A fair chance at the future

published 13 April 2009, MST

Books for the Barrios is not just about giving away used books to poor communities.

In Concord, California, elementary school students bring books and other educational materials to a warehouse. They sort these items and pack them into boxes. They are told these boxes would find their way into barrios—far-flung villages in the Philippines where these will be worth more than gold to children their age. These American boys and girls are thrilled that they are able to “think globally” while “acting locally.”

Books for the Barrios began in 1982. It was the idea of Dan and Nancy Harrington whose careers—she as a traveling teacher, he as a US fighter pilot —brought them to the Philippines and exposed them to the living conditions of families in remote villages. In their interactions with these families, one thing stood out despite the dire circumstances: parents’ hope that their children would have a better life if they were only able to go to school and finish their studies.

But the educational system in the country could barely cope with the number of students that had to be given formal schooling. Something had to be done to supplement this; the Harringtons believed that they could help out by exposing children to books not otherwise accessible to them. They wanted these kids to develop a love for reading. Reading takes you places, they knew. It broadened your vision and enabled you to realize the world was not limited to the trees and dirt roads you saw every day.

The couple has gone a long way after almost three decades, and after they have retired and settled back into the US. They used to hold the books in the family garage; now they have a warehouse. The donations also now take the form of educational supplies, toys and even computers. Monetary help from companies and individuals sustain the once-every-six weeks shipment. Books for the Barrios has reached many places in the Philippines. It has even, on occasion, sent books to Bhutan, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Still, the focus remains to be the Philippines. In 2004, Books for the Barrios was institutionalized by the country’s Education Department. As a partner of the education agency, it is authorized to conduct teacher training programs for best classroom practices.

Ephraim Toche, vice president of the organization and the one who is in charge of the Manila office, says they basically coach the teachers/ librarians to make kids realize that learning is fun. Of course, the real purpose is to improve comprehension and articulation. When one is adept in English reading skills, there is a spillover into other subjects. Concepts in science, social studies and math are absorbed more easily. When the students are able to comprehend their lessons well, they become more articulate and confident. They are eager to learn yet newer things. They become aware of opportunities. It’s a chain.

After seven years on the job, Ephraim is just as enthusiastic as when he first started. That day, he walks over to his computer in Books for the Barrios’ cramped office in Mandaluyong City and shows me pictures of libraries they have built all over the country. He can easily say where the libraries are even as they looked the same to me: rainbow-colored walls and shelves, small tables and chairs, children grinning for the cameras.

But a particular set of pictures catches my attention. Men in camouflage suits huddled together as Ephraim conducts a workshop. Soldiers reading books to children on their laps. An air shot of rugged island, with a mosque at the center. Beautiful. From the picture, one would think there’s peace and abundance on this part of the earth.

That’s actually Sulu, Ephraim volunteers. There are two Model Schools of Excellence (more on this later) in Jolo and another one in Indanan. Every Friday, the soldiers spend 45 minutes in the library reading to children. The kids are mostly Muslims, he adds. It is not impossible that some of the kids attending the model schools are children of the Abu Sayyaf.

But it doesn’t matter. Ephraim concedes we cannot do anything anymore about the present crop of bandits. “What we don’t want to do is to raise another generation of terrorists. And this is where education should come in.”

Actually, not all libraries are built in remote places like the Sulu jungles. Perhaps one of the most showcased libraries built by Books for the Barrios can be found at the heart of Quezon City, in Esteban Abada Elementary School in Veterans Village, Project 8.

The principal, Mrs. Liwanag Gloria, says that a weekly visit to the library is part of the students’ schedule. They can choose any book from among the thousands available in the library. There are storytelling activities and other means to encourage reading among the kids. They can even take these books home, if they want, subject to borrowing rules.

The school used to have the poorest National Academic Achievement Test scores among around 130 schools in the city. This poor performance was the criteria for the school’s being chosen as the Model School for Excellence in 2001. With the assistance of a corporate sponsor and the DepEd, Books for the Barrios expanded the library. Now, Abada Elementary tops the test and reaps awards in various inter-school academic competitions. Of course, a combination of factors aside from the beefed-up library may have been responsible for this feat.

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Over Skype, Nancy Harringon tells me she does not mind being called “makulit.” It’s how you get things done, she says. After so many years in operation, Nancy’s group still has to convince people, used to an environment of corruption and payback, that she and her husband are in it for the long haul and expect nothing in return. “The knowledge that we are giving a little bit of hope to hundreds of thousands of kids is enough,” she adds.

Has the recession in the US affected the flow of donations? Not in terms of the educational materials, Nancy says. “There’s support from the heart; there’s inexhaustible supply.” That’s good to hear, I say, but there’s another problem. What Books for the Barrios needs is assistance in terms of shipping the books from California to various places in the Philippines.

“We are actually desperate for this kind of assistance,” Ephraim says. The organization has tapped local governments, politicians, individuals and companies (as part of their corporate social responsibility) both in terms of shipping the books and installing new libraries. Books for the Barrios’ appeal nowadays: “Build a library, leave a legacy.”

It’s the right kind of legacy, he adds. After all these years, Ephraim has become aware of the conflicts and realities faced by those with the noblest of intentions. He says that ultimately, money should be channeled to projects with tangible results for nation building, not short-term concerns like pogi points or the number of votes or goodwill a library can deliver. “If you spend on education, on empowering the next generation, you can never go wrong.”

It’s Easter. If you’ve spent the past week with a resolution to do something that really matters, this could be your chance. For details, you may visit www.booksforthebarrios.com or send an inquiry through libroparasabarrio@yahoo.com.ph. The Manila office may be reached at 638-5132.

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Unsung Women Heroes Awards. Fourteen ordinary women from the grassroots and disadvantaged sectors who gave their service to uplift the lives and well-being of other women and girls in their communities are honored yearly through the “Unsung Women’s Heroes Awards” initiated by the Soroptimist International of the Philippines Region.

Those who will be selected are women from the communities who, in their personal capacities, worked on the improvement of the living condition of indigenous groups, poverty alleviation, protection and education of children and women and in advancing women’s political participation in their communities.

Unlike its international counterpart which targets the already empowered women, this local counterpart will focus on women from the barangay level who are less privileged but struggled anyway to help the community. Those nominated must not be affiliated with formal funding organizations or foundations.

The first batch of honorees will be presented during the formal launching of the awards on April 16, Thursday, at the Abelardo Hall, University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.