Students in rural village receive school supplies and hygiene kit from World Vision
World Vision has recently distributed school supplies and hygiene kit to sponsored families living in a rural community.
The school materials include notebooks, writing pads, and pens among others. World Vision also provides a set of hygiene items to the families to remind and avoid COVID-19.
“The school materials that World Vision provides to the families will help parents spend their budget on food instead of buying their children’s school supplies,” Douglas Chua, World Vision Program Manager, said.
The Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) has announced the formal opening of classes in August. With COVID-19 still posing a threat to one’s health, students are given options to do physical (modular type) or virtual classes depending on the COVID-19 situation in the community.
Grade 2 student Princess, who receive the school materials, will be doing modular approach wherein students are given modules every week and submit their reflection or answers every Friday to their teachers through their parents or guardians. Children below 21 years are still not allowed to go out in many parts in the country.
But Princess does not fully understand what the new classroom setup would entail. “I explain to her how it will be done,” Julietta, 54, Princess’ grandmother, said. “But even I is still unsure.” Julietta laughed.
Julietta is left caring for Princess after her mother and other siblings were caught in a lockdown in another town. “They don’t have enough money to come home. They would need Php3,000 to go back here. Where would we get that? We don’t have a job for months now,” she said.
Julietta herself has no work either and merely rely on one of her children’s financial assistance and the savings she got from World Vision’s CoMSCA (Community-managed Savings and Credit Association), a community savings mechanism.
Buying school supplies would cost them nearly Php500, a big amount for the family with less resources. “These school supplies have saved us from spending more,” she said.
Princess was even excited for her new school items. “I can use these,” she said pointing to a pen and paper.
“She loves writing,” Julietta said, explaining that she would sometimes teach Princess how to write by copying texts from old, borrowed books from relatives.
Prior to giving of school supplies, World Vision staff and the local government oriented the parents on the danger and on how to avoid COVID-19.
“Better that we continuously remind them that COVID-19 is still a threat and that hygiene practices is our only means to avoid it,” Chua said.
Communities in the Philippines went through three months of quarantine period that restricted movement of people and opening of businesses. COVID-19 cases has already reached more than 27,000 in the Philippines and more than 8 million worldwide.
Both the countries Department of Health and Department of Education reiterate the importance of hygiene and social distancing, especially among children, to avoid COVID-19, which could lead to death if one’s immune system is unable to fight the virus.
With your help, we hope to give School Kits to thousands of children in our partner communities nationwide. You are not only giving basic learning materials, but you are encouraging these children to keep their dreams alive.
