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- SMILING GIRLS: Girls in uniforms sit outside their new brightly decorated school.
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- EAGER FACES: Children learn at brightly colored tables in their new school.
Adequate schools are often scarce in many of the villages in the Philippines — a factor that contributes to continuing poverty. It is not uncommon for young children to walk several hours each way to attend school. Many of the schools that do exist are overcrowded and buildings are made from collections of bamboo and loose sheet metal with dirt floors. Although these structures are unsafe, they continue to be used because there is no alternative.
Dilapidated or overcrowded schools are not conducive environments for successful learning and academic development. Without clean, bright, well-constructed classrooms to complement competent teachers and quality learning materials, children will not be able to reach their true educational potential.
The first stage of a child’s life, from 0 to 5 years, plays a crucial role in determining chances in later life. At this age, children benefit enormously from positive interaction with adults and other children. Through good quality care, emotional and social development can all be enhanced. Furthermore, early childhood education and care offers an opportunity to lessen the effects of poverty.
In early March 2011, Barbara Carroll, president of Mission Love Seeds, met with Jane Carron of Generous Heart Ministry. Carron expressed an interest in building a school in the Philippines, but at that time Mission Love Seeds had no plans for such a project. Funds were committed to the completion of the church/multipurpose building and a library, which was to occupy the lot next to the church.
Shortly after this meeting during a mid-March 2011 trip to the Philippines, the mission team stopped by a one-room school to allow 13-year-old twin boys traveling with the team to visit a school in the Philippines and compare it with the boys’ school in the USA. The room was so small the children were crowded and sharing work space. Many of the parents were waiting outside the small school to walk their small children the long distance home. The Mission team distributed school supplies, lollipops and balloons to the children. The teacher invited the entire team to participate in the classroom activities. While the children were dismissed for recess, the team and teacher discussed the problem of the overcrowded classroom and possible solutions.
When the teacher was asked if there was a larger facility, could he teach in another location, the answer was “of course”. Our team met with the teacher again just before leaving the Philippines to finalize his employment and he committed to begin teaching in June 2011; however, there was no school building in the village of Galilee.
Upon returning from the Philippines, Mission Love Seeds did not have funds to build a school, but there was great faith that a building would be completed in time for school to start. God’s plan to build a school was already in process before the mission team left for the Philippines. When Jane Carron became aware of the opportunity to fund the school, she immediately committed to the project. A revision of the library project allowed for a daycare school/library building to be built at the existing location.
Mission Love Seeds and the people in the Philippines are truly blessed by the commitment of Generous Heart Ministry. The school was fully funded, from concrete building, steel trusses and metal roof to brightly colored bookshelves, tables, chairs, and educational murals on both the inside and outside walls. In addition, the teacher’s salary was funded for the full year. Each child received a new uniform, a backpack, books and school supplies. The building and all materials were ready by the start of the school year in June. The completed building is now used as the Galilee Daycare School/Library.
If you would like to partner with Mission Love Seeds, consider a monthly pledge to sponsor a child or a one-time donation. Contact Mission Love Seeds, Inc. at 850-650-5583.
Barbi Carroll-Hawbaker is president and co-founder, with her husband John, of Mission Love Seeds.
This article first ran in The Destin Log.
