UNDERPRIVILEGED kinder one (K-1) students of Poo Elementary School in Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City has been named the latest beneficiary of “Alimbukad: Basa Pamilya,” a program developed by Wi Suan Tiu of Zonta Club of Cebu II, and has been adopted by the club as a continuing project to further its goal to uplift the status of women and children.
Initiated in July 2013, Alimbukad was piloted in Barangay Capitol, Cebu City, with 25 daycare families as participants. Today, the program has expanded to include Poo ES in Olango Island and Guadalupe ES in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.
Alimbukad’s main goal is to promote daily reading at home and to empower parents to boost their children’s learning potential by making books an integral part of their lives.
>Children from low-income families are less likely to have exposure to books at home. It is not enough to tell parents to read aloud to their children. In the absence of adequate library services in the schools and the community, low-income parents face a brick wall and are left empty-handed.
Alimbukad addresses this problem with the “rotating book bags.”
For Poo ES, there are 100 book bags, each bag containing seven age-appropriate picture books. These book bags rotate weekly among the participating families.
In return, parents pledge to spend at least 15 minutes a day reading aloud to their children.
Alimbukad also features monthly hour-long parent training sessions where parents will learn effective read aloud tips, positive discipline techniques, interactive play and oral language activities between parents and children. They will also learn nursery rhymes, songs and educational games.
At the end of the parents training session is the parent and child together (Pact) activity, which is usually literature based. During the activity, parents and their children are guided on how to play and work together as a team.
Fueled by the desire to encourage and improve the reading abilities of young students, Zontian Bernadette Aboitiz funded the Poo ES Alimbukad program.
In preparation for the implementation of Alimbukad in Poo ES, a summer workshop was conducted by program director, Suan Tiu, in April and May 2014.
Though, Alimbukad was only implemented this year in K-1 levels, all Poo ES teachers volunteered to participate in the summer training program.
Through the leadership of Poo ES principal Zenaida Abrasada and her teachers, Alimbukad was launched last July 22. Monthly sessions are ongoing throughout the school year.
Alimbukad: Basa Pamilya works in partnership with the Cebu City Public Library, Department of Education Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City divisions. The program is primarily funded by members of Zonta Club of Cebu II and donations from friends, including those from the United States of America; cash donation from Jardine Distribution Inc. for Alimbukad Guadalupe ES; Childlink Learning Center donated hundreds of books and pledged to continue its support of the program through annual books donation.
Individuals may donate to Alimbukad’s Adopt-a-Family program for P2,500 per family. This amount will provide one year supply of books, parents training and Pact materials and snacks.
c/o WanderLanes Travel
Ginza Place
old Banilad Road, Banilad
Cebu City 6000, Philippines
Copyright © 2012. Zonta International Cebu II - Cebu City, Philippines