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| Books collected by Balik Bayan Books from their Facebook account(click to view) |
About a month ago, I posted an appeal for help about a library that I wish to put up in Don Mariano Marcos. Since that day, the reaction has been overwhelming and God has been great leading people to support this cause. As of today, the project has collected three sets of books: one from a mother who heard of the project from this website, another from a friend who volunteered to collect books from my alma mater, Silliman University and from a US-based NGO Balik Bayan Books. In my initial estimate, the books we have collected is already enough to occupy the room in the Barangay Hall that was intended for the library. But then again, the journey does not end there, though books will now be available, there is a greater need for other efforts for the library to really assist the community towards development. In this regard I wish to outline other forms of help that can be extended to really support the improvement of this community.
Barangay Don Mariano Marcos has a problem of appreciation for education. Although the government was able to establish schools that can cater to the needs of the youth in the community, there is not just enough motivation for the young ones to view education as a means to a better life. The adults in the community has not really been made aware of the value of education and this attitude has been passed on to the children that they reared. Aside from a few minority who labored to send their children to college, many lack the motivation to assist their children in their schooling. The greater majority send their children to school just so they can receive the government's conditional cash transfer program that allocates a certain amount for every child (up to three children only) who is able to satisfy at least 85% attendance in the schools. It doesn't matter to them if their children actually do some "schooling" all they worry about are the certifications signed by the school that will be the basis for their cash transfer every quarter. Also, parents lack the knowledge and skills to be effective mentors to their children such that if they gain the interest to take an active role on the part of their children's education, I feel that they will also have a hard time becoming effective at doing such. It is because of this reality in this community that I realized how the library, although already a big help, lack the follow through needed to equip the community and improve their state of education. It is like a computer that has no operating system. For this reason, I would like to appeal for another form of help that will address this concern.
I am toying with the idea of a program for the parents and adults in the community that will make them aware of the value of education and also equip them to mentor their children. My problem now is a module that will do just that. I have been looking for someone who has a background on Child psychology and development (or some related field) that could develop a program that can be adopted by the community to change that attitude and pave the way for other members of the community to be players in the changing of way education is perceived in the community. Can anyone kindly link me to a person or group who can do just that? I would be very much willing to provide them all the information they can possibly need for this endeavor. Also, I am soliciting activities and or program of instructions that will help the teachers incorporate the library into their teaching methods once school begins by June.
The eventual goal in all this is to have a system in place that will really improve the community of Barangay Don Mariano Marcos. I am believing that this appeal will be passed on from computer to computer, people to people, until it reaches the correct person that can help. My e-mail is acabales@hotmail.com and I can be reached through 09177192179.
God Bless you everyone. Happy sunday
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