By Gigo Alampay, Annette Ferrer, and Kez Evangelista | CANVAS
CANVAS partnered with the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education Research (EILER) to give books to children who work in palm, sugar and banana plantations, and mining sites in Davao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Compostela Valley, and Bukidnon, provinces with the highest rates of child labor in the country.
Poverty in these areas drives children as young as five years old to help augment their family’s income by working as harvesters, loaders, fruit peelers, gold panners, and helpers in plantations and mining sites. They often forgo schooling and play – usual features of a child’s life – and are instead exposed to the dangers of heavy physical work, chemical pollution, and unsafe working conditions.
From March to July 2015, child laborers in various Bata Balik-Eskwela learning centers in these poor areas of Mindanao received 300 full-color storybooks.
They received two books: Message in the Sand and Five Years of Looking for Juan. The first book, written by Charmaine Aserappa and illustrated by Roel Obemio, tells the story of a boy whose protest and determination saved the sea from the pollution of a local mining company; while the second, Five Years of Looking for Juan features selected artworks and essays about what it means to be Filipino.
According to EILER, the books were brought "to far-flung rural communities with not enough paved roads and transportation system. Children who would want to go to school and receive proper education would normally walk tens of kilometers for hours back and forth to get to the nearest public school and read books, provided that the school has a library. In fact, the books from CANVAS were the first books received by child laborers, and instead of holding farm and mine equipment, the children were elated to hold and read their very own books!... Upon receiving the books, the children immediately and excitedly skimmed through the books’ pages and colorful illustrations."
We realize of course that it is difficult to know exactly how much impact these books, published and given away with your generous help, really have on the lives of the children who receive them.
At the very least, however, know that the books serve as a break from their usual reality of everyday toil. These books allow them to be kids again, even for just a fleeting moment in time. These books help to spark imagination, hope and a sense of possibility.
Seen in this light then, it is a priceless gift that the children receive from you. Thank you for your continued support and belief in the power of books and reading!
*** The Bata-Balik Eskwela Learning Centers are part of the Community-based Approach in Combating Child labor in Hazardous Industries in Plantations and Mining project. This project is funded by the European Union under the European Initiative for Human Rights and Democracy (EIDHR). It focuses on reintegrating child laborers in hazardous industries, plantation and mining to formal education through transitional non-formal learning centers where child laborers will be given the opportunity to return to formal school and exercise their basic right to education.
The local proponents of the project are the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER), the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) and the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD).
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