ILovetoRead!

For a boy named after a rock band, Bon Jovi Roldan spent the first decade of his life blending into the background. In class, he sat in a corner, hardly ever participating in group activities. There was nothing physically wrong with him. Save the Children’s Tere de Jesus, a social worker, was instantly struck by the beautiful boy whose only handicap was that he could not read.

His name was the only thing Bon Jovi could read and write. He could not recognize letters or make letter sounds. Words meant nothing. That he still managed to go to school was a blessing. Unfortunately, one can’t get far without knowing how to read.

Bon Jovi’s story is tragic but not uncommon. Our public school system is so over-burdened with problems that it is no longer shocking–it is simply a reality.

Old Balara Elementary School is a prime example. Located a short distance from the state university in Diliman, its teacher-student ratio is a staggering 1:55. The student population of 3,556 makes do with a campus that only has space for 26 classrooms and five instructional rooms. The school runs a three-shift schedule.

On a hot Saturday morning in February, we visit the school, obviously old but functional and clean. We are told that Bon Jovi is somewhere on the grounds playing with his classmates. He is a completely different boy, Tere happily reports, sounding like a proud mother. Today marks what is essentially his last day of "special" school.

What seemed like the impossible happened in a brief three months. Bon Jovi Roldan learned how to read–and that has made all the difference in the world.

Making a difference was not easy. It required a joint effort of the Department of Education, school officials, parents, community volunteers and the private sector, led by Citibank and a group aptly called Save the Children.

This international ngo seeks to create lasting, positive change in the lives of children in need. It has been working with disadvantaged and underserved communities in the Philippines for over two decades, implementing innovative com-munity- and school-based programs focused on children’s education and health needs. A key feature of many of its education initiatives is the involvement of parents, community volunteers and other stakeholders. Citibank in turn supported the literacy campaign targeting slow readers and non-readers in grades one to three of Old Balara Elementary School. The "I Love to Read" program ran for 16 weeks from November to February.

"Reading is such a basic skill for every student," stresses Jeanette Ng-Lim, assistant vice president for public relations and communications. "You cannot say that’s only for English subjects because even for Math, if you don’t know how to read instructions, you’ll never get by. And without reading, you have no comprehension. Statistics show that if it’s not corrected, they either drop out of school or, sometimes, what’s worse is that they graduate because they’re able to get by."

That was exactly how Bon Jovi’s story would have run if his third grade teacher, Sol Castro, did not intervene. The truth is, without her persistence, he wouldn’t have been chosen as one of the 230 students of the "I Love to Read" project.

"I wasn’t keen on including him since there were already over 500 names on my list," Tere admits. "When I first met him, I couldn’t even hear him speak. I had to personally conduct the test on him since he needed motivation. At talagang napaka-depressing ng results niya considering he was already in Grade 3. He actually scored 0 in several categories. What made him special was the fact that he was among the oldest in the group and he still didn’t know how to read."

Bon Jovi became Tere’s personal crusade. She doubled her efforts in locating his mother, and exerted every effort to convince her, even cutting the daily home reading sessions from an hour to only 30 minutes.

"Eventually, he improved a lot," she relates. "To his credit, even if he was anti-social, he always showed up. After the eighth week, I noticed that he was already playing with other kids and greeting me. His social skills developed. I was also happy to see that he scored quite high in the post test. His teacher told me recently that he no longer sits by himself. Now, he is so talkative and inquisitive. Mrs. Castro says she doesn’t mind as long as he can read. Even his mother saw how much he benefited from this. In fact, she cried while thanking me for the changes in her son. Hindi daw kasi niya inaasahan. She even admitted that she was not consistent with their reading sessions since she had to work so hard for the family. And yet, he improved."

We are committed to make each community a better place because we are there," explains Nina Aguas, Citibank’s country manager. "And we have such an opportunity with ‘I Love To Read’. With this program, we are making a difference in the lives of children and their families, giving them hope for a brighter future. Education is a great leveler, and we want to equip the those taking part in ‘I Love To Read’ the skills they need to become better students and, later on in life, become better citizens, for someday they will run our country."

Funding for "I Love to Read" came from the New York-based Citi Groups Foundation. First hurdle was finding an ngo focused on educational projects. Save the Children’s Basa Para sa Bata program. Added bonus was Citi Group Foundation’s past collaboration with the ngo.

Next on the agenda was finding a school to adopt. Old Balara Elementary stood out from the other public schools in Quezon City (area was limited to the vicinity of the Citibank office in Libis) since it had twice the number of students falling in the category of slow readers and non-readers. Screening of students, orientation of parents and recruitment and training of volunteers had to be done in preparation for the project itself.

Over 200 school children from grades one to three were chosen to participate in the program. They were provided with home reading kits containing flash cards, reading booklets, magnetic letters, writing pads and pencils.

Each child was expected to spend an hour each day to master the lessons with the guidance of a parent, sibling or, in cases wherein the immediate family members also had reading difficulties, a neighbor. Mobile libraries with over 200 titles were available throughout the week with community volunteers serving as librarians. "I Love to Read" Saturdays had children playing games, doing puzzles and reading story books–a reflection of the daily learning done at home.

Actually, some students and their parents refused to participate in the project. The reasons were understandable: weekends were sacred, the only two days of the week that kids could help earn a living. After all, they already devote five days to school.

Despite the optimism shared by the Citibank volunteers (none of whom received compensation aside from snacks and transportation allowance), it was not smooth sailing all the way. Rapport with students did not develop instantly. The first six sessions went discouragingly slow, with very little class participation and irregular attendance. Fortunately, things soon took a turn for the better midway through the project, and kids started joining in on discussions, looking forward to their weekly meetings. By then, attendance had shot up to 100 percent.

Reports school principal Dr. Pacita Manga: "The most encouraging feedback from teachers is knowing that those pupils who had difficulty before are now learning their lessons well. As for parents, their initial reaction was lukewarm. But as the program took off, they became more responsive, having realized the beneficial effects that the program offers. Certainly, for both parents and children, it is an experience they would cherish."

Having developed a love for reading, volunteers realized that the school needed a library. Funding from the New York foundation only covered the literacy project itself so pledges for financial and book donations were accepted during the last Christmas season.

In time, Citibank employees raised the needed amount to convert two classrooms into a library with enough books to keep the children coming back. There are even two computers also donated by Citibank.

Books may fade and computers may fail, but what will always remain is the legacy of reading. Citibank’s marketing director Cecille Fonacier believes the project’s contribution goes much deeper than the obvious.

"We pray that ‘I Love To Read’ will help raise awareness for students who are non-readers and slow readers enrolled in early grades in public schools. Left unchecked, the students may drop out of school, or become underachievers. And at their young age, it is too soon for them to give up."

Bon Jovi has a long way to go before graduating from elementary. After that, his challenge will be moving on to high school and college. But because there were people who cared enough not to give up, he now has a real chance at a good life.