By Annette A. Ferrer | Deputy Executive Director
We are on the cusp of completing 500,000 book donations to Filipino children nationwide, the halfway point to our dream of giving away one million books. We are optimistic that we can reach and breach that mark this year, with your continued support!
At the close of 2023, we were able to give away 36,841 books making our grand total 492,444 books since the start of the project.
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We are grateful for the great enthusiasm our of partners, bringing our books to children who need them, such as Mr. Chester Cortez, librarian and school development officer of DepEd Nueva Vizcaya who has begun to distribute copies of Safe Space to 25 institutions in his region.
We also partnered with Ms. Genevie de Castro whose personal initiative of "Filipino Books Beyond Borders" have gotten our hardbound storybooks into the Pamana Chilren's Library in Chicago, to be enjoyed by children of the Filipino diaspora, and whoever may be interested in reading them. The Pamana Children's Library was inaugurated just last December 9 on the eve of International Human Rights Day.
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To start the new year, we are working to give away copies of Ang Punla ng Aratiles (The Sapling), one of our newest storybooks about the miracle of a sapling sprouting in a treeless world. Written by Eugene Y. Evasco and brought to life by RV Basco, it's a thrilling and heart-warming adventure for kids, and a nostalgic trip to childhood for adults.
Word from our communities and beneficiaries is that elementary and middle-school students' reading skills have suffered significantly, and have been exacerbated by the long pandemic lockdowns with lingering effects. Their students, they tell us, have a difficult time reading and comprehending even simple stories. The demand therefore is for more stories that they can relate to, more exposure to narratives to tease the brain and the imagination. We hope that by including Ang Punla ng Aratiles (The Sapling) in our roster of titles for the campaign, we can truly be sensitive and responsive to the communities we seek to serve.
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We hope you do not get tired of helping us in our literacy campaign. Stay with us as we work to reach our 500,000 milestone, and then finally, our one million! Many thanks!
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