More Students in SY ’14-‘15

VOHCS teachers and Kinabookasan field staff attend the 3rd CCT-VOHCS Annual Teachers' Training
this summer in Laguna.

Having taught over 700 underprivileged children from urban and rural poor communities across the country last school year, Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) is all geared up to increase the number of its students for school year 2014-2015. Sixty-seven VOHCS teachers, both old and new, attended a two-week teachers’ training on May 5-15, 2014 to enhance their teaching techniques and skills, set strategic goals for the upcoming school year, and reflect on God’s Word together. They came out of the training determined to seek out more children who deserve subsidized quality Christian preschool education from VOHCS. The training had the theme, “Raising Each Child to be a Light to the Nations.”

In March this year, 703 out of 763 VOHCS students passed the reading readiness test and graduated from preschool. Summer remedial classes are ongoing for those who were unable to graduate.

For school year 2014-2015 which opens in June, each VOHCS school aims to have a total of 60 students. Half of the students will attend morning classes and half will attend afternoon classes. Three new schools will be opened in Kidapawan City and Tagum City in Mindanao, and in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila – in addition to the 25 schools that VOHCS has at present.

A new curriculum called Child-Centered Education Transformational Curriculum will be piloted as well in four areas: VOHCS Rose of Sharon, VOHCS Irawan (Palawan), VOHCS Angeles (Pampanga), and VOHCS Oton (Iloilo). VOHCS follows the Basic Literacy Educational Support System (BLESS) in majority of its schools.

VOHCS is also prepared to minister to more parents through the formation of Bible study and discipleship groups in communities where the schools are located.

Yes to Gardening, ROS Kids Say

Can little ones develop a love for gardening? "Yes!" say the children at Visions of Hope Rose of Sharon House of Friendship (ROS) in Brgy. Puypuy, Bay, Laguna. The children not only learn the science of tending plants and animals in agriculture class. They also get to see and feel for themselves God's provision through His creation.

ROS kids dutifully tend their plots of vegetables.

Beginning in October 2013, 23 ROS children who are nine years old and above discovered the basics of vegetable seedling preparation, transplanting, and harvest in twice-a-week classes that combine lecture and hands-on organic gardening.

Biblical truths such as valuing the abundance, diversity, and interrelationships of all of God's creation and our stewardship mandate as human beings are integrated in the agriculture lessons. The class also teaches the children, former street-dwellers, about becoming self-sustainable.

Agriculture teacher Rey Sibi relates that the children were in awe when they saw the first buds of their pechay (Chinese cabbage) come out of the earth. Working in groups, they dutifully cared for plants in 20 plots, regularly watering and applying organic fertilizer to these. With organic gardening skills, they would know how to grow food in ways that are productive and friendly for the environment.

"When they got to eat their pechay after harvest time, they could not stop raving about literally tasting the fruit of their labor," Teacher Rey says.

The produce was sold to the canteens of ROS and CCT Magdalena, and to ROS neighbors and visitors. The children divided their earnings among themselves, and with the help of Teacher Rey, started a savings group. They plan to withdraw their money at the end of the year.

Some of them want to give their savings to their families when they go home for the Christmas break, while the others plan to use it to buy things for school.

Other vegetables that the children planted and harvested were tomatoes, eggplants, and cucumber. While the weather is not fit for planting this summer, the children at ROS are raising 40 free-range chickens which they intend to sell after 45 days.

It's pechay harvest time! 

In groups, ROS kids weigh their produce after harvest.

Kinabookasan Brings Hopeful Tomorrows to More Communities

A spin-off of CCT-Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) takes shape as an independent after-school program that gives hopeful tomorrows to children and youth in certain parts of the country. Aptly called Kinabookasan, the program was launched in four centers in September 2013, and will be in full swing in a total of eight centers come June 2014. Kinabookasan is a play on the words, “kinabukasan” which means future and derives from “bukas” or tomorrow, and “book” which is symbolic of learning. 

When school year 2013-2014 opened, VOHCS Cabrera and VOHCS Cagayan de Oro (CDO), which were both operational during the two previous school years, were forced to close after they were unable to secure permits to operate from the Department of Education. The schools were converted into Kinabookasan centers to continue teaching basic literacy to these communities’ young members. VOHCS Iloilo and VOHCS Taguig, on the other hand, adopted Kinabookasan as a supplementary educational program in their community centers. A Kinabookasan curriculum was crafted in consultation with Right Start executive director Arlene Sy. Right Start is an after-school program for underprivileged children in San Juan City. 

Kinabookasan serves poor children aged seven to fourteen but in certain areas where the need extends among younger or older children and youth, the age range varies. It is a two-hour program that combines literacy sessions and group activities such as games and craft-making, but children are free to stay for another hour to read and play. Holding morning and afternoon “classes”, small to medium-sized Kinabookasan centers have the following learning spaces – reading area, play area, multi-purpose hall, and art and resource area that are enjoyed by the children at no cost.

Kinabookasan centers are a place where stories of transformation happen. Asked how Kinabookasan is changing the lives of children and youth in Cagayan de Oro City, Teacher Rosilyn Saplor chokes up as she shares her students' testimonies. She says that her 35 students’ ages are as young as two and as old as 29, with the older ones attending grade school and badly needing help with reading. Most of them live by a bridge in Riverside, Carmen, CDO and earn a living by scavenging. 

Because of Kinabookasan, Teacher Rosilyn's students started having aspirations for themselves. Being around drug dependents and alcoholics, two of her older students fell into vice and felt that the future had dimmed for them, but when they joined Kinabookasan, they realized that poverty is not a permanent condition. They are often teased in school because they are not able to bathe and eat regularly, and are lagging behind in their academics. However, they are accepted for who they are at Kinabookasan. Now that they see progress in their academics, they are inspired to push harder and become better in school. They have also met Jesus who they know cares for the poor and gives hope for their future. 

A new Kinabookasan center is now running in San Jose, Batangas, and centers in Eastern Samar, Calapan in Mindoro, and in the Rose of Sharon House of Friendship in Laguna are set to open in June.

Teacher Rosilyn Saplor invites families at Cagayan de Oro City to
join Kinabookasan.  

Both the young and old  learn how to read and write at Kinabookasan.

The children make arts and crafts together.

They learn to how pray together too.

Jeloxen Canalita: Sharing Parental Love

Mommy Jelox tells former street-dwelling children at
ROS that the Lord has a better plan for them. 

“I want to let the children feel a parent’s love,” Jeloxen Canalita, young houseparent at the Visions of Hope Rose of Sharon House of Friendship (ROS) tearfully explains. “Having grown up as an orphan, I never experienced that myself.”

Jeloxen, “Mommy Jelox” to the children, has served at ROS for a total of two years – the longest-staying among the ROS houseparents. Only 22 years old this year, she started her houseparent duties in 2010 but left after a year to pursue an education degree while also serving as a teaching assistant at Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) in Muntinlupa City. She returned to ROS in 2013.

Jeloxen hails from Zamboanga del Sur and grew up under her aunt’s care. Her aunt, who worked for Dr. Pan Callanta, one of Center of Community Transformation’s (CCT) doctors, encouraged her to avail of a CCT scholarship for a welding and construction course. When Jeloxen finished, she attended training on the BLESS (Basic Life Empowerment and Support System) curriculum of VOHCS. Then, a work opportunity opened up for her in ROS in Puypuy, Bay, Laguna.

She confesses that her childhood dream was to become a soldier, but because she has a big heart for children, she loves being in ROS. Aside from enjoying the friendship of other ROS staff, she takes
delight in sharing her life story with the children, listening to their own stories, and leading devotion and Bible study sessions for them. She tells them that even though they are not with their parents, “the Lord has a better plan for them and that many people are looking after them, including Lola Ruth,” referring to CCT President Ruth Callanta, whom the children call their “lola” or grandmother.

Through the years, she has seen the children become more respectful of each other. She says that they used to try to avoid meeting new people because they were too shy but now they know how to confidently greet and talk to visitors. She is also seeing a growing sense of initiative and obedience among the older girls. The children are now more affectionate and loving, she adds, unlike before when they would often get into fights.

Jeloxen makes sure to teach them about honesty. She tells them that when they want something, they can always ask and when they have made a mistake, such as taking things that are not theirs, they should admit to it and say sorry. Not only do the children learn from her but she also learns from them about humbly owning up to a mistake and always treating others with respect.

She prays that the children whom she takes care of will be grateful even in the smallest things, and will love God, others, and their country. She believes that as she serves the children, God is molding her to become more obedient, humble, patient, and faithful. To be more equipped in influencing them, she plans to go back to school in the near future to finish her degree.

Kim Fajardo: Ready for First Grade

Kim Rando Fajardo attends
the moving-up ceremony of
VOHCS Irawan with his parents. 

 On March 29, 2014, five-year-old Kim Rando Fajardo took a long walk to the barangay hall in Irawan, Puerto Princesa City to attend a moving-up ceremony. But unlike his daily two-kilometer treks to school, he was walking with his parents this time, and was garbed in barong. He graduated from the CCT-Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) Irawan along with 35 other children that day.

Around summer last year, Kim’s parents – a carpenter and a homemaker – signed him up for morning classes after hearing an announcement at a local Christian church that VOHCS was offering free preschool education to indigent children.

Kim was always the earliest to arrive at school when classes began. Although he determinedly came to class, he was initially shy and uncooperative. However, he started opening up when he saw that he was genuinely cared for at VOHCS. His teachers found out that he was undernourished and most of the time, his family could not afford to let him bring baon (packed snacks) to class, so they shared food with him out of their own pockets. Kim’s classmates gladly pitched in as well.

Kim (fourth from left, first row) joins his classmates in a special presentation on their moving-up day.

Also, on two separate occasions in November, Kim was hurt while walking home from school – he was bullied by an older child and attacked by a dog. His teachers were quick to pray for, comfort, and assist him with medical needs until he was well enough to come back to school.

Within months, Kim’s confidence grew. He learned to mingle with others, led prayers and joined class activities, and surprised his parents by independently working on school projects. He finished the school year as one of the class’s top five pupils!

Kim is ready to enter grade school in the coming school year. He plans to walk to the public school with his big sister, who will be in third grade.