Davis Projects for Peace | Notre Dame of Maryland University | Project in Caibiran, Philippines | May 21- June 17 Name of Project: Aklatan Ng Pag-Asa: Library of Hope Participants: Micah Castelo (Filipina, Junior, English and communication arts major, women’s studies minor, native Tagalog speaker, NDMU); Lorelie Soriano (Filipina, Sophomore, biology major, history minor, native Tagalog speaker, NDMU) Project Summary President Barack Obama once said that knowledge is power and unlocks the gates of opportunity and success, especially for children. This message inspired us to spread knowledge and provide educational resources for children in Caibiran, Biliran. Our project is to construct the first official library of Caibiran Central School. The city of Caibiran is located in the eastern Visayas region of the Philippines and faced destruction in 2013 after Typhoon Haiyan. Since then, the community has been working to reestablish its village. However, the loss from the hurricane still resonates with the children in Caibiran today. We hope that by constructing a library with access to books and a computer, the children of Caibiran will experience a new, regained hope and focus their energy on learning. The library will provide the children access to new tools for success, offer entertainment through reading and educational computer games, and unite the members of the community in building a source of joy and knowledge for the children. Background The Philippines is an archipelago in southeast Asia made up of more than 7,000 islands. Due to its geography, it has become one of the most susceptible countries to natural disasters such as typhoons and hurricanes. An average of 20 tropical storms enter the country’s area each year, with eight to nine making landfall. On November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. Haiyan has been described as the strongest typhoon to make landfall in recorded history, with winds that reached up to 195 miles per hour. Haiyan has killed an estimated number of 6,300 people, displaced nearly 4 million people, and damaged or destroyed around 1.1 million homes. Other problems include the spread of diseases and infection, shortages on food, clean water, and adequate shelters, increased poverty, and the lack of medical help. Caibiran is a sub-province of Biliran, Leyte, a part of the eastern Visayas region affected by Haiyan. It has a total population of 24,877 and relies mostly on agriculture and fishing to sustain its rural community. But due to the destruction from Typhoon Haiyan, many children have seen their school in shambles. Caibiran Central School, a school with 1,476 pupils and 51 teachers, is one of them. Although the government has assisted them in reconstructing main buildings, the school still lacks supplies and materials to maintain a good education for the children. Many are still affected by the horrors of the typhoon. Caibiran Central School’s mission is to “provide quality education that is accessible to all and lay the foundation of life-long learning and service for the common good.” However, due to lack of funds, they do not have an official library. By constructing a library at Caibiran Central School, we are helping to further their mission by providing children the support and hope they need, especially after the devastation they experienced from Typhoon Haiyan. Project Description and Objectives Our project is to build a small library at Caibiran Central School. The school is in dire need of a library because the children are lacking the activities, support, and funding they need to have a quality education. The children have to rely on their school because their own families are still facing the negative realities after the typhoon—lack of adequate shelter, medical help, and food. The library will be a small addition to the main school building. It will include bookcases filled with books appropriate for elementary age children. These books will be collected by us through book drives and donations. The library will also have tables and chairs for students to spend time reading or writing. There will also be a computer with Internet access and basic programs such as educational games and word processing tools for children to explore and enjoy. Our project has several objectives including: a) building an official library at Caibiran Central School, b) providing new educational resources and activities to children affected by Typhoon Haiyan, c) engaging the community in a project that benefits the village youth, d) encouraging families to get involved in their children’s education, and e) giving the villagers hope to move forward after the destruction of their community. In order to have a sustainable project, we will be working closely with St. James the Apostle Church, a parish located in Caibiran. This parish has a strong relationship with the community and has helped in rebuilding important facilities in Caibiran after Typhoon Haiyan. They will help us with the Davis Projects for Peace | Notre Dame of Maryland University | Project in Caibiran, Philippines | May 21- June 17 actual construction of the library and provide us with contacts. We will also be working with Naresh R. Sanosa, the principal of Caibiran Central School, and the education department of Caibiran in getting the permits required and having the right people to monitor the library after we leave. Lorelei also has relatives in the Leyte region who are close with the parish, including Tita Siozon, an experienced school teacher. She will guide us as we communicate with the leaders of the education department and the parish in Caibiran. As Filipina women, we both feel strongly about helping those in need in our home country. We both grew up in the Philippines and understand how lacking the education system is. With national disasters, it becomes even worse for children who are already dealing with the effects of the typhoon back at home. We believe that our skills and knowledge, combined with our connections, the participation of the Caibiran community, and support from the Davis Projects for Peace as well as our own institution, will make this project succeed. Projected Timeline December – January: Contact Tita Siozon, the leaders of St. James the Apostle Church, and Caibiran Central School to discuss the steps in building a library. Find the contacts needed such as construction workers, community volunteers, and interested teachers. Research materials needed, how to start a book drive, and other fundraising ideas. Create a running to-do list of things we need to achieve for the project. February: Keep in contact with the parish, school, and volunteers in planning the construction of the library and getting permits required. Create a more specific timeline. Start fundraising projects in our own communities in the U.S. Conduct a book drive at our churches and our school. Figure out when the library will be open to Caibiran Central School’s students. March: Continue project organization and communication with leaders in Caibiran. Start hiring construction workers and architects based on contacts and recommendation from the community. Create a list of volunteers and start scheduling them along with a meal plan with the help of the parish. Begin transferring funds for the purchase of construction materials. Finalize all permits. April: Finish the collection of elementary school level books and materials for the library. Plan daily construction efforts with the recommended professionals in Caibiran. Research information on computers and how to build one. Relate information to educators at the school and communicate with them to organize the implementation of one with Internet access. Send books and first aid materials to Caibiran. Create a more realistic meal plan with records of how much food we need each week. Early May: Complete all fundraising efforts. Set up meetings with the parish, school, and volunteers to discuss our projected timeline and what needs to be done for the project. Create a more specific work schedule based on the suggestion of construction professionals and community volunteers. Plan the smaller projects of this bigger project and what we hope to accomplish each day. May 21: Arrive in Caibiran. May 22 – 26: Meet with the leaders and volunteers in Caibiran and start the construction of the library. Start finding and purchasing items for the library including tables, chairs, bookcases, and a computer. Continue to find volunteers as needed. May 27 – June 16: Continue with construction efforts. Help volunteers with making meals for construction workers. Start training Caibiran Central School’s teachers in the library operations. Have a celebration with everyone involved with the project before we leave. June 17: Return to the U.S. Late June – August: Continue to oversee construction with the help of Tita Siozon and communication with leaders from the U.S. until completion. Evaluate the project and create a report draft. Submit our analysis. August – September: Send thank you letters to donators and those who helped us with the project. Create a Power Point presentation on the project to present at our school and churches. Expected Outcomes Caibiran Central School has never had a library before. We hope that having a library will bring a sense of joy and a thirst for knowledge to the children in Caibiran. Many of these children are still dealing with Haiyan’s effects. Having a library can give them the time and resources they dream of to participate in various recreational activities such as reading and writing. Also, we believe that a library can advance literacy in Caibiran and encourage other schools to start fundraising efforts in improving the quality of their libraries. Lastly, we hope that community relations will be stronger after working together on a project that benefits their future leaders.