Klasrum for Kiamba: making education more accessible in Sitio Tulad
I asked my network if they knew of any worthwhile but under-the-radar charities I can feature in a future post. My sometime Ultimate frisbee mate said, “Hey, I know of one!” It turns out that the company of one of his film students, Eric Jim Ofredo, has this project called Klasrum for Kiamba that they hope to realize very soon.
Eric said that the project was conceived when their company Pixelbox Wedding Film decided to have a feeding program in celebration of their second year anniversary. The beneficiaries of the program were the kids of Green Valley in Sarangani Province, a place accessible only via an hour-long habal-habal ride from the highway. Eric learned about Sitio Tulad while talking to the school head of Green Valley. The kids of the sitio were described as kawawa (pitiful): “Pinaka-kawawa daw ang mga bata dun kasi daw naglalakad sila ng 3 oras para lang makapunta ng school.. Tuwing panahon ng tag-ulan, hindi sila nakakapag-aral dahil delikado. Nagkaka-landslide parati sa bukid. (The kids from Sitio Tulad have it the hardest. They have to hike 3 hours just to get to school. They usually don’t get to attend classes during the rainy season because landslides are a common occurrence in the fields.)”
His interest piqued, he began interviewing some of the kids in the area to learn more about Sitio Tulad. After relating their stories and discussing how they further help these kids, the company decided to create a documentary film to solicit funds to build a school. They also decided to name the project “Klasrum for Kiamba” since Kiamba’s the name of the LGU in the area. (Pretty much no one outside the region knows of Sitio Tulad’s existence.)
Filming in the area itself proved to be a real challenge for them: “‘Di namin na-expect na sobrang hirap talaga ng daan. ‘Di ko maisip paano nila kinakaya yung hirap ng pag-punta and pag-uwi araw-araw. Nakausap ko yung mga parents nila. Gusto talaga nila makatapos ang mga bata kaso mahirap daw kasi delikado ang daan. (The way to the sitio and back was very hard to trek. I can’t even begin to imagine how they’re able to go to school on a regular basis. Their parents mentioned their desire for their kids to finish their studies, but that they were worried about their kids’ safety.)”
My friend Dennis (Eric’s film instructor) willingly shared with me their breakdown of expenditures for a standard 7 meter x 9 meter DepEd classroom. The main plan is to create two such classrooms plus a small library, and to equip the kids with basic school supplies. The breakdown below is the meanest estimate for one classroom, including labor, though the data is not recent. Dennis echoes Eric’s sentiments and says that the way to Sitio Tulad is a very challenging hike, so it’s important to purchase all the building materials in one go to minimize transportation costs.
The blurb on their Facebook page says, “For most kids, going to school is automatic.. But what if it took you 3 hours, 4 big hills, 5 fields, 6 rivers, and a sea of grass just to get to your classroom? Would you brave landslides and floods just to learn, even if you can only make it once a week at times?” It’s incredible what some children have to hurdle just to have access to a fundamental right.
The target date for their first class is on December 23, 2016. If you want to help ensure that these kids have a classroom in Sitio Tulad before the year ends, do drop them a line on their Facebook page and ask how you can volunteer. Donations may also be given to the following accounts:
BPI
Account name: Eric Jim Ofredo
Account number: 2159 3121 89
BPI Savings
Account name: Dennis Abad
Account number: 2569 0484 89
PayPal
dennis.abad@gmail.com
Please send photos of your deposit slips to their page so they can acknowledge your donations properly.
