Aside from providing scholarship grants to indigent but deserving students in Metro Manila, Tzu Chi Philippines reinforces its Mission of Charity by also providing educational assistance to two public schools in Silang, Cavite.

It could be remembered that Silang, Cavite Mayor Clarito Poblete took the initiative to know more about the Tzu Chi Foundation by visiting its main office last May 12, 2009. The meeting nevertheless turned out to be a consolidated bond of two parties aiming to alleviate the sufferings of people, especially the underprivileged in Silang, Cavite.

June 16, 2009 marked the first gesture of Tzu Chi’s compassion to the students of Silang as 10 of its volunteers headed to Maguyam Elementary School (MES) and Kaong National High School (KNHS) to bring general reference books and materials, which would be very useful not only to the students but to the members of the faculty as well.

The libraries in Maguyam Elementary School and Kaong National High School were scarce with books and other reading materials. If there are any, they are not anymore fitting to use. The pages and covers of the English dictionary and encyclopedias were already torn and faded. The other books were already in old versions and could not be used for updated studies. There were only a handful of books to be distributed among a multitude of students.

“The students researched from the books distributed by the Department of Education. There are also students who just research from the magazines they have at home. There are times they go to classes with their home works left undone because they did not have reference materials to research on. It was also difficult for the children because when one borrows a book, there will be nothing left for others. We sought help but it would take a longer time before our request would be approved because if we are given books, all the other public schools must be given too,” Mrs. Eleanor Dimalanta, KNHS Librarian and also a teacher in Values Education, explained.

Tzu Chi volunteers helped to resolve this problem of lack of reference materials as they donated three complete volumes of encyclopedia; English dictionary, educational magazines such as Readers’ Digest and National Geographic; classic literature pocket books; and other religious books such as the Bible and the Buddhist publications.

“Thank you very much to Tzu Chi because with your help, we could learn more. Before, there were only Filipino books in the library, now there are more English books that we could read,” Michael Joshua Jaurigue, grade-five student at MES shared.

“What you have given to the children are very important and helpful to their studies. The encyclopedia and the books of William Shakespeare like Macbeth and Hamlet will improve their way of studying. They have only watched it, now they can thoroughly read and know the stories better, Mrs. Zenaida Medrana, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of KNHS said.

June 30, 2009 was another happy and meaningful day for the students of (MES) and (KNHS), because of the valuable lessons and donations compassionately given by the volunteers of Tzu Chi Foundation.

Two hundred twenty six underprivileged students of MES received bags and new school supplies such as notebooks, pencil case, pencils, crayons, and pad papers. Out of these students, 120 females and 106 males received a complete set of new uniforms. On the other hand, 316 students of KNHS were able to acquire bags, gray t-shirts and jogging pants for their Physical Education subject and school supplies such as notebooks, pencils and pad papers.

The list of students who were able to receive the items donated by Tzu Chi Foundation was based on the recommendation of the faculty of the said public schools, while the items distributed to the students are in response to their needs which are based on the survey conducted by the Tzu Chi volunteers.

“The local government, under Mayor Clarito Poblete, and the entire City Council of Silang, is grateful for all the help that Tzu Chi Foundation is giving us. I know that this is only the beginning and that there will be more blessings that Tzu Chi Foundation will share to the people of Silang, thus, we sincerely thank you for your kind hearts,” said Gigi Loyola, Councilor and President of the Commission on Education. “These students really need the donations you have given them because most of them come from poor families.”

On that day, Tzu Chi volunteers spearheaded a short program in MES in the morning, followed by another gathering for the students of KNHS in the afternoon. Tzu Chi volunteers had a chance to share priceless teachings, not only to the students, but also to the parents, teachers and guests in attendance.

At the end of each of the programs, students and teachers of MES and KNHS expressed their gratitude to Tzu Chi Foundation by offering the volunteers fresh fruits and vegetables. One by one, the students and teachers earnestly presented the crops to the volunteers, while the volunteers gave them hugs and sweet smiles in exchange.

“This is our way of thanking Tzu Chi for all the help that you have given us. We feel very happy because you made a lot of students and parents really happy. Thank you very much, Master Cheng Yen,” MES’ principal Anacleta Incognito said.