Family advocates for change

(Second of two parts)

MANILA, Philippines — Education undeniably plays a huge part in people’s lives.  To some, however, it is a mere privilege, and this shouldn’t be the case.

The Macalintals of Oriental Mindoro, the Mallaris of Rizal, and the Castros of San Jose, California are families bound by a common mission of doing something about  the plight of others.

Serving their communities to pave the way for educational opportunities to those denied it, they are passionate about building a nation of readers and leaders, and they are doing what they can despite financial hurdles and distance.

Education For Mangyans

Alvin Macalintal was sometime a part of the Dropout Reduction Program of Aurelio Arago Memorial National High School in Oriental Mindoro, where he and his wife Rina served as public school teachers. There, they witnessed children walk as far as 25 kilometers (a five-hour one-way travel time) just to be able to sit in their classrooms. That is why they decided to allot a portion of their land to house the willing learners.

Witnessing the strong desire of the young Mangyans to learn, the couple  established the Balay Lakoy Project in 2008. They offered free housing, mentoring, and reading materials so that the Mangyan children would not need to travel far just to get basic education – effectively eliminating a major hindrance for the kids.

The husband-and-wife tandem co-manages the home, their daughter Angelica links the organization with potential partners, and the rest of the children assist in their projects and in mentoring the Mangyan students. With these efforts, as well as initiatives to harbor the support of the Mangyan parents, the Macalintal family prods the children of Oriental Mindoro to continue their quest for education.

Silid Aralan

The Mallaris, who hail from Rizal, believe in the importance of bringing out a child’s full potential. It is the family’s conviction, and the principle upon which they established Silid Aralan Inc. (SAI).

Inspired by his year-long immersion in Payatas, Arcie Mallari envisioned a foundation focused on helping underprivileged children develop the skills and confidence to perform well in school.

In 2007, he realized this vision with a learning hub in Rodriguez, Rizal, and has since opened new sites in San Mateo, Marikina, Baguio, and Cagayan de Oro.

Now with a young family, Arcie continues to gather support for his training programs designed to meet needs of learners of different levels – from non-readers to students about to embark on their professional careers.

With all members of the Mallari family putting in the time for this advocacy, SAI’s hubs continue to produce graduates who go on to conquer their dreams and aspirations inside and outside of the classroom.

No Bounds

A visit to Paniqui, Tarlac was all it took to spur Juvenal Castro and his entire family into action. After seeing gaps in education, the family pooled together funds and founded the Children’s Health-Education Fund Foundation to send aid back home.

The organization gathered textbooks, school materials, and other essentials from various donors in their area in San Jose, California, and institutionalized the help they received from year-round collection drives.

Juvenal and wife Erlin welcomed requests from schools, individuals, and organizations based in the Philippines and shipped troves of donations by the container. They shouldered the expense of the shipments, and go to great lengths with their son Jay to chip in their share for Filipino learners.

Truly, with the Castro family, compassion knows no bounds.