PUSONG PINOY DONATED P20,000 TO "THE STORYTELLING PROJECT"

PP'S CFO SUSAN CHUA HANDING A P20,000 CHECK TO REY BUFI, FOUNDER OF TSP

 

PHOTO CREDITS:  THE STORY TELLING PROJECT

Pusong Pinoy is a supporter of "The Storytelling Project" founded by Rey Bufi.   The vision of "The Storytelling Project" is in line with Pusong Pinoy which is to provide storybooks to every Filipino child, build libraries in every Filipino community and raise a nation of learners.  It envisions a community that embraces a culture of reading where children find storytelling as enjoyable as playing and its library regarded as a haven for fun, enjoyment and learning, a place where ideas come to life and imagination guides the hearts of every child it holds.   

In 2012, Pusong Pinoy was honored to have Mr. Bufi as a guest speaker at the first Pusong Pinoy Summit, "Chikahan sa Manila". 

To date, Pusong Pinoy had donated over 1,500 storybooks, slippers, children clothes, school supplies and other items in support of TSP's work at Pactil Elementary School in the Mountain Province, Pinalpal School in Pangasinan and Suit Elementary School in Dagupan.  In July 2013, Pusong Pinoy supported TSP's fundraising event, "Run for Reading", with a donation of P20,000.   

It is great to see the children enjoying "The Storytelling Project".  It helped them to read and use their creative imagination - satisfying their curiosity for stories and knowledge, while building their confidence to express themselves in speaking, writing and art.

Click HERE to read other PP projects with The Story Telling Project.  Please support the vital work of PP and TSP by donating books.  For more information, please email us at pusongpinoyorg@gmail.com.

A LIBRARY FOR PUSONG PINOY RECIPIENT, PACTIL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BY PP TEAM LEADER NINGNING C. DOBLE

PHOTOS BY MANNY VAZQUEZ

On April 14, 2012, Pusong Pinoy volunteers traveled 3-1/2 hours from Baguio to the high mountains of Monamom Sur, Bauko, Mt. Province to visit the Pactil Elementary School.  Its library had few books and most of them are obsolete and not suitable for young readers. The library was in a deplorable condition – dark and dismal. There was no librarian and library system in place. No wonder it is not a favorite place to be for the children.

A few months ago, Pusong Pinoy donated 1,000 story books to Pactil Elementary School to help the principal, teachers and parents jumpstart a reading program to improve the reading proficiency of the children.  Initially, the program was simply composed of free reading activities where the pupils come to the library and read whatever they like.  Book lending was also done by simply listing down the student's names and book titles on a logbook because the books were not labeled, accessioned and logged in an inventory to allow proper book-lending.

With the help of San Beda alumni, Manny Vazquez, Chris Linag and storyteller, Rey Bufi, a reading program was set up. The Storytelling Project, implemented by Mr. Bufi, is a 24-day summer program that intensively focuses on fun learning activities focused on storytelling and reading. The recipients of the program are the identified non-readers and frustration readers. To enhance this program, Pusong Pinoy volunteers (Manny Vazquez, Dr. Cathy Pangilinan, Rey Bufi, Ningning Doble, Majoy Lumiwes and Lino Lumiwes) traveled to Pactil to organize the small library. The library is situated near the basketball court where all the kids in the community come to play during summer vacation.  It was the perfect time to open the library.

Organizing even a small library can be an overwhelming and daunting task. A library system that is simple enough and can work even without a librarian had to be designed. The volunteers began by taking all the books off the shelves and weeding out the obsolete, dilapidated and unsuitable books.  The remaining books were categorized between fiction and non-fiction. Further categorization was done for the reference books according to subject and the fiction books according to reading levels. The books were then returned and strategically placed on shelves, so that young readers have access to the books that they like. Proper labels were put on shelves then color-coded stickers were placed on all the book spines. 

With so many volunteer hands working together in an “assembly line”, the task was finished in one day. The Pactil Library is now open for the kids to enjoy! With simple adult supervision, the children can now visit the library, read the books they want, and return it to their designated location.  Thanks to all the volunteers for making this possible and to all the heroes for the book donations!  Pactil now has a working library!

Click HERE to read more about Pusong Pinoy's book donations at Pactil Elementary School.

PUSONG PINOY'S BOOK DONATION AT PACTIL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

On February 25, 2012, Pusong Pinoy Team Leaders Ningning C. Doble and Adi Lappao traveled to Pactil Elementary School located in a remote area in Barangay Monamon Sur, Bauko, Mountain Province, one of the highest points in the Cordilleras. 

Manny Vazquez, a Manila-based volunteer, who has a strong passion for literacy for underprivileged children, joined our team in this trip.  He was the one who brought to Pusong Pinoy's attention the need for reading materials at Pactil Elementary School.  These kids have little access to quality library and reference materials to improve their education.  The school has one classroom for each level from Preschool to Grade 6 and a temporary library with books and reference materials that are already obsolete. 

Having visited Pactil previously, Manny and his friends, Rey Bufi and Chris Linag, have committed in putting together a reading program at Pactil.  To help them with their program, Pusong Pinoy donated 1,000 story books to jumpstart their reading program.  We also donated  4 boxes of children's clothes, 60 notebooks, 120 personalized bracelets, and 2 boxes of cotton buds.

The event began with singing, dancing, and storytelling by two dedicated volunteers, Rey Bufi and Mary Grace Soriano.  The children's faces lit up as they listened to the animated story entitled "Bruhaha, Bruhihi", a story teaching kids not to quickly judge a person by his/her appearance. They listened in awe as Rey skillfully changed his voice from one character to another. The storytelling was a great pre-reading to prepare the children for the actual reading activity which they did after the book turnover.

The following day, the Pusong Pinoy team and volunteers attended the local mass with the community members.  They took the opportunity to tell them about Pusong Pinoy.  They also emphasized the importance of being involved in the reading program and education of their children so that someday, these children can grow up to be successful and happy individuals.

Mr. Vazquez stated, "Pactil, being close to our hearts, we commit to do our very best to make this endeavor a successful one. We are determined to make a difference to the lives of the Pactil kids, of course, through the generosity and assistance of Pusong Pinoy."

Pusong Pinoy salutes Manny, Rey, Chris, and Mary Grace for their work and dedication to the kids of Pactil.  Thanks to all the Pusong Pinoy HEROES for making this possible!

If you would like information on book donations or on how you can help, please email us at pusongpinoyorg@gmail.com.