Teacher Dalma, a high school teacher in Mantalongon National High School, in the south of Cebu island, desperately wanted a school library for her high school. There was no room for a library, so she asked PhaseTwoCebu for books and housed them initially in her classroom, while she figured out how to create a space for school library.
Teacher Dalma’s initial communication was as follows:
“As a teacher, I am dreaming of having a library in our school which students and likewise teachers can use. I am dreaming that maybe one day, Mantalongon National High School will have one. I am willing to undergo training on how to run a library and teach students how to use the library. Unfortunately, due to the rising number of students each year, we lack classrooms. So it’s quite impossible to have a library. What we have done is each classroom has a mini library but with only a few books, whatever a teacher can provide.
Teacher Shari, I am hoping that you can help me make this dream come true. I am excited and looking forward to meeting you.”
So, we helped Teacher Dalma make her dream come true by sending 1200 books and funds to build bookcases to house the books. She commandeered a small storage room and turned it into her dream library for Mantalongon National High School.
The education landscape:
- Public education is in English in the Philippines
- The majority of schools have no books besides textbooks for children to read
- Many students learn to mechanically read but lack comprehension
- PhaseTwoCebu is attempting to fill this gap by creating small libraries for schools and community settings
- So far, we have created libraries at 77 sites and shipped 100,000 books
If you would like to contribute to this project, donate here and designate your gift for “Libraries.”
