Notebooks and pencils

Moroni, that great man who lived in the Americas a long time ago, was right when he said:

“Little children are alive in Christ.”

Little children have special corners in my heart, perhaps because my childhood, although blessed with a loving mother and sisters who rolled with life’s punches with me, had many traumatic moments.

That is why whenever I look at the earnest face of a child, whether the ones that I encounter by chance on the street or my children, I marvel at how alive Christ must be in them. I know this to be true from the depths of my heart!

So when I was invited to go to a school in Tondo, Manila, to personally observe children in Magat Salamat school, I came home strangely joyful and tearful at the same time.

Magat Salamat is a huge public school in the heart of Tondo, an impoverished town within Metro Manila known for communities that live off huge mountains of garbage. But in Magat, I saw earnest faces that shone with the spirit of Christ, trying to work their way through life’s journey in little bodies and limited capabilities that are so easily taken for granted.

That morning, more than 1,000 children in Grade One literally beamed with excitement to hear visitors from Citibank Philippines read stories to them. Through a grant from the bank and a well-crafted program on reading from the Synergeia Foundation, the children were given a better chance to sustain their education beyond Grade One.

Volunteers from Museo Pambata came to read stories, do arts and crafts and give children a chance to borrow and read some books from a moving van-cum-library. I was so eager to see the children’s reactions to the books that I squeezed myself inside the van and took photos and videos of the children.

It was chaos inside! Ten children every 5 minutes get to come inside and choose the books they want to borrow. So many beautiful, colorful pages for so little time! They were so excited that it was difficult for most of them to choose. They wanted to get the best one, not knowing when the library will come again.

I tried to interview several children on how they felt about the chance to borrow some books. In my world, people normally drop the things they are doing when asked by a journalist for an interview. Not for one little kid! I smiled inside as she tried to elbow me aside, irritated that I would take too much of her precious time.

Those faces swam in my consciousness the whole day. What is the cost of one colorful book and what is the cost of the enlightenment of one child? What would it take for one Filipino family to set aside money once a month to buy a book for a child who needs it?

My mind reels with how many more children in the Philippines have less than the children of Magat Salamat. Milwida Guevara, president of Synergeia Foundation, told me in an interview that thousands of Filipino children walk many kilometers barefoot to come to schools that either have no walls, no roofs, no chairs and attend classes on empty stomachs. What more notebooks, pencils and books?

I have been so selfish and so thoughtless, thinking that I am doing all I can. How can I complain about my life when there are so many more who are suffering? One notebook and one pencil…to make sure the light that is in them will continue to burn…with hope for the future and with confidence in God’s love for them.

I don’t have to be Darna to give a notebook and a pencil (smile). I think I can do that much and a little bit more. So, I am officially starting a notebook drive for the children of the Philippines — not just in Magat Salamat. With the help of Synergeia Foundation, I am hoping Filipinos will find it in their hearts to give out notebooks to the children of ARMM, Sarangani and other children all over the country. I will begin with a target of 1,000 notebooks and pencils from my own savings, not to boast but hopefully to inspire.

If you are interested in joining, please let me know by emailing me at lightdream (at) gmail (dot) com. I will personally make sure all notebooks and pencils get to the intended children and post photos whenever I can to show you how those little faces are lighted up with the love that you give to them. You will get receipts and reports from Synergeia and love from the children.

Hope to hear from you soon.

(Photos of children posted with permission. Clipart courtesy of Lisa at www.countryclipart.com. She has GREAT graphics!)