but a lot of people as well take that gift for granted.
Hello fellow amazing Steemians! Today, I am sharing an experience different from my travel posts. So here it goes...
After a month of moving back to Cebu last January, I was still not in the mood to find a new job. My plan was just to take a break and rest for a while until my sister invited me to lend a hand with the work she was doing. It was a volunteer work for the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI). They were conducting a survey to all the public schools in Cebu Province to assess the needs of all the schools for instructional facilities that are conducive for learning. The result of the survey will help RAFI in making a program for assisting the schools in their need. This project was spearheaded by Sir Troy Elizaga, a professor of the University of San Carlos. I didn’t hesitate in helping out knowing that my assistance could make a difference in the lives of the teachers and students. To know that I have a purpose was fulfilling enough.
I was assigned to the municipality of Argao here in Cebu with a total of 55 public schools. And I was going to visit each one of them. Quite a lot, right? And I had no one else but myself to do the job since there was a lack of volunteers that time. The job description was to visit the school, have the principal fill up a paper, check the buildings one by one, assess the damages of the infrastructures and take some photos. The job was not easy as it looks! I didn’t know yet what challenges I will have to face but I said to myself that I better do this than just wasting my time doing nothing. We were given an allowance for the food, transportation and lodging. But to be honest the budget for this excursion was little so I have to make a way to lessen my expenses. Good thing I have a friend who lives there. So I sent her a message right away asking if she could adopt me for a while. She said yes! So when I got my allowance and all the papers that were needed, I then packed my bag and set out to a new adventure.
It was a two hour trip going to Argao. I arrived at my friend’s house around 2:00 p.m. Then I went out to find a “habal-habal” for my mode of transportation. I thought I would be able to negotiate a cheap price but the driver told me that most of the schools we were going were located in some remote areas up in the mountains. After we were able to settle for a price, I headed back to my friend’s house and slept early knowing it was going to be a very tiring day ahead of me.
The days that followed then were just the start of what was going to become an eye opener experience for me. For someone to have studied in a private institution, I never knew what it was like to be in a public school. And so going to all those 55 public schools was tough, challenging and overwhelming for me. I have written down the challenges I have faced and the realities I have discovered during my short volunteer work.
CHALLENGES THAT I ENCOUNTERED:
1.Most of the roads were not concreted so the ride was not smooth at all.
2.Some schools were located in the most remote areas of the mountains which was time consuming because it could take me an hour or two just getting there. There was one particular school that was on the top of the mountain and the motorbike couldn’t go up anymore so I had to hike on foot just to get there.
3.There was no signal up in the mountains which was risky because if anything happens to me, I wouldn’t be able to contact my family right away.
4.It was summer time so I was exposed to the scorching heat of the sun all the time.
5.Some schools didn’t have the important documents that I needed.
CONDITIONS OF BUILDINGS FOR MOST SCHOOLS
1.Most of the school buildings were constructed in the 1930’s. Most of them especially the Marcos-type buildings are dilapidated and are still used due to lack of classrooms which for me is unsafe for the students.
2.Decomposition of wood structures due to termites or weather conditions.
3.Leakage due to damage ceilings.
4.Rough floors that cause students to trip or fall.
5.Lack of facilities especially sports facilities.
6.Comfort rooms were not in good conditions.
7.Lack of classrooms. There would be times 2 grade levels would be sharing 1 classroom.
8.No water supply for some schools.
9.Stages that are damaged. One particular school doesn’t have a school stage for their graduation ceremony.
10.Some classes were already held at the gym and stage due to an ongoing reparation of an old building.
Those are just some of the observations I have noted for the schools that were less privileged. Although some of the schools were already given new buildings from the government but most of them still need further assistance. Most of the teachers told me what they needed the most is assistance for the repairs or new classrooms. And I could see these teachers just want the best for their students. Sometimes, they would already take out money from their own wallet just to buy things needed for the repairs. Asking assistance from the government is also a different story. But despite all of these obstacles, the children still continue to go to school. That is why these kids are truly amazing.
I was able to finish my work in a month's time. And I submitted my report to our project head hoping that I was able to help in some way provide a better future for the children. I didn’t gave it much thought back then but reminiscing about it now, I can say it was a humbling experience I enjoyed. It was tiring, I wouldn’t lie about that but it was rewarding at the same time. This experienced made me realized that I was blessed to have a very good education in a private institution thanks to my wonderful parents. And hopefully through this blog I could reach a lot people who would like to extend their generosity or help out with the needs of the students may it be in small ways.
Anyways, thank you so much for taking the time to read and let me know your thoughts about this one in the comments section below.
Stay tune, Steem on and always remember...