On April 30, 2010, Pusong Pinoy turned over 125 children's books to the Irisan Day Care Center & Primary School. Baguio-Benguet Team Leader ADI LAPPAO and Vice-Team Leader MAJOY TOYAON, together with Batangas Team Leader NINGNING DOBLE and Vice-Team Leader JING PUNZALAN were present for the turnover. (Update: Additional 175 children books were given to Irisan on July 2010. Books donated to date: 300)
PTA President Mrs. LETICIA LOSNONG and Head Teacher Mrs. MARIE SILLATOC gratefully received the books. They will be opening a book corner at the school and will have the books available for the kids this coming school year. During DEAR time (Drop Everything And Read) as mandated by the Department of Education, the kids will enjoy the books through free reading, storytelling, guided reading, and story reading activities.
Thanks to all the Pusong Pinoy heroes for the book donations! For other heroes who still want to donate, our book drive is ongoing. We are collecting gently used children's storybooks, picture books, and chapter books for preschool to 4th grade level. If interested, please send us an email or contact the Team Leader in your area.
SCHOOL PROFILE: The school is located in the center of the Irisan Dumpsite, the repository of Baguio City's waste. Although the dumpsite had been closed since the latter part of 2008, there are still piles of trash in sacks and its stench sticks to the skin. Children and adults alike toil in the site to pick up garbage, which is the source of income for the residents of this area. The day care center caters to 20 children while the primary school caters to approximately 60 Grade I and II students. There are two small classrooms in the building, but no comfort room/restroom is available for the kids. One classroom is for the day care center and the other will be shared by both Grade I and II students. This is a typical classroom scenario in the Philippines public school structure called the multi-grade system. In this system, a makeshift division is placed in the middle of the classroom (e.g. curtain or plywood) as a teacher skillfully juggles lessons from one side of the classroom to another. Hearing the lessons taught on the other side is inevitable and teacher exhaustion is often a consequence.
