AHON brings hope to Leyte school children

Posted by Herbel Santiago on 17 October 2011 | 0 Comments

AHON brings hope to Leyte school children

By HERBEL SANTIAGO (Contributor)
October 16, 2011, 8:00am
Sunday Times Magazine

In a place cradled by nature and surrounded by undulating waves, Southern Leyte looks just like the place of tranquility that is yet to be tainted by civilization. Unfortunately, the same picturesque mountains serve as a double-edged sword for its people as it also prevents the coming of basic services to the place.

Indeed, one cannot help but see the worse condition of the education in the province. Because of lack of teachers, public elementary schools form cluster schools. Principal and faculty members rotate around the cluster schools to teach. Furthermore, the schools employ the multigrade scheme where Grades 2 and 3; Grades 4 and 5 are combined, taught the same lessons in one classroom.

With no apparent mode of transportation, the poor children are forced to negotiate the rocky and rambling mountain slopes for hours just to go to school. Needless to say, the schools lack functional learning resource centers—not even a semblance of it.

With the recommendation of Marisa Lerias and her mother, former Gov. Rossette Lerias, both members of Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership, and Acts of Hope for the Nation (AHON) crossed the seas to bring books and to open five new libraries in four municipalities of the province of Southern Leyte, that will serve more than 6,000 school children.

New libraries, new hope
Undermanned and underfunded, the five schools do what they can to improve their student’s literacy skills. AHON Foundation served as a beacon of hope for the educators with the books they brought, igniting their ingenuity and flaring up their resourcefulness. Harnessing the “bayanihan” spirit of the community, the principal and teachers worked hand in hand with the barangay and the parent-teacher association to refurbish the library.

On August 29 and 30, AHON Foundation delivered the hardbound, quality and interactive TimeLife reference books in English, Math and Sciences worth P500,000 each to the schools. Together with the parents, the barangay, and the school teachers, these were carefully set up on their newly refurbished library.

Being the biggest school in the whole of Southern Leyte, Sogod Central Elementary School regarded the opening of the new library as a much-welcome addition. Ibarra Elementary School and Mahayahay Elementary School managed to transform their previously dark and rambling libraries into a beautiful and colorful space, conducive for reading and learning. Meanwhile, Awayon Elementary School and Lonoy Multigrade School, a school atop the mountains of Maasin, were taken aback with tears at the sight of the bookshelves filled with brand-new books.

“Mapasalamaton mi og dako kay bisan og nia mi sa bukid, inyo gyud ming gianhi aron ihatod ang mga libro nga inyong gi grasya kanamo. [Our gratitude is overflowing because despite the fact that we are here in the mountains, you made your way here to bring the books and graces],” said an ecstatic Celestiono Laraga of Lonoy, the barangay captain who personally headed the refurbishment of the library.

Tranfee Grace Merro, principal of the cluster schools of Awayon Elementary School, promised, “what you have given aren’t the usual books that our students are used to, it is so much better. Kagwapa kaayo san mga libro ug makasulti pa. [The books are very beautiful, and can even speak.] The books come with a complimentary educational gadget that gives additional information, teaches proper pronunciation, etc. We promise that we are going to make the most out of these books.”

“We at the AHON Foundation believe that education is the great equalizer. If one is educated, then the chances of being mired in poverty are drastically reduced. We believe in all of you, that’s why we made it as far as here,” read Harvey Keh’s message, executive director and president of AHON Foundation.

In his speech read by program officer Herbel Santiago, Keh added “Perhaps, the best way to say thank you is to use the books and to read them.”

AHON Foundation is Filway Marketing Inc.’s social responsibility arm. To date, it has helped develop 53 public elementary schools all over the country benefitting more than 120,000 children.

To provide better services to partner schools, AHON is open for partnerships with corporations. They also accept donations in cash and in kind.

To know more about AHON, check out their website, www.ahonfoundation.org or their Facebook page, AHON Foundation, and. For more information call 990-0928 or e-mail ahonfoundation@yahoo.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

(Herbel Santiago works as the program officer of AHON Foundation.)