Marawi kids to benefit from donation of storybooks

MANILA, Philippines — ‘Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa’ aims to donate 10M storybooks a year to public schools.

Pupils affected by the five-month war in Marawi City will benefit from the book donation drive organized by a civil society group which is aiming to donate 10 million story books to 10,000 schools across the country every year.

Former education secretary Armin Luistro, BDO ­Foundation president Mario Deriquito, and philanthropist and civil society leader Vicky Garchitorena have partnered with non-governmental organizations, corporations, business groups, and civil society groups to launch a storybook drive for public school students.

The campaign is led by a steering committee composed of the following individuals and organizations: Quezon City 3rd District Rep. Jorge Banal, the author of the Araw ng Pagbasa Act; Adarna Publishing; Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines; League of Corporate Foundations; BDO Foundation; Benedicta Du-Baladad Law, Makati Business Club; Association of Foundations; Ayala Foundation Inc.; De La Salle Philippines; Philippine Business for Social Progress; and the Management Association of the Philippines.

The “Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa” book donation project launched last week at Aurora A. Quezon Elementary School in San Andres Street, Manila is still collecting donations for storybooks to be given to schoolchildren in Marawi City.

With the launch, Marawi City children will be among the first beneficiaries of storybooks, co-convenor Vicky Garchitorena said.

“One of the major thrusts is to give  storybooks to these children to give them happiness and hope that out of the destruction of the city can come new life, new hope, a brighter future for tomorrow,” she said in her speech.

Aside from the book donation, Garchitorena noted that the project will also implement programs that will involve story-telling activities.

She noted that it could get inspiration from the counseling project Project HATS (Healing After Trauma Services) of Manila’s division of city schools, wherein counseling services would employ reading and art activities.

Meanwhile, Luistro  emphasized that the book donation campaign targets that “one student will read one Filipino story per year.”

“And iyon ang gusto namin, na at the end of the day hindi naman magbasa sila para lang tumalino, pampataba rin ng puso... Pagmimina rin ng kung ano ang merong pag-asa kahit sa pinakamadilim na kasaysayan ng buhay nila o ng bayan, there’s always hope that you will find in every story,” Luistro said.

During the “Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa” campaign launch, representatives of six local publishing houses taking part in the project gave so-called “book bundles,” composed of up to 40 books, to pupils of Aurora A. Quezon Elementary School, ranging from kinder to Grade 4.

Interested individuals or groups may donate their storybooks by either: donating their own story books; donating cash to the campaign; or purchasing the book bundles prepared by the partner publishing houses for P3,000.