The GFF HELPS Philippines Team had successfully lent a total of eighty (80) children’s books and eighty (80) drawing materials to the equal number of children from the five (5) schools in the school villages in the District of Banga, namely, Agbanawan, Tabayon and Lapnag Primary Schools and Polocate and Sigcay Elementary Schools in Banga, Aklan, Philippines. It has been more than a year since the pandemic and schools are still not open for face-to-face classes, therefore, the books were collected by their parents during their retrieval of modules in each respective school. It was agreed that their children will borrow the books and could lend it to their younger siblings, do their activities together, ie., drawing, coloring , peer reading while their books are under their care until the opening of classes returns in August or September to which they will return the books to their teachers.
It was some time in June when we started communicating with the school leaders and presented our Mobile Library Project with them. We received positive feedback from the five schools and they really showed interest in partnering with the project amidst the pandemic. We then started sorting the books – per level and per genre – according to the needed number based on the beneficiaries per school. We then bought drawing materials in the nearest school supplies in the town of Kalibo and started packing until we reached the date of the schedule for distribution which was on July 5th and 6th, 2021.
The schedule of distribution came and we went to these five schools located in the far places in Banga, these were schools located in the villages and we were happy for the warm welcome of the school leaders, teachers and the parents who were present waiting for their children’s books and drawing materials. The teachers also submitted the list of beneficiaries per school as a formal form for both the GFF and their school.
The teacher and the parents have been sending photos of their children reading the books and doing their activities. According to Sir Kynan, the school leader of Polocate Elementary School,“It was a good thing that our GFF Mobile Library is back to bring back the children’s love for reading especially this pandemic wherein phones and TV are the only things that the children take time with.”