By Maritoni L. Saberon | Project Officer
Three day care centers are currently being built in strategic areas in Tacloban, Philippines which were severely ravaged by super typhoon Haiyan (national name: Yolanda) in 2013, namely, Barangay Cabuynan, Tanauan, Barangay Poblacion, Tolosa, and Barangay Danao, MacArthur. The said day care centers will accommodate a total of 195 three to six-year old children who are having their classes in makeshift rooms or tents until the completion of the projects on June 30 this year.
Engr. Mario C. Julaton, 55, the project contractor said that there are 10 personnel who came with him from Davao City and the work is simultaneously being done right on target with the help of people from the communities mainly the fathers of the children. He further disclosed that they “are using metals and concrete cement for sturdy structures and at the same time the standards of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for a child-friendly building have been considered. Hence, each center has separate wash rooms for boys and girls and a lavatory that is easily reachable for small children.
Meanwhile, Ibanez Virginia Simborio, 55, a 10-year day care worker in Barangay Poblacion, Tolosa has expressed her gratefulness for the construction of the new facility in their area adding that it will solve the problem of theft in their temporary space leading to the loss of instructional materials that further affects the quality of instruction. “ Pag mahuman na ni, safe and secure na ang among mga gamit. Pati na ang mga bata maka-concentrate na sila kay aduna namay door kumpara sa among ginagamit karon na open kayo (Once the building is completed, our things will be safe and secured. The children, too, will be able to concentrate on the lessons with the presence of a door that can be closed during sessions unlike the place where we are teaching them now, children are easily distracted by what they see outside while classes are going on.) Simborio added that this is what motivated the parents to collaborate with Children’s Joy Foundation, Inc. (CJFI) and to help in the construction. Classes which started on June 8, 2015 will continue in the day care centers after their formal turnover to the barangays on the first week of July.
In 2014, the CJFI and Global Giving partnership already established three day care centers in different locations in Tacloban. A day care center is required of every barangay (village) as stated in the Republic Act 6972 or the Barangay Level Total Protection of the Children Act that aims to deliver quality early childhood care and development programs to Filipino children. We are thankful to all our Global Giving partners and donors for making these projects possible with your prayers and financial support. More preschools will be established in the following years so all donations to this great cause will help more children to have an access to education. More power to all of you!
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