Help children with special needs access education

Dear Friends,

Imagine the joy of hearing a child begin to make sounds after struggling to communicate for so long.

At Kids Club, these are the moments we celebrate. Not because they happen quickly or easily, but because we know how much patience, encouragement and practice are behind every little achievement.

Today, we're continuing to support nine children with special needs through our education program in Burgos, Siargao. Each child has different abilities, challenges and ways of learning, and our goal remains the same: to give them a safe place where they feel included, supported and encouraged to grow.

Gabriel Is Finding His Voice

One of our students, whom we'll call Gabriel, has experienced significant speech and communication difficulties.

For a long time, he had limited interaction with other children and struggled to express himself verbally.

But through regular participation in classroom activities, sensory play and hands-on learning, we've seen wonderful changes.

Gabriel is now much more active in class. His motor skills are developing, and he's becoming increasingly comfortable interacting with other children.

Perhaps the most beautiful part is how his classmates have embraced him. They talk to him, include him in their games and encourage him to participate.

And recently, Gabriel has started vocalising new sounds!

He isn't speaking in full words yet, but hearing him experiment with sounds and seeing his growing willingness to communicate means so much to our team.

Discovering New Talents

Another student, Joshua, who has autism, used to be very shy and found verbal communication difficult.

Over time, something lovely has happened. He's discovered how much he enjoys singing and dancing!

Music has become a way for him to express himself and practice pronouncing words. He's also becoming more confident participating in classroom activities, including counting and addition.

Then there's Miguel, who has always shown strengths in writing and mathematics but has struggled with certain words and numbers.

Through patient practice, breaking words into syllables, he's now learning to pronounce numbers from twelve to twenty more clearly.

These achievements may seem small to someone looking from the outside. But for the children, their families and our teachers, they're enormous.

Learning Together, Growing Together

One of the things we're most proud of is how naturally inclusion is becoming part of everyday life at Kids Club.

Our teachers continue adapting activities to suit different learning needs, using visual aids, repetition, hands-on materials, play and individual support.

Children learn at different speeds, and that's perfectly okay.

We also see how important it is for children with special needs to spend time alongside other children. Friendships, shared games and everyday interactions create opportunities to develop confidence and communication skills that go far beyond traditional lessons.

Our Kids Club Manager, Beng, continues to guide the children with patience and care, supported by our team and volunteers.

We're also grateful for the help of Marnie, who has a teaching background and has been assisting when available.

A More Comfortable Place to Learn

We've made an important improvement to the Kids Club facilities this quarter.

After struggling without adequate water and toilet facilities during July and August, we completed a water tank and comfort room in September.

Having reliable water and a proper toilet makes a real difference, particularly for children who need additional assistance with their daily routines.

We've also received new teaching materials and improved our learning environment, giving our teachers more ways to adapt lessons to individual needs.

Our Biggest Wish: More Individual Support

While we're happy with the progress we're seeing, we know how much more we could do with additional help.

Supporting nine children with different learning and developmental needs requires time, consistency and individual attention.

An additional teacher or teaching assistant would allow us to offer more one-on-one learning and give each child the support they deserve.

We also continue to work toward installing solar electricity at Kids Club. Lighting, fans and access to educational equipment would help us create a more comfortable and flexible learning environment.

Thank You for Believing in Every Child

Sometimes progress is learning to pronounce a number.

Sometimes it's joining a game with other children.

And sometimes it's simply finding the confidence to make a new sound.

These moments remind us why we started this program and why we continue showing up for our students every week.

To everyone supporting our special needs education program through GlobalGiving, thank you for giving these children the time, patience and opportunities they need to grow.

Every child deserves to feel that they belong, and together we're helping make that possible.

With gratitude,

Sanne Sevig
Founder, Nature Kids of Siargao

The children's names have been changed to protect their privacy.