Association of Filipino-American Freemasons in Illinois
Association of Filipino-American Freemasons four-part mission has one goal: to change and improve lives of those who live in the Philippines and in the greater Chicago area. We do this in disadvantaged locations by providing free medical services, permanent clean drinking water wells, supplies for distressed elementary school children, and educational grants.
Working with medical professionals, we fund expeditions into Philippine cities that struggle with the care of their citizens. At our events we provide in part or all of the following: surgical care, medical services, dental services, vision care, legal counselling, and prescription/nutrient supplies.
As a archipelago, the Philippines struggles with providing their +117 million citizens with clean drinking water. As part of our outreach campaigns, we locate rural villages in need of nearby clean water sources. We have been fortunate to be able to work with local well installers who are able to reach these area and install wells within our funding limits.
Being able to get an basic education is something we take for granted. For other parts of the world, this is not always the case. For many of the distressed families in the Philippines, they struggle to provide the barest of necessities. Basic school supplies many times is out of reach. It is not uncommon for elementary school children to work in the fields to purchase these items. During our outreach campaigns, we reach out to the local schools and hold an event to assist children who the teachers know have limited resources. During these events we provide in part or all of the following: backpacks, pencils, erasers, notebooks, footwear, and either a hot meal or foodstuffs.
State universities are now tuition free. But that does not cover all of the other expenses one would need to cover. We provide a grant program to assist with these needs. The application program looks for potential students with high GPAs but are without the means to attend higher education without assistance.
For the greater Chicago area, we coordinate with other local charities. This may be in either financial and/or labor assistance.
2023 Outreach Compilation
This video shows scenes from our two day medical/surgical outreach in the city of Subic at the Subic Sports Complex from April 20-21, 2023. We were able to help over 200 people with medical, surgical, dentistry, pharmacy, vision, legal, and grooming assistance. We also held a gift giving event directly behind the Subic Sports Complex on April 20th at the Josephine F Khonghun Special Education Center, Elementary, and High School. We gifted over 300 backpacks of school supplies, footwear, multi-vitamins, and a hot lunch to the regular and special needs students attending.
Who We Are Compilation
This video compilation of photos document many of our outreach and fundraising activities from 2018, 2019, and 2022. From fresh water wells, food & school supply gift giving to local school children, to many other activities, you can see our work in the various Philippine communities.