| ADBSA Aeta School | ||
| Jesmag, Botolan, Zambales | ||
Proposals for Nurturing initiatives by PBSP for ADBSA School, April 2012 |
||
Visit to ADBSA Aeta School, Zambalez, November 2011 ![]() The school is now a complex of buildings, it has four classrooms, a head's office, a covered basketball court, and toilets with plumbing supplied by a rainwater collection system. Inside, the classrooms are colorful, bright, and airy. The tables and chairs were donated by the European School in Manila. There is also a school garden and an outdoor kitchen. About 200 children attend the school. ![]() Students and teachers welcomed us with a program of singing, dancing and speeches on their covered basketball court built with donations from a mission church. Young students listen patiently to the remaining speeches. The teachers later told us that on any given day up to a third of the students are absent due to weak health or because they are needed to help on the land. This means all lessons have to be stand-alone. They quoted shocking statistics on the percentage of the students that are “wasted” and said a feeding program is badly needed to reduce undernourishment and malnourishment. Most of the girls and younger students were barefoot, and the school does not ask the students to wear uniforms as families do not have money to buy them. Young students listen patiently to the remaining speeches. The teachers later told us that on any given day up to a third of the students are absent due to weak health or because they are needed to help on the land. This means all lessons have to be stand-alone. They quoted shocking statistics on the percentage of the students that are “wasted” and said a feeding program is badly needed to reduce undernourishment and malnourishment. Most of the girls and younger students were barefoot, and the school does not ask the students to wear uniforms as families do not have money to buy them. After the speeches, the dances … Village elders demonstrate a traditional Aeta dance. Then the students have their turn. The ADBSA Aeta School teaches the children about their Aeta heritage so that they maintain their cultural identity. An important part of every EVAC school visit is the planting of native fruit trees donated by Jenny Wallum and grown in her small garden in Makati. This reinforces the link between the productivity of the land and the health of the community. We toured the school buildings and surrounding area. The children we met were lively and happy. The school seemed to be a fun refuge for them, and they had caring young teachers. ![]() ![]() Writing the check to help build an Aeta school is the easy part; creating a sustainable partnership is more difficult, requiring institutional memory and long-term commitment. The ADBSA’s donation toward the building of this school marked the start of a partnership, and hopefully not the end. The Aeta community and the EVA Charity Foundation hope that the ADBSA will resume its support, perhaps with annual visits to inspect the school, interact with the community, and distribute much-needed school supplies—one of the most beneficial forms of assistance for the Aeta children. The ADBSA-sponsored building is showing its age, with rusted holes in the roof and sagging wooden beams. Teachers are concerned that the roof may not be secure in a typhoon and would like to ask for help from the ADBSA to repair and strengthen it. |
||
![]() ![]() ![]() |
||
The ADBSA AETA School was funded with the help of the Asian Development Bank Spouses Association and has been extended and developed by the community since it opened in January 2002. Since opening the community has shown great initiative in adding a third classroom, a stage, a dining hall and a Girl/Boy Scout corner. In 2006, we raised funds to help complete the classroom by concreting the floor. Most of these photos were taken by the children themsleves, during 2003, using disposable kodak cameras. ![]()
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |