Help 500 Filipino Children be Literate in Computer

         Gender equality among some aboriginal Filipinos is unpopular. Girls like Ailyn, 18, grew up believing that women could not pursue a career and should only take care of their husbands at home.

         Seeing that her own family struggles to live, she prays to be given the opportunity to complete her studies. She believes that education will give her the chance to put an end to poverty once she will finish school and have a decent job. Her outlook in life is a far cry from the conventional wisdom shared by her tribesmen in their village.

         Her father, Rene, earns a meager amount of $33 a month as a farmer which is not enough for a big family with nine children. Sometimes they eat only twice a day because there is not enough rice.

        This financial difficulty also extends in school. They cannot afford to buy their basic requirements such as notebooks and pens. “Usahay para makapalit lang ko sa akong kinahanglan sa school naga tabang ko ug limpisa sa akong Mama. Sa usa kaadlaw kay maka income pud ko ug 50 pesos pero kulang pa gihapon. (Sometimes, I help my mother cut grasses and earn less than two dollars a day so that I can buy my school needs but it is still not enough.)

         Taking her studies seriously, she shared that her academic difficulties include the lack of reading materials in their library. “Pobre pud ang eskwelahan dadtu-a. Ang mga libro kay gamay ra kaayo na dili pa-igo sa mga estudyante kay daghan man pud estudyante didtua. Wala pud computers sa among eskwelahan. Wala gyud ko kagunit ug computer sukad. (Our school is poor. The available books are not enough because there are so many students who are enrolled there. It does not have computers, too. I haven’t used a computer ever since.)”

        Ailyn was delighted to have joined the free computer literacy program in their village. “Nalipay jud ko na karon naa nay nagatudlo diri sa among barangay ug libre sa computer kay waay gastos. Karon kabalo nako unsaon pag-encode ug pag-save ug files. Nakat-unan pud nako kung unsa ang mga parte sa computer. Sa mga sunod na session, makabalo na gyud ko ug gamit sa computer labi na sa sunod sa school year. (I am really very happy that now there is someone who teaches us free computer lessons here in our village. I have learned how to encode information and save files. I also learned the different parts of the computer. I will be able to master it with the remaining sessions hopefully by next school year.”

       She thanks all of you, GlobalGivers, for your support to this program. “Dugay na namo ning panganduy na tana kaming mga lumad hatagaan pud ug chance na makakat-on bahin sa computer, kay tong saunang panahon matud pa sa akong mga ginikinan kung usa ka babae, igo lang jud ka muatiman sa imung bana. Karun pantay-pantay na. Salamat kayo. (We have waited for this project for so long that we, Lumads, would also be given a chance. According to my parents, if you are a girl you just have to take care of your husband. Now, with this computer literacy program, we are equal. Thank you so much.)”

         Ailyn hopes that this rare opportunity will also reach her fellow Manobos. She believes that if girls can be educated and have jobs, they can help their families uplift their standard of living.

        Maternal death among poor families is much more than an emotional crisis but oftentimes it leads to social and economic breakdown.

        Vilmar, 14, whose mother died after giving birth to their youngest sibling, said that life has become much more difficult since his father’s income as a farmer is not enough to feed his seven children. Meals are a rare sight on the table at home. They have no water and electricity. They get water from a distant well and a kerosene lamp lights their makeshift house at night. Unable to provide for them, his father left. They then lived with their relatives,

        Poverty, however, does not stop him to aim high. “Gusto ko mahimong sundalo pag dako nako mao nang nagatarung nako ug eskwela karon. Sauna man gud dili kaayo nako ginatagaan ug importansya ang akong eskwela kay dili man pud ko makatarong ug huna-huna kay usahay walay sulod akong tiyan. Mao mag cutting classes mi sa akong mga klasmeyt kay mangita mi ug bayabas sa gawas sa eskwelahan para masudlan among tiyan. (I want to be a soldier when I grow up that is why I’m doing my best in school. Before, I used not to give importance to my studies because I could not think well due to hunger. My classmates and I would cut classes to look for guavas outside of the school premises just so we have something to eat.)”

        His perseverance to survive and to succeed roots out from the kindheartedness of other people who help them rise above all their daily struggles. The foundation did not only provide the community with a day care center and a supplemental feeding program but also a computer literacy program. “Nagpasalamat ko kay kaming duha sa akong manghud nahimong mga beneficiaries sa community-based support program sa Children’s Joy Foundation, Inc. or CJFI. Kada Sabado naa miy lessons sa computer. Daghan nako nahibal-an sukad sa pag attend nako sa ilang mga computer sessions. Sauna mahadlok ko mugunit ani pero karon dili na, kabalo na ko unsaon pag-operate niini. Kinahanglan jud na makabalo ko kung unsaon paggamit aning computer para pag-abot sa panahon kung magtrabaho nako, dili nako ma- ignorante. (I am thankful that my younger sibling and I have become beneficiaries of CJFI’s community-based support program. We have computer lessons every Saturday. I learned a lot since I started attending their free computer sessions. I was afraid to touch a computer before, but now I know how to operate it already. I need to learn it so that when I find a job someday, I will not be ignorant.

        “Sa klase, kung magreport mi, dali na lang ang pag-research kay gitudluan mi nila unsaon pag- gamit sa internet. Daghan jud diay ka makita sa internet. Mas gipadali akong mga projects likod sa kakulangon sa mga libro sa among library sa eskwelahan. (When we have reporting tasks, it is easier to research on the topic since we were taught how to use the internet. You can see many information about a topic online. I get to do my projects easily despite the lack of books in our school library.),” Vilmar proudly shared with a smile.

        Vilmar may have missed his mother but he shared that losing her early in his life has strengthened his resolve to study much harder. He wants to see all his siblings have a better future and you, GlobalGivers, are making it possible.

        Looking away, he emotionally said, “Thank you so much for helping me.”