LP6: Nakakakilabot

Bigas at ulam. Ayon sa mga magulang sa paaralan kung saan ay katatapos ko lamang mamigay ng lapis ng Pens of Hope, ang dalawang ito ay una sa listahan ng mga bibilhin sa araw-araw.

Saka na lamang bibili ng lapis, papel, at notbuk kung may matitira sa badyet. Kung may matitira. Ngunit paano kung wala? Kadalasan ay kulang pa nga ang badyet sa pagbili pa lamang ng bigas at ulam.

Habang nag-aabot ako ng mga lapis at tinitingnan ang mga ngiti sa mukha ng mga bata, iniisip ko kung ilan sa halos isandaang batang nasa harap ko ang magkakaroon ng pagkakataong mapabuting lalo ang kanilang buhay. I could only hope and pray that it will be all of them.

Kung magpapatuloy na ganito ang sitwasyon sa maraming liblib na bayan, tayo ay nahaharap sa isang nakakakilabot na katotohanan: na parami nang parami ang mga batang maaaring hindi magkaroon ng magandang kinabukasan. This appalling truth is looking at us right in the eye, but not too many of us, especially those who have the power and capacity to help alleviate their situation, can see. Or perhaps we can already see it but we just choose to turn a blind eye.

I hope you’ll all feel blessed realizing that you have so much more than what other people have. Maligayang Huwebes sa inyong lahat!

7 Hills Elementary School

Hello again, ladies and gentlemen. I know you are all excited to see more pictures. But before that, let me tell you first about the school where the first distribution of Pens of Hope in Northern Samar was held.

This is the 7 Hills Elementay School. It is situated in a sleepy barangay in the town of San Isidro.

Some classrooms have nipa thatch roof. Most classrooms have iron sheets as roof. But I noticed that the iron sheets already have holes and are being eaten away by rust. I did not see a room with ceiling so you can just imagine how it is on sunny days. Probably the students would wish for rainy days instead so it will be cooler. But what about the holes on the roof? This situation is true in many schools in remote places all over the country. I can only hope and pray that the government will do something about it.

This is the particular classroom where the distribution was held. It’s a humble classroom with unpainted walls. It has big windows. I can only assume that the windows were deliberately made big to let in breeze on sunny days. I was told that on windy rainy days, these windows have to be closed to prevent rain water from getting in. Because there is no electricity in the school, the students and the teacher have to endure the lack of light inside the classroom when the windows are closed.

Beside the school is a small river lined with small houses, each sheltered with its own thatched roof or rusty iron sheets. It is good to note that the river is clean and the residents seem to be taking care of this body of water.

From the national highway, a narrow cemented 5-kilometer road stretches all the way to the gate of the school. But for some students who come from the other side of the barangay, they have to endure walking on roads like these. Notice the puddles of water. Imagine walking on these roads on rainy days.

Pens of Hope Gives Birth!

Sorry for my intermittent presence online. I have been swamped and drained by all the mundane things I had to focus on in the last couple of days and I had to go on a trip.

Anyway, I am back with good news: Pens of Hope has given birth to a new project in Davao! I am so happy and excited about it.

When Kikit asked permission to mirror the project in her hometown, Davao City, it made me smile. I felt happy that she had thought of bringing the project to Davao. This means more and more children will be given pencils, more and more children will smile, more and more children will see hope.

Kikit is based in Japan but she is currently being helped by her fellow volunteers from the Social Involvement Coordinating Office (SICO), the social arm of Ateneo de Davao University. I am so proud of their methodical approach. They just recently made a survey, with the help of a non-government organization, to identify the project’s beneficiary. Nice, isn’t it? They plan to distribute in August.

I hope that you will also support them. Please take some time to head on over to their site and give them a shout out

Moved

Take a look at this picture.

Not clear enough? Let’s take a closer look.


Yep, these are some of the pencils you’ve sent. I went home last weekend and it was the first time I saw the packages that have arrived. I excitedly opened them and I was truly, deeply moved. Lots and lots of pencils! Some have sent bags, notebooks, ballpens, pencils sharpeners, and even balloons! I’m sure the children will be delighted.

I am posting here the pictures of the content of the packages. If you have sent a package, you’ll see its contents here.

I received pencils bundled in bulks. I rebundled them so the children will have equal number of pencils. I’m glad three Pens of Hope angels have helped me in doing this.

I know all of you are just as excited as I am to see smiling and happy kids but I had to move the distribution date from June 19 to first or second Friday of July (depending on the available plane ticket that I can get). The reasons behind this are:

1. June 19 was declared a holiday by the provincial government to celebrate its Foundation Day and the teachers were reluctant to ask the children to report to school on a holiday.

2. I needed more time to prepare the packages which recently arrived.

3. I am waiting for a package which was sent by a little girl who personally emailed me and asked if I could wait for the pencils she bought from her own allowance. This little girl said she didn’t ask for extra money from her parents but she instead cut on her personal expenses so she could save some for the pencils. I promised her I will grant her request.

So that’s it for now. Just giving you an update on the Pens of Hope project.

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

The 8,918 Reasons I Had a Good Cry Today

Words escape me today. While I am typing this, I can’t contain my tears of joy. I am just overwhelmed at this outpouring of kindness.

Paki-click na lang po ang link. Pakibasa po ha? Salamat po.