It all started with a dream of one individual after a devastating storm hit the country and many people were left with picking up their lives. When disaster strikes the first things people takes cares of are the essentials like food, shelter, cloths and warmth. Education unfortunately takes a back seat and books and notepads are considered a luxury if taken against securing your daily meal.
Meet Cynthia or Chin-Chin as she is mostly called. Our founder and greatest cheerleader of Gift In Kind Foundation.
We started as a rag-tag bunch of people who were working entry level jobs in a BPO company in Makati. During those idle moments she said to us her team mates that she wanted to help people, in particular students. We all saw the news of schools flooded, books ruined and the meager school supplies of public schools washed away. We did not have a single clue on how to start. Here we were a bunch of 18-22 years old people who has never volunteered before, had no idea on logistics, if permits were given or even how to budget the entire thing. We didn't even know how to reach out to students. Were we supposed to go to the Department of Education and coordinate with them. We were not entirely trusting of the government because we all thought that donations might end in the pockets of some corrupt officials.
So being young and impetuous we decided to go for it. Bahala na si Batman! (Batman will take care of it) is a favorite phrase at that time when something needed to be done but you have no idea to pull it off. We were less than 20 people composed of different backgrounds and ideologies. We even had different plans on how to do it. We spent breaks and lunches huddled in one corner, talking about what to do. I admit there were some tensions as several people wanted to take lead and some tempers flared but Chin-Chin always smiled and was able to diffuse the situation. Her warmth and very nice way of talking to people made it easier to flesh out what to do.
Our first school was Rosario Elementary school in Rizal. One of the members had an aunt who worked as a public school teacher and when she heard that we were looking for a school to sponsor she said to her niece that it would be wonderful if they can pick her school and that she would help in getting permission from the principal. So one item checked from our checklist.
Next would be funding which is a problem all foundations faced. At that time we could hardly be called a foundation. We did not have major sponsors not knew influential people. We were a bunch of entry level employee with a cause. Majority of us were not rich. We all tried to chip in from our meager salaries, saved by avoiding expensive food and brought home made lunches. Some quit smoking and drinking. We even asked for donations from our fellow employees. At this time Corporate Social Responsibility was not being done by companies yet. I remember asking one of the managers and with a frown as she puffed up smoke my way asked why would she do that. Well she was not well liked but she was earning very well and I had gotten the short stick during draw and tasked with asking her. Well we never had a good relationship after that.
So we had the headcount list from the school, we knew how much supplies we would need and although the funds collected were not that big, it was enough and we brought our school supplies in Divisoria ( a famous place in Manila if you want to get a bargain on every imaginable item that can be sold) We bought everything and now we would be packing it by hand at Chin-Chin's house. This would become a yearly tradition were we would be injured with so many paper cuts, bone-dead tired from segregating and packing the supplies per grade and having dinner as one team. Oh the memories, the stories we had during those fun times.
So here we are In Rosario Elementary School on our first outreach program.
Please excuse the blurry pictures I have taken haha
You know that feeling you get when you were a kid on Christmas morning. After having breakfast with the family you could not wait to open the gifts under the Christmas tree. You have been waiting for weeks, stopping yourself from taking a peek. Then you gingerly unwrapped your gift. You can't tear the wrapping paper because it would be wasteful. I remember the Matriarch berating me the first time I tore the wrapping. Now imagine this feeling when you see a young boy or girl get a bag full of school supplies. I know it would be better if it were toys but we wanted to help them with their school supplies.
I remember the look of the kid being so grateful. He would be able to write using pencils that he received. He would be able to take notes and do his assignments. He would be able to take a piece of paper and take a quiz. The smile would forever linger. I remember seeing some of the members tear up and dry those tears of joy as we witness this powerful scene. When their teachers and parents openly cry and say thank you to all of us.
We never did this for fame. In a world before viral videos and social experiments we were there doing something that we can to help alleviate the problems of our fellow men. We did not do this to make people owe us but we did it to share our blessings that we were working and earning money. We did not expect people to build us monuments or give us plaques of recognition as helping other people was all the reward we wanted.
(The caption reads as "GIKF whole-heartedly thanks all the people that donated and volunteered. One hundred kids from Banawen Elementary School will be able to study properly. We hope that you will never tire from helping them.
Some of our memorable adventures and misadventures were of traveling to the schools we would sponsor. No dirt road would be able to stop us.
No river could block us
Come rain or shine we would be there when we promised.
We were happy to seem some changes as well. That river the we use to cross by boat each year had a bridge two years ago. So there has been some progress.
We are now in our twelfth year of helping schools by donating books, school supplies and medicines. One particular school that we have returned again and again is Banawen Primary School in Zambales.
This is a school high up the mountains where education is being given to a local indigenous people called the Aetas. We have been supporting this school for the past few years and their principal was happy to tell us because of our support they have increase in the number of students continuing their studies. You see to them education was not that important. Their primary goal was to be able to raise crops and animals, sell them and have some basic commodities. Life was simple for them and they would usually just enter school till grade 2 or 3. All they wanted to learn was how to write their name and do simply mathematics.
Yet with our continued support they were happy to announce that this year they had several graduates of Grade School who would continue and study highschool. I remember the principal tearing up when she said that. I, myself, could not help it and felt tears fall down my cheeks. Such a profound and grateful feeling. To make such an impact to that community is such a wonderful thing. They in turn has made us so grateful of finding them and in our small way helping them. Everyone was crying at this point but the feeling is so indescribable.
All that hardship of planning, looking for funds, transporting, getting injured at times felt nothing as we saw their grateful faces looking at us. The travel by lahar (mudslide) dried riverbeds, sweltering heat and pouring rain seems trivial when you see them.
Here are some of our pictures going there. Once we even had a tree fall down in front of us because it was raining!
![20170617_054247.jpg]
A lot of us have moved companies and even countries but each year before the start of classes on June. We take time from our busy schedules and plan for the next outreach. Not bad for a rag-tag bunch of people who started as entry level BPO workers. We had some members who stopped being active but each year we gain more as they love the story of how we began and what we are doing specifically for Banawen Primary School.
Our girths definitely got bigger, we are better organized but funding is still a problem at times because of the scale we want to achieve but we have found a lot of people who are willing to volunteer and donate. Maybe I can have Steemit help in some way next year. Well its a plan in progress and see you in the next Gift in Kind Foundation post.
Hope you enjoyed what I shared today.
