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.

Former Street Kid Shares Story (Tagalog Version)

Roberto Tablatin Jr., a former street kid, who now plays football and dreams of becoming a chef, shared the following story during the annual membership meeting of the Center for Community Transformation Group of Ministries at the WackWack Golf and Country Club in March 2014.  To read this story in English, please click HERE.

Ako po si Roberto Tablatin Jr., 20 taong gulang.  Panganay po ako sa tatlong magkakapatid. Elementarya lang po ang aking natapos bago ako dumating sa Magdalena. Hindi na po ako nakapag-high school noon dahil hindi na po ako kayang pag-aralin ng magulang ko.

Nagtitinda ng balut ang nanay ko. Ang tatay ko naman po ay hindi masyadong makapagtrabaho dahil po marami po siyang nararamdaman at di matukoy ang kanyang sakit dahil po sa kakulangan namin ng pera. Naninisid po siya  ng tahong, halaan, o kaya naman po ay alimasag.

Hindi po sapat ang kinikita ng magulang ko para po sa pang araw-araw naming pangangailangan.

Simula po noon naging batang kalye na po ako. Naging  tindero rin po ako ng prutas at gulay sa palengke ng  Las Pinas tuwing umaga, at sa gabi, balut at mani naman po ang aking tinitinda. Isang beses po, inabot po ako ng bagyo at baha sa kalsada. Apat lang po na balut ang naibenta ko noon. Ala-sais na po ng umaga ng nakauwi ako pagkatapos ng bagyo. Kaya gusto ko pong magtinda ay para makatulong din po sa aking ina at para din po may pambili kami ng pagkain. Minsan po kasi sa maghapon, isang beses lang po kami kung kumain, minsan po wala.

Sa pagtitinda ko po ng prutas at gulay ay doon ko po nakilala si Lola Ruth. Lagi po siyang namimili sa amin tuwing Linggo. Kasama po niya si Kuya Angel Diel, isa sa pinaka-unang staff ng Kaibigan Ministry. Kapag napunta po sila sa amin, pinapakain po nila kami. Isang araw, tinanong po kami ni Lola Ruth kung gusto po naming mag-aral. Tanungin daw po namin ang mga magulang namin kung papayagan kami. Pumayag naman po ang mga magulang ko na mag-aral kami. Pero noong araw po na pupunta na po yung mga kasama ko sa Magdalena para mag-aral, hindi po muna ako sumama. Inisip ko po kasi na walang makakatulong ang nanay ko kapag sumama po ako, na  mas lalo po siyang mahihirapan. Kaya po nagpatuloy nalang po ako sa aking pagtitinda.

Kaya sinama po ako sa Magdalena noong April 3, 2012. Bale po mag dadalawang taon na po ako sa Magdalena.

Hindi po naging madali sa akin nung bago pa lang po ako dun sa Magdalena. Ang dami pong pinapagawa. Marami pong mga patakaran tapos kailangan mo pang gumising ng alas-kwatro ng umaga para mag devotion.  Mahirap po talaga para sa akin, pero nagbago po ang lahat sa tulong po ng Panginoon. Naunawaan ko po na ang lahat ng iyon ay para sa amin din po. Natuto na po akong  sumunod sa mga rules.

Doon ko po naunawaan at natutunan ang kahalagahan ng isang pamilya. Dahil mawala man po ang lahat, hinding-hindi po tayo iiwan ng ating pamilya. Noon ko din po natutunan ang mangarap. Salamat po sa Panginoon kasi po Siya ang nagturo sa akin kung paano mangarap. Gusto ko pong maging isang chef sa isang barko at mag-ikot din po sa iba’t ibang lugar.

Pangarap ko  rin po na maiahon ko ang aking pamilya sa kahirapan at makapag-aral po ang bunso naming kapatid. ( Ngayon ang nanay ko na lang po ang nagtitinda kasama po ng bunso kong kapatid na hindi na po nakakapag-aral  Wala na po kasi ang tatay ko. Pinatay po kasi siya noong  Enero 13, 2013. Napagbintangan sila ng tito ko na nagnanakaw ng manok at pareho silang pinagbabaril.)

Salamat po sa Panginoon dahil binigyan Niya po ako ng talento katulad po ng paglalaro ng football at pagtugtog ng gitara. Nakapaglaro na po ang football team ng Magdalena Campus na  CCT- Binhi sa Coca- cola Cup at Alaska Cup sa Alabang. Isa na rin po ako sa tumutugtog sa CCT Community Church sa Magdalena. Isa pa pong pagpapalang natanggap ko ay makakapunta po ako ng Malaysia sa June bilang kinatawan ng Boy’s Brigade sa Magdalena, Laguna. Salamat po sa Panginoon dahil ang isang batang kalye na tulad ko ay nagkaroon ng ganitong mga pagkakataon at karanasan.

Salamat po sa Panginoon dahil nakilala ko po Siya at patuloy Niya pong binabago ang buhay ko.

           

Sa Diyos po ang kapurihan!

Former Street Kid Shares Story

Roberto Tablatin Jr., a former street kid, who now plays football and dreams of becoming a chef, shared the following story during the annual membership meeting of the Center for Community Transformation Group of Ministries at the WackWack Golf and Country Club in March 2014.  (To read Roberto's testimony in Tagalog, please click HERE.)

My name is Roberto Tablatin Jr. I am 20 years old and the eldest of three children. My parents could not afford to send me to high school, so when I started studying [at the Visions of Hope Boarding School] in Magdalena, Laguna  two years ago I had only finished grade school.

My mother is a balut* vendor.  My father dove for mussels, clams, or crabs. He couldn’t do much work, though.  He was frequently in pain but we lacked the money to find out what his illness was. They never earned enough for our daily needs.

So I became a street kid. I helped my mother by selling fruit and vegetables at the Las Pinas market during the day and balut and nuts at night so we would have food to eat. Once, when a typhoon flooded the whole place, I sold just four balut all night.  It was six in the morning before the rain and wind stopped and the floodwater subsided. 

Grandma Ruth [the founder and president of CCT] often bought from me on Sundays. She and Brother Angel Diel, one of the pioneer staff of the Kaibigan Ministry, would bring us food every time they came. 

One day Grandma Ruth asked me [and other street children with me] if we would like to go back to school. She suggested that we ask our parents if they would allow us to go to Magdalena.  My parents agreed to let me and my brother, Rolly, go, but on the day we were supposed to leave I decided to stay with my mother knowing she would find it even more difficult without me. I went on helping her with the selling.

About a year later my mother suggested, “Why don’t you join your brother in Laguna?”  She was worried that I might fall into vice or  become wayward if I stayed at home. 

I started studying in Magdalena on April 3, 2012. Adjusting to life in Magdalena wasn’t easy. There was so much to do and many rules to obey. Rising time was four in the morning for devotions. It was difficult, but everything changed with the Lord’s help. I came to understand that everything was for my own good. I learned to follow the rules .

I grew to understand and learn the importance of a family. You may lose everything but your family will never leave you.  I thank the Lord that He taught me to dream. I want to be a chef on a ship and travel to a lot of places someday.

I also hope to lift my family out of poverty and help send my youngest brother to school. (My brother has had to drop out of school. My father was killed in January 13, 2013. Someone accused him and my uncle of stealing a chicken and shot them both.)

I thank the Lord for giving me talents for football and guitar playing. The  CCT Magdalena Campus Team has played in the Coca-Cola Cup and in the Alaska [Milk Corporation] Football Cup. I play the guitar at the CCT Community Church in Magdalena. Another blessing is the chance to go to Malaysia in June representing the Magdalena Boy's Brigade.  I thank the Lord that a street kid like me has this opportunity.

Thank God that I met Him and He continues to transform my life.  To Him be the glory!

*Balut is a Filipino delicacy and street food.  It is a boiled duck egg with a small embryo inside.