A group of 30 friends led by PUSONG PINOY BAGUIO-BENGUET Team Leaders Adi Lappao and Bede "Byd" Bawayan Jr. paid a visit to the Kabuyao Elementary School on September 18, 2009. Trekking the mountain and rocky roads, the team traveled for miles to bring snacks and school supplies to 152 students of the school. What was supposed to be a routine sight-seeing venture became a short outreach programs as the volunteers decided to collect what little they had in order to reach out to the students.
The volunteers were warmly received by the school. To welcome them and show their appreciation, the school's local dance troupe showcased some ethnic dances during the turnover ceremony. The students were all smiles as they interacted with volunteers and when they received the gifts brought by the team. The school got a taste of what's to come this December 2009 as a gift-giving program is being launched by PUSONG PINOY at this same venue. This will be the pilot project of Pusong Pinoy Baguio-Benguet team and thus marks the expansion of the group into the Cordilleras.
School Profile:
Kabuyao Elementary School is located atop Mt. Kabuyao, Santo Tomas, Poblacion, Tuba, Benguet. Located approximately 13 kilometers from the central business district of Baguio City, the locale has only one public utility vehicle serving the community, with its rough and rocky roads are prone to landslides during the rainy season. It is approximately 7,000 meters above sea level and has an area of more or less 7,000 square meters. Because of its high altitude, the locale is considered an area of rain with temperatures going as low as 3 to 16 degrees Celsius. During the summer, accessibility to water becomes a problem with the school's spring becoming the water source for the entire community. The school has enough rooms to accommodate one classroom for each grade levels 1 to 6 with full-time teachers mostly coming from the Tuba area. Parents and members of the community regularly pitch-in and help out as the need arises (e.g.: cooking snacks, accommodating visitors, etc). Although some students live closed to the school area, others have to walk a mile or two just to attend school. The school has a mini library with very limited resources and instructional materials. Some are obsolete books and cannot be used as a reference material. A satellite plate with a matching television set was once donated by the Knowledge Channel, but the satellite plate has stopped working and stands idly in the school yard. The school has one computer used for the documents and file-keeping of the teaching staff, but it does not have any printer.
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