6 years old. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT JOVELLEE. CLICK HERE cancer-treatment-for-20-children-and-30-women	AAI Philippines Director Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman and Marlon Jinon unveil the cover of the AAI story book supported of the Manila Jaycees, the Office of the President for the Peace Process, AAI Catalyst for Peace youth volunteers and the Philippines Armed  Forces.   A preview perfomance was staged with life sized puppets, attended by 100 Christian, Muslim, Mountain Tribe and Buddhist children.
Inter-Faith Members of Asia America Initiative Catalysts for Peace, the various mentors, volunteers, and their colleagues from the Philippine Army's Civil Military Affairs unit and Jaycees prepare for Christian - Muslim and Buddhist children's peace march at historic Edsa Shrine in Manila.  The march to Armed Forces  Headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo made "a joyful noise" with cars, trucks and taxis "honking their horns three-times" in support of peace.	Rumi Forum presents "Building Peace across Cultures and Faiths: The Muslim Mindanao Experience", with Albert Santoli, President and Founder, Asia America Initiative. CLICK HERE
Droughts across China and floods across Southeast Asia are wreaking havoc on regional food supplies and prices. Click Here to read China In Focus	The Jolo Emergency Response Team, supported the Dept. of Social Welfare prepare water purification sachets, distributed by AAI, manufactured by Procter & Gamble through Americares humanitarian organization CLICK HERE TO SEE THE AAI EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Emerald Planet video on AAI. Click Here to See the video	Asia America Initiative’s 2010 Peace Caravans brought together close to 500 children and youths. They are a shining example of how peace can be built “One Child and One School” at a time. CLICK HERE TO SEE PEACE ONE SCHOOL AT A TIME PHOTO GALLERY
We need your help. Click Here to find out more!	Maharlika Peace Caravan: Interfaith Friendship.