School Opening Brings Hope to Palawan Tribe

These Kunoy children will no longer have to walk three hours to the nearest public school with the
opening of the CCT-Visions of Hope Christian School in Sitio Kakawitan, Barangay Tagusao,
Quezon, Palawan. Adults in back row are teachers Arlene Langgalot, Leo Badajos, 
Milinda Biolena and Gary Gabinete. 

Jennylyn doesn’t realize it right now, but her life may have just taken a turn for the better. 

Limited Options. Jennylyn belongs to the Kunoy indigenous group of Palawan. She is five. Probably. No one knows exactly how old she is because where she lives, calendars are rare and birth certificates are nonexistent.

Girls here marry nearly as soon as they reach puberty. Illiteracy runs high. The nearest school is more than three hours away on foot, and one has to cross and re-cross a wide stream three times or seven times, depending on which path one chooses to take to get there. The few who manage to get a little education often return to their homes to spend the rest of their lives as slash-and-burn farmers.   

But things are about to change for Jennylyn and for children from the 115 families in the villages of Marayparay and Kakawitan in Barangay Tagusao and Kagay in Barangay Calumpang, Quezon, a town south of Puerto Princesa.   

Medicine and Education. In December 2013, Pastor Cesar Gallarin, executive director of a group called the Friendship Builders visited Sitio Kagay with pastors of the Christ Jesus our Life Church (CJOL) which has been working in Palawan for years. The tribal chieftain they met requested two things: medicine and education for their children. To comply with the request for education, Pastor Santos Batoy and Pastor Joe Ibanez of the Friendship Builders, tribal leader Tarag Almahan and his son Michael, and a certain Liza Vile trained to be teachers in BLESS or Basic Life Empowerment Support System, a literacy program that teaches children to read in 18 to 20 weeks. However, everyone felt that so much more could be done for the Kunoy.

Pastor Joe, whose wife Dina was at that time a teacher of the Visions of Hope Christian School of the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) Group of Ministries suggested that perhaps the two groups could work together. Heads of these organizations met and a partnership was forged. It was agreed that CCT would operate and manage a school for which the Friendship Builders would provide infrastructure. Meanwhile, Father Gregorio Quiboyen, a retired Episcopalian minister, donated a hectare of land central to the three villages and in March 2015 work on a school building began. Cement, roofing sheets, plywood and other construction material were brought to the site by carabao-drawn carts.    

“Please Dream for Your Children.” It was slightly drizzling on June 21, 2015, when families of the Kunoy tribe, barangay officials, and staff and representatives of the Friendship Builders, CCT, CJOL, and the Department of Education  gathered for the dedication of a one-story, three-room school building.   

In a short talk directly addressing parents, Pastor Cesar spoke of a strong desire and vision to educate Kunoy children all the way to college, “But,” he stressed, “We need your support.”  He asked the parents to give due importance to the memory of Tarag Almahan, who, deeply concerned about the future of his tribe, had studied to be a BLESS teacher, but had passed away just a few months earlier.  After announcing that one of the three new classrooms could be temporarily used as living quarters by children who lived far from the school and that food would be provided for them if one of the parents would stay to look after them, Pastor Gallarin ended with a tearful plea: “Please dream for your children.”  

The school in Tagusao is the fourth Visions of Hope school in Palawan. (The other three are in Puerto Princesa.) It will initially offer pre-school education as well as classes in the Alternative Learning System which will allow children and even adults who have a little elementary  education to work toward the equivalent of a grade school diploma.

With God’s intervention in her life through caring people like the Friendship Builders, CJOL and CCT, and if her parents will dream along with her, seven or eight years from now Jennylyn (smallest girl in photo above) will have more options than simply getting married just as soon as she reaches puberty.

(From left) Pastor Jun Castillo of CCT, Father Gregorio Quiboyen,
and Pastor Cesar Gallarin, Friendship Builders executive director,
cut the ribbon at the school inauguration.

Father Quiboyen, retired Episcopal minister and  school site donor,
encourages the Kunoy community to remain united.

Pastor Santos Batoy,using a hand-drawn map (below),
 explains the school location as central to the villages
of Marayparay, Kakawitan and Kagay. 

CCT's Pastor Fidel Presto shares a message based on Psalm 127:1 & 2:
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of
painful labors; for he gives to his beloved even in his sleep.

Members of the Kunoy community, workers of the CCT-Kaibigang Maaasahan
Multi-purpose Cooperative which built the school, Visions of
Hope Christian School teachers, pastors of
the Christ Jesus our Life Church, and representatives of
the Friendship Builders and Center for Community Transformation
Group of Ministries form a circle around the children to dedicate
them and the entire new school year to the Lord.  

Kunoy women perform the tarak dance to the beat of an
agong (left) and sanang.  The dance expresses thanks to the Lord.

Federico Gacasa Jr., Department of Education District Supervisor,
offers to help the Visions of Hope Christian School meet its
its DepEd requirements. 

VOH Boys are Football Camp MVPs

Winners all! (Left to right)  Peter Bucasas (Best Keeper, Boys 14 age bracket), Angelo Lopez (Champion 

Team member,  Boys 14), Carlo Frago (Best Defender, Boys 12), Jed Aguila (Champion Team member, 
Boys 14), Gerald Abella (Best Midfielder/ MVP Boys 10), Cydric Moises (Best Defender/
 Runner Up Team Silver, Boys 12), Titus Zipeda (MVP/ 3rd Place Team member, 
Boys 12), Coach Leo Arnaiz, John Rey Leyte (MVP/ Runner Up Team member,
 Boys 14) and Arsenio de la Cruz (3rd Place Team member, Boys 14). 

Three boys being cared for at the Visions of Hope (VOH) Christian School in Magdalena, Laguna were named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in their respective age brackets at the recently-concluded 2015 Alaska Football Power Camp.

Gerald Abella was MVP for the boys in the age 10 bracket, Titus Zipeda was MVP for those in the age 12 group, and John Rey Leyte was MVP for those in the age 14 bracket. Gerald was also named best midfielder for his age group. Six other boys also received medals. They are among 26 VOH-Magdalena children attending Summer with the Son, a school break program that, among other activities, includes a trip to the Benguet State University in La Trinidad, Benguet to join the football camp. The camp was held from April 9 – 12, 2015.

During the camp’s first four days the children were taught the fundamentals of football and on the last day they played against each other. The other boys who received medals are Peter Bucasas (Best Keeper, Boys 14 age bracket), Angelo Lopez (Champion Team member, Boys 14), Carlo Frago (Best Defender, Boys 12), Jed Aguila (Champion Team member, Boys 14), Cydric Moises (Best Defender/Runner Up Team, Boys 12), and Arsenio de la Cruz (3rd Place Team member, Boys 14).

VOH-Magdalena, is an all-male residential school that shelters street children, abandoned or neglected children, and orphans. VOH Coach Leo Arnaiz said the Summer with the Son  program gives the boys “a chance to mix with other boys, socialize and make friends, and see how they can respond and adapt to the world.” It also allows them to focus on God’s purpose for them.  'Son' in the program's name refers to God's Son, Jesus, he added.

“These boys were at one time mistreated and unloved. They didn’t see themselves as persons of value so it didn’t matter to them if they did bad things. One thing this camp did for them is make them see how valuable they are, that they have a purpose in life,” Coach Leo said. He stressed that the first thing the football and character formation program at VOHCS-Magdalena does is find hope, meaning, purpose and value in their lives.

The Visions of Hope Christian School is one of twelve ministries in the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) Group of Ministries. It operates 24 pre-schools in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the Philippines, and three boarding schools. Aside from VOH-Magdalena, it also runs a boarding school in Puypuy, Bay, Laguna which ministers to boys (below age 10) and girls from street dwelling families, and a boarding school in Malungon, Sarangani for children from the B’laan, Tagakaolo, and Kalagan indigenous peoples groups. The boarding schools offer pre-school to sixth grade education.

“The other coaches had nothing but good comments about our boys’ behavior,” said Coach Leo. “They said they are disciplined, don’t complain, are very respectful, and the only ones who ‘make mano’.”

“If Summer with the Son produces good results, I hope it can be a yearly activity,” he added.

The football camp is an annual summer activity sponsored by Alaska Milk Corporation. A total of 420 boys and girls between the ages eight and fourteen from all over Luzon attended this year’s camp. Lala Salili, peer servant for CCT-VOHCS said joining the camp gave the boys a chance to further develop discipline, determination, team work, and sportsmanship, characteristics needed in the real world.

The VOH boys with the rest of the football campers and their coaches. 

The Summer with the Son program included
a tour of some of Baguio's most popular tourist
spots and a chance to go strawberry picking
in La Trinidad Valley!

Rolly Tablatin: ‘It's All Up to You’

Former street kid Rolly passed the A and E exam along with his brother, Roberto “JR” Tablatin, Jr. (Read JR’s testimony here). Rolly is now eligible to proceed with his secondary education, while JR and other students at CCT Magdalena – Arnold de la Cruz and Daniel Seth Jerusalem – are now qualified to enter college. Last June 13, they all attended a graduation ceremony led by the Department of Education Bureau of Alternative Learning System for the students in Laguna. Below is an excerpt of Rolly's testimony.

I am Rolly Tablatin, 18 years old. I am among those who passed the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Accreditation and Equivalency (A and E) examination. 

When I was about to take the exam, I was nervous but I remembered to pray so that I would feel calm. I just offered everything to God. He gave me wisdom to answer all the questions from different subjects. I did not run out of answers and it seemed like everything that I reviewed was in the exam.

In the essay part, I just kept on writing and I even included a Bible verse. But, I wasn't able to write a long piece because there wasn't enough time. 

I had doubts about passing but I told the Lord, “It’s all up to You. If I would pass the exam, thank You. If I wouldn't, thank You still.”

I thank Him because He allowed me to pass the ALS exam. I also thank those who have been helping me in my studies. May the Lord bless you!

 

Rolly proudly shows his diploma.

Rolly's diploma qualifies him to continue with high school.

 

Rolly (third from the left) attends the ALS graduation
with fellow CCT Magdalena boys.

Beginning 2014-2015: A Photo Essay

Ever wonder what going back to school is like for Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) community-based preschools? Beginning school year 2014-2015 was a fruit of hard work, commitment, and collaboration among VOHCS teachers, parents, Center for Community Transformation (CCT) staff, and leaders in the local community.

Community surveys were conducted to invite pupils to VOHCS. Reading readiness tests followed to assess the students’ learning levels. The students are a mix of sponsored and paying children. The sponsored children belong to poorest of the poor and are unable to afford their education, while the paying students, albeit given substantial subsidy, are children of CCT micro-entrepreneurs. As of August 2014, a total of 836 children are enrolled in 24 VOHCS community-based preschools nationwide.

A VOHCS Irawan teacher conducts a community survey in
Brgy. Irawan, Puerto Princesa, Palawan. 

Reading readiness tests are administered in VOHCS Midsayap. 

Former students and other children in rural and urban poor communities were also encouraged to join the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade (or Brigada Bata), a character development program carried out once a week with VOHCS students.

Children from VOHCS Jaro and from the community enlist
in Boys' Brigade. 

Boys' Brigade drills start in VOHCS Taguig as the school year opens. 

Help was solicited from the children’s parents to help prepare the classrooms. This is in line with a Department of Education-initiated program called Brigada Eskwela. Parents then attended an orientation meeting where they learned about VOHCS school policies and their role in their children’s education.

A parent from VOHCS Irawan helps prepare the school grounds
for the opening of classes.

Mothers from VOHCS Midsayap help clean the floor of the
school's classroom.

Parents attend a parent orientation day at VOHCS General Santos City.

A VOHCS Midsayap teacher leads the parent orientation. 

Then, it’s all systems go!

VOHCS Butuan's new classroom is ready to use. 

VOHCS Irawan opens in June with 36 students.

Inside the classroom, VOHCS Oton (Iloilo) children learn to fall in line.

VOHCS General Santos children and their parents go out on a parade
of Philippine flags in celebration of the country's independence day. 

Despite Hardships, VOHCS Child Brings Zip to School

Judilyn Bukiron sings and dances to an action song
with her classmates. 

Energetic and affectionate – that’s how Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) Mandaue teachers describe six-year-old Judilyn Bukiron. Despite being underweight, Judilyn brings much zip with her to school. She is bright, fun-loving, and one who quickly finishes her tasks. Perhaps to show them her love and gratitude, she runs to hug her teachers every time she sees them.

The VOHCS Mandaue teachers first met Judilyn when they conducted a community survey in a densely populated area in Mandaue City, Cebu. Judilyn was resolved that she would not enter school anytime soon, but that changed when she and her mother learned about VOHCS. Her father is serving time in jail, while her mother is incapable of work due to goiter. Only Judilyn’s eldest sister, who is married and employed, provides for her siblings when she is able. One of the other siblings struggles to finish grade school while another is mentally unstable and has a baby.

Now that she is learning to read and write, Judilyn dreams of becoming a teacher when she grows up.

Judilyn is one of the six children at VOHCS Mandaue whose schooling is fully subsidized by VOHCS. The preschool has 39 pupils this school year.

Parents Commit to VOHCS Discipleship Meetings

Parents at VOHCS Midsayap regularly attend
discipleship meetings.

What started as an optimistic response to attend weekly discipleship meetings has become an ongoing commitment for parents of Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) children in Midsayap, North Cotabato.

One of the privileges of VOHCS parents is an opportunity to join a discipleship group. Here they learn more about Jesus Christ and grow together in their faith. While this does not sound very attractive to some, VOHCS parents from this predominantly Muslim town have a different attitude. When the teachers met them for an orientation meeting in June, they were positive about its spiritual development program. They compared VOHCS with other preschools in their community and are thankful for its concern for the spiritual growth of both its pupils and their parents. 

Through a holistic academic curriculum that integrates Christian values, the spiritual development program of VOHCS aims to produce mature and spiritually reproductive youth and children who submit to the Lordship of Christ. The program also hopes to deepen the parents’ relationship with God through prayer, sharing the good news, and practical application of Biblical truths. 

The discipleship meetings are held every Friday, led by Center for Community Transformation (CCT) Midsayap branch pastor, Ptr. Joel Tumanding. Ten to eighteen out of 22 parents regularly attend the meetings. They actively join discussions and answer occasional take-home assignments. Some of them have also begun attending the one-year-old CCT community church.

According to one of the mothers, “The discipleship meetings have taught me that God is merciful because He sent His son Jesus to die for the forgiveness of our sins. I am learning more about humility as well. I know that it is hard for one to thrive without God in his life.” She finds sharing time with other parents refreshing.

Teachers, Parents Partner in VOHCS Feeding Program

Parents take turns in preparing and serving food for their children
at VOHCS Malibay.

"Parents are surprised that we can turn something like instant noodles into a nutritious meal,” says Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) Teacher Annabel Autiangco about the menu planning that she and Teacher Ediloisa Alidio lead among parents of VOHCS pupils in Malibay, Pasay. 

Meal planning is part of the school’s feeding program this year. The program started in 2013 with funding from partner organizations Wholistic Transformation and Reform Center (WTRC) and Australia-based Only About Children (OAC), and has helped 43 preschoolers gain healthy weight. It enlists the help of parents who take turns preparing and serving the food. School nurse Nowell Alejo monitors the children’s height and weight. 

Before classes began in June, the parents worked out a division of tasks among themselves. At a ten-peso daily budget per child, they cook heavy snacks like porridge, noodle soup with vegetables, and meat dishes with rice for this school year’s 38 VOHCS Malibay children. They learn in the process that they are responsible for their children’s nutrition and health, and that they too can prepare nutritious yet affordable food at home. 

VOHCS Malibay children love the heavy snacks served during recess.

Teacher Annabel says that the feeding program benefits other children in the community. She tells of a student from a large, poor family who comes to school daily with two younger siblings. The siblings are also fed during recess. 

Malnutrition is a perennial problem of VOHCS children nationwide. Because of poverty, some VOHCS children attend classes on empty stomachs, and they either skip meals or are not given nutritious food at home. They usually struggle with academics because of their short attention span and sluggishness. VOHCS hopes to set up feeding programs in all of its 24 community-based preschools to combat malnutrition.

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. 

The Gayo Brothers' Story Chapter 2

The Gayo brothers and one of their teachers at the Judith Lazaraga Tiongco Memorial School.  

Back in 2012, four brothers – Ryan, Jeran, Rene, Roy – captured the hearts and interest of Visions of Hope teachers in Jaro, Iloilo.  The boys were nine, seven, six, and five years old then,  all eager to learn to read and write. But even if a public school was just several meters from their house, none of them were in school.  “We don’t have slippers to wear to school,” Rene explained when the teachers asked why.

So the teachers asked the boys’ parents if the brothers could come to the VOH Christian School instead, and bought each of the boys some shoes and slippers.  Because they seldom had footwear the brothers would carefully carry the slippers from home, put them on only in the classroom, carry them back home, and hang them up on nails. 

All four boys learned how to read and write and learned about Jesus too during that school year. They graduated along with the rest of the class in March 2013. (http://cct-visionsofhope.blogspot.com/2013_03_01_archive.html)

So where are they now?

The brothers now go to the Judith Lazaraga Tiongco Memorial School near their home.  The three older boys are in first grade but Roy is in pre-school again because he still does not have a birth certificate, a requirement for enrolling in grade school  

And how are they doing? 

Roy is doing very well because he's had a head start in reading and writing.   Rene’s teacher says he is helpful and can keep up with the rest of the class.  The teachers of Ryan and Jeran also praise the brothers for being hardworking.  

On Sundays the boys walk to the Evangel Tabernacle, which has a strong ministry among poor members of the Tabuc Suba community, to attend Sunday School.

The boys have just started out on their journey through life.  For sure, it is not going to be easy.  May they always be filled with hope. And may the Lord send caring persons to walk alongside them.

VOH Child Learns Acceptance, Leadership in BB

Alvin Ramos (center) leads the BB Magdalena squad in opening an event
at Rose of Sharon House of Friendship.

Visions of Hope child Alan Vincent Ramos, or Alvin, found acceptance in Jesus Christ and learned leadership when he became active in Boys’ Brigade (BB), VOH’s character and leadership development program for children and youth.

Alvin ran away from home when he was 13 to escape his stepfather’s frequent beatings, especially when the latter was drunk. In the street, he got into drugs and brawls. He thought he would hurt others to get back at his stepfather.

He later moved to a street in Manila, informally called Sarimanok, where he met Frankie Libre, another street dweller. Frankie served as a father figure to Alvin during the many years that he lived on the street. Alvin remembers that Frankie disappeared for a time and when he returned, there was something different about him. He started leading feeding programs, talked frequently about God, and often asked Alvin if he wanted to leave the street. (Frankie had become a Christian and a worker of the Kaibigan Ministry. Read his story here: http://peopleblessingpeople.tumblr.com/post/2479622041/a-fresh-start.)

Alvin was 15 when he finally decided to embrace change. This started with an short yet enlightening jeepney ride to the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) Kaibigan Center, a drop-in center ministering to street dwellers. For some reason, none of the jeepney passengers moved to offer him a seat and he ended up sitting on the step board. He realized that he stank and was grubby all over.

Frankie told him that if he would clean himself up and appear presentable, people would respect him and willingly give way. Alvin followed Frankie’s advice and soon saw a change in how others treated him.

Alvin says that although what others think about you matters, that is nothing compared to how the Lord views you. “Even when I was dirty, in the eyes of the Lord, I was worthy of love and acceptance,” he says. Because he received the Lord’s forgiveness, Alvin has been able to do the difficult task of releasing forgiveness to his stepfather.

Now 18, Alvin stays at the CCT Magdalena Campus and is finishing his high school education by way of the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum. He is a squad leader of the Boys’ Brigade First Magdalena Company. “In the BB leadership training activities,” he said, “I learned to show respect to those who are above and below me, just as Christ showed respect to the Father as well as to every person around Him.” He says he desires to live a life of patience, obedience, and respect – characteristics that are all in Christ and are required of leaders like him.

VOHCS Child Survives Kidney Disease

Benchil Villorejo, seven, had been looking forward to joining his class’s nutrition month parade on July 29, 2013, but when the big day came around, he was just too weak to come to school. Dr. John Tabije and nurse Lynn Chan of the Visions of Hope (VOH) health team who were in Isla Puting Bato for their weekly community visit went to his home. Seeing that Benchil's face and abdomen were swollen and that he had difficulty breathing, they brought him immediately to the Ospital ng Maynila.

Dr. Tabije examines Benchil's health, especially as his
swelling becomes apparent. 

Laboratory tests revealed that Benchil was suffering from nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disease that causes the body to lose protein through the urine. His parents – a DVD vendor and a housewife – knew about his condition but did not earn enough to sustain his medication. He also had a few sores.

Benchil is one of 25 pupils of the VOH Christian School at Isla Puting Bato. The school provides free preschool education to children from families that have informally settled living near Manila’s North Harbor.

At the hospital, Benchil’s parents tapped into charity funds for some of his bills. VOH covered other expenses, and staff even braved floods to bring payment for laboratory tests. 

On his second week in the hospital, Benchil’s doctor announced that his condition was critical. The news rattled his family, but the health team’s faith remained strong and they mobilized more people to pray for his recovery. Benchil’s blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels  went down significantly the following week, showing a big improvement in his kidneys. A CT scan also produced normal results, the swelling of his face and abdomen subsided, and he was taken off the ventilator. Early during his fifth week in the hospital, his mother sent a message that Benchil had started walking again!

Benchil was discharged from the hospital on August 29 and is excited to get back to school again. “He is a bright student, he will be able to easily catch up with school work,” Teacher Elsa de Leon, who tutors him at home for the meantime, said. 

Benchil, whose face and body are no longer swollen,
stays at home to recuperate. 

__________________________

According to Dr. Tabije, Benchil’s malnourished condition became evident when the swelling left his face and body. His sores were also caused by poor nutrition. He is being given a nutritional drink and multivitamins daily to help him gain weight and be properly nourished. Please keep praying for Benchil’s health and for provision for his family.

Update as of September 24: 
Benchil has resumed joining classes at VOHCS Isla Puting Bato since September 16. Able to catch up with required modules, he got an average grade of 92% in the first periodical examinations. He ranked fifth in his class. 

Update as of December 17:
It is with heavy hearts that we momentarily say goodbye to Benchil. Last Saturday, he was rushed to the hospital for pneumonia and he passed away the following day. We thank God for his life and his story of hope. His teachers say that he was determined to learn new things and every time he smiled at them, their tiredness went away. Benchil will be missed but we know that he is in a much better place with our Heavenly Father.