Q. Why did the Center for Japanese-Filipino Families (CJFF) establish the Chocolate Club?
It is a response to the needs of Filipino mothers for support in raising their Japanese-Filipino children, as well as to these children’s needs for personal growth and development. This mother-and-youth development program includes: a) exploring and exposing their creativities and talents; b) giving opportunities to earn from what they have learned; c) building and owning a community that cares, shares and supports each others’ growth; d) serving as a catalyst in the upliftment and the development of Filipino communities all over Japan; and e) training the future leaders in this era of globalization.

Q. Does the CJFF Chocolate Club provide only computer lessons and trainings?
As a church-based NGO, CJFF has a mission to build a vibrant and empowered Japanese-Filipino community. Thus, CJFF Chocolate Club is also involved in cultural and sports activities. Special focus is given, however, on computer and Web-related training, as these information and communication tools have the potential to link Filipinos all over Japan, not only with each other but with the Japanese public as well.
Q. How relevant are the training courses offered by the CJFF Chocolate Club?
CJFF Chocolate Club chose and designed training courses that can be useful in daily life today and in the future. For example, mobile phones nowadays have digital cameras but most users do not know how to store and manage their digital files, much less use digital image editing software to better present their digital shots. The program also wishes to be able to provide a venue for exhibiting the digital creativeness of Japanese-Filipino youth.
Moreover, developments in computer software are moving faster than one could imagine. People, especially the young, have to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to cope with the present and future computerized and digitized world.
Needless to say, the training courses offered by CJFF Chocolate Club are geared more towards drawing out peoples creativities for productive use in society. On a case-to-case basis and depending on the request, courses on software application for office and industrial purposes can be held,

"We are the only non-profit organization in Japan training and supporting English teachers in their local communities. We believe that students are best taught by local teacher who you can trust and talk to. Parents can rely on our friendly independent teachers. Kids can be assured of great lessons"

Be an ENGLISH TEACHER in THREE EASY STEPS

Step One: Join the CHOBET & YES Training Project to acquire the best and simplified English teaching technique authored by British born Doug Young.

Step Two: Obtain the training minimum requirement in order to have your own chirashi (flyers) and meishi (businessname card) printed with CHOBET & YES business address, borrow the teaching demonstration kit free of charge, and be ready to go to make your teaching demonstration for your prospective students in your own community.

Step Three: Start your own English language lesson without worrying for the day to day lesson plan making and checking of your student progress report. Six eight-lesson modules for each year from pre-school to Elementary school 6th grade, lesson plans, flash cards, progress reports and all manuals are all ready to be borrowed free of charges for CHOBET-YES teachers. Make sure that each of students will have the YES exercise books (12 a year plus 6 home games) available for 9,600 yen for one year use of student and for teachers' guidance.

Know your teaching partners:

The Young English System (YES) is an innovative intensive visual and auditory teaching program using integrated games, acting and TPR and thousands of unique flashcards that ensures progress in English for every student and fun for everybody in the classroom. YES is being used by a growing number of native and non-native English teachers across Japan. Doug Young, the author and owner of YES system is donating his developed technology to support the mission call of the
Center for Japanese Filipino Families (CJFF)-CHOBET program in"Uplifting the Lives, Transform the Image and Build the Movement of Filipino Migrant Women in Japan."

The Center for Japanese-Filipino Families (CJFF) Community and Home Based English Teachers (CHOBET) Training Program have been into training Filipinos in Japan interested to become independent English teachers since May 2006 with hundreds of training graduates. CJFF is a church based mission program and a non-profit organization.

CJFF welcome M and K and mother from Davao City. M&K brothers are Japanese-Filipino children born in Davao City and have never seen their Japanese father and out of contact with their mother for nearly ten years. A Filipino friend from Japan of M&K mother gave the address of KAFIN for assistance.

M&K mother call from Davao City to KAFIN did a good result that enabled the mother and M&K brothers to go to the Religious of Good Shepherd (RGS) run Commission On Overseas Workers-Davao City as referred by KAFIN and CJFF. The Japanese-Filipino Children Netwo (JFC Network) accepted the case of M&K and mother that completes the whole interaction and working cooperation of different institutions to start helping M&K and mother’s case.

M&K brothers’ innocent lives were revealed more during their Christmas vacation spent at CJFF coordinators place and office and in Rev. Aso’s farm during the New Year. “We roam around streets and dumpsites to pick up plastics, copper wire, aluminum, newspapers etc. and this is our daily work. What we earned in long days work is not enough for our daily foods. Mama is out of job and we brothers are helping to have daily foods in our table” is to quote the hard street children life of M&K.

“We feel we are studying at Ateneo” is the immediate remarks of M&K brothers after attending their first day in school. Ateneo is referred by the brothers as the most expensive school in the Philippines that on their very innocent mind is the outcome of their comparison with the Japanese public school that they are now attending to their previous public school in Davao City.

After a week of attending school, the case of discrimination and bullying is the confronting problem of the two brothers. As the experience of the two showed, while there are those who bullies and discriminate them, there are numbers of Japanese children who loves the two brothers very much. From school throng of girls school classmates are brining home the two brothers that helps eases the worried minds of all.

M&K’s innocent testimonies are very touching revelation on how two tiny creatures from the blood of a Japanese situation has been. Sad to hear and yet inspiring to see and feel the determination and the youthful vigor of M&K in seeking a life that they believe where they should belong. At the same time the M&K shared stories is a message to all that there are more like them in the Philippines needing help and support.