MANILA, Philippines - Daren Montebon, six, walks three kilometers to school every day, climbing up and down a hill as fast as he could to be in class on time.
But Daren’s ordeal does not end there.
At school, the 25 pupils hold their lessons on the school’s stage, bearing the heat of the sun or getting wet when it rains as the tarpaulin that their teacher put up as their protection is already torn. And with only a few dilapidated desks, Daren and his classmates are forced to sit on the edges of the stage while they listen to their teacher.
Daren is just one of the kindergarten pupils of the Magdolinog Elementary School in Poblacion, Borbon, Cebu, this year’s beneficiary of The Freeman Foundation’s Balik Eskwela project.
Melandro Mendoza, The FREEMAN general manager and the core group’s adviser, said the sad situation of the kindergarten pupils was what made him and the other core group members chose Magdolinog Elementary School as their beneficiary this year.
“Aside from the community library, our main concern is to help the kindergarten pupils and provide them with a proper classroom,” Mendoza told the parents in a meeting. “Our goal is to protect the kids from the sun’s heat and the rain to prevent them from getting sick.”
Inspired by The Philippine STAR Operation Damayan’s Adopt-A-School project, Mendoza decided to bring to Cebu similar project six years ago, choosing schools from the remote areas as beneficiaries.
Magdolinog Elementary School has just three classrooms for grades one to six pupils, which means that two grades have to share one room. To prevent the room from becoming too crowded, the teacher, who also handles two grades, has to divide them into morning and afternoon classes.
The bayanihan spirit and cooperation of the students, teachers and the community have made everything less difficult, especially the construction of the community library/clinic and the expansion of the former office of the school’s teacher-in-charge, which will be converted into a classroom for the kindergarten pupils.
Last Aug. 21, The Freeman Foundation turned over not only a community library and clinic that is already filled with books and other reading materials, but also tables and chairs for the kindergarten class, school bags and school supplies and even school uniforms and identification cards for the 187 pupils, who were also treated to a day of fun and games. The teachers also received teaching materials.
Mendoza said this year’s Balik Eskwela project is most special because it was the most challenging and the group was able to provide not just a community library but also a classroom for the kindergarten kids. It is also the biggest community library that the group has turned over so far.
Victoriano dela Torre, Jr., the school’s teacher-in-charge, was very thankful for the assistance, especially the community library/clinic.
“We thank God for all these blessing and the people of The FREEMAN who have kind hearts for helping us. What they gave us will forever remain in our hearts,” he said.