Dec 10, 2008

ahonfoundation.multiply.com

For more information about AHON Foundation,
please feel free to browse us at

Aug 28, 2008

If by chance you want to help the Philippines a bit more....



Hello everyone,

If by chance you want to help our country some more...
If by chance you want to build a better, stronger nation...
If by chance you'd like our underprivileged Filipino youth to grow up more capable, if not successful...
If by chance you'd like our very own kids to have a better world...

Please join hands with AHON Foundation as it strives to help Philippine public schools build and develop their own libraries.

Help bring books and children together!
Help turn bookworms into beautiful butterflies!

Visit Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street, especially on August 30, 2008 at 3:00-4:30PM and listen to Warrior of the Drums, Paul Zialcita, and Goddess of Dreams-Weaver of Words, NiƱa Terol, as they tell children's stories for the benefit of AHON Foundation.

Buy & donate books for the public school libraries through the AHON Foundation Book Registry at Fully Booked. Who knows, all you may need to spare is PhP65 for a book that will bring joy and wonderful opportunities to a child who has never seen, held, or read one!

Please feel free to share this with your friends and contacts!
Thank you very much!

Cheers from,

AHON (Acts of Hope for the Nation) Foundation
http://ahonfoundation.multiply.com
http://www.ahonfoundation.blogspot.com
ahonfoundation@yahoo.com
ahonfoundation@gmail.com
683-0262 local 106 or 109






Aug 21, 2008

AHON Foundation and Fully Booked partner for book registry project




AHON Foundation, Inc. Launches 1st Philippine Book Registry for Public Schools
by: Harvey Keh, Executive Director, AHON Foundation

Rowena is a 2nd year high school student at a public school in Metro Manila. At first glance she looks like a typical teenager who is eager to learn new things yet when she is asked to explain the meaning of a magazine article that her teacher asked her to read, she just shrugs her head and honestly tells her teacher that she cannot answer.

Rowena is just one of the hundreds of thousands of high school students in our country who are diagnosed to be "non-readers" or students who can read but have very poor comprehension skills therefore they cannot understand what they have just read. In some cases, public school teachers lament the fact that there are many students who reach high school despite the fact that they have reading comprehension skills equivalent to a Grade 3 student.

This is no longer surprising considering that many of our public schools still do not have enough textbooks and functional libraries that their students can use. When one visits a typical public school library, you will be depressed at seeing that there are very few books available for the students and if there are, most of these books were published in the 1960s and the 1970s.

This is the kind of situation that the AHON (Acts of Hope for the Nation) Foundation hopes to respond to as it launches the 1st ever Philippine Book Registry for Public Schools together with Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street in Global City, Taguig.

AHON Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the state of public education in our country by helping build well-equipped and functional public elementary and high school libraries all over the country.

Since its inception in 2006, AHON has already helped establish 16 libraries in public elementary schools in Marikina, Quezon City, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Pangasinan. These libraries which are developed by harnessing support from different members of the community are currently benefitting more than 25,000 public elementary school students. It aims to respond to the needs of other public schools in areas like Basilan, Saranggani, Agusan del Sur and other provinces.

The book registry entitled, "Turn Bookworms into Beautiful Butterflies" is found at the flagship store of Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Like a bridal registry, any well-meaning individual who hopes to help bring books to public school libraries can visit Fully Booked and select books that are needed by schools from the designated tables in the bookstore for the AHON Foundation Book Registry.

During the launch of the book registry last August 8, Fully Booked Managing Director Jaime Daez said that he is very happy with the partnership since Fully Booked shares in AHON's mission of promoting love for reading among young Filipinos.

As the keynote speaker during the launch, Ateneo de Manila University President and noted mathematician, Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J. shared with the audience his own love affair with books beginning with adventure and fairytale books written in Ilocano, and Marvel comic books too, which he read while growing up in his hometown at Bacnotan, La Union.

Fr. Nebres also stressed that books are important since they allow the youth to open their eyes to new realities and enhance their imagination. He exclaims "books are magical; they open up one's imagination!".

As the launch event drew to a close, AHON Foundation Chairman and Filway Marketing Inc. President, Hector Tagaysay stressed that since majority of Filipinos study in the public schools, there is an urgent need for everyone to work together to help improve our public school system if we want our country to move at the pace of our other Asian neighbors. More importantly, he emphasized that our country's development will not move at the pace of our private schools such as Ateneo, La Salle or Assumption rather it will move at the pace of our public school system.

Aside from Fr. Nebres, other endorsers of the book registry project include well-known talk show host, Boy Abunda and Dr. Lourdes David, Director of Ateneo de Manila's Rizal Library.

For more information about Turn Bookworms into Beautiful Butterflies, you can visit Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street or you can contact Anna Rojas at (02) 683-0262 local 109.





Watch out for the roll out of the book registries in more Fully Booked branches in the coming months.

Jun 24, 2008

Irisse Sison writes about AHON Foundation, Inc.



My Internship at AHON (Acts of Hope for the Nation) Inc.
By Irrisse Sison

I had no idea what to expect on my first day as an AHON Foundation, Inc. summer intern. Even now that I am about to say adieu, I still cannot say that I've got everything panned out together. You see, working in AHON has not permitted me to be complacent, but has taught me how to adjust. It didn't let me feel that it’s all there is to work, but it always proved to me that there's a variety of work to do, and that the work you do reaches far.

What I would first like to thank AHON for is giving me a tangible expression on how to help contribute and make a difference for the country - all these while the hours are credited as job training and I was even paid and cared for!

For the longest time, I would often feel sentimental whenever I see needy people, or hear sad stories about how someone had to stop studying because his family simply could not afford the fee anymore, or encounter statistics showing that one grubby textbook is being shared by four students in a cramped class. These feelings would linger for awhile and then be replaced by a sense of resignation, a sense telling me that this was the status quo and that there was nothing I could really do about it. It was only after I got to know my superiors in AHON that I started to see how twisted my misconception had been.

For my first day, I was tasked to help sort out the books from Isang Milyong Aklat, Isang Milyon Pangarap, a book drive project organized by AHON Foundation, together with KIDS (Kabataang Iyong Dapat Suportahan) Foundation, Inc.. The awareness alone that these books would go to the hands of children who needed them the most made the task easier and more purposeful.


I was glad to see that the activities I was engaged had significant impact because I knew that I was helping bring children and books together. Most of all, I was glad for the chance to experience and to confirm for myself, that indeed what AHON can bring smiles to the children, who for the first time had the experience of holding a book. I saw the excitement of teachers as they told me of the plans and activities they had envisioned for the kids in their new library. I see the pride of the school's shareholders as they knew that they had together succeeded in developing a library from scratch.


I feel a sense of fulfilment that I have become part of this role, this fruitful endeavor of not just bringing books, but restoring pride, hope, and education in the neediest places in the Philippines.

Lastly, I learned that you need not be a great hotshot to be able to do much. In almost all cases (as with mine), you just need to give it a shot.


Thank you AHON, for the very memorable 200 hours!


Apr 17, 2008

Behind the scenes: learn more about AHON and its coordinators

Get to know more about one of AHON's newest program officer, Anna Rojas.



Click on link below to read the feature article about her from the Ateneo Alumni Association site on how she found her way to becoming an instrument of hope for many students in the country.

http://www.ateneoalumniassociation.org/

Apr 1, 2008

BUILDING A MILLION DREAMS

by: Cecille Catherine A. Bautista

When I started working with AHON in May 2006, everything was merely ‘ideas’. What we had then was a simple dream – to give public school children a chance for a better life through the gift of education.

Realizing the significant role that books play in the formation of a child’s knowledge and values, we focused our efforts to giving our beneficiaries access to relevant learning opportunities by assisting the schools and communities in developing their libraries. Being part of the start-up team of AHON Foundation, I witnessed how our goals and plans slowly unraveled into tangible and worthy projects.

We were off to a good start. A year and a half since we began this mission and we have already adopted 8 public school libraries – transformed them into magnificent and functional libraries filled with quality books and other useful learning materials. No more dusty shelves, dilapidated shelves, and tattered and obsolete books. This was made possible through the help of Filway Marketing, Inc. and the incredible support we got from the community members. Local officials, parents, teachers, volunteers, and even the pupils themselves all contributed to refurbish their libraries.

Whoever said bayanihan no longer exists hasn’t met our beneficiaries yet.

Inspired by the success we’ve had the past year, we decided to embark on a bigger and more ambitious challenge. Together with K.I.D.S. Foundation, Campaigns and Grey, and Pizza Hut, we have launched Isang Milyong Aklat, Isang Milyong Pangarap – a yearlong campaign to raise at least ONE MILLION BOOKS for the benefit of the poorest public schools in the country.

We created this campaign in an effort to invite Filipinos everywhere to donate books and volunteer their time in making sure that public school children can have access to a wealth of knowledge that can be found in reading books. It was launched last July on Diether Ocampo’s birthday celebration at A.S.A.P on ABS-CBN. Diether is the President of our partner organization K.I.D.S. Foundation and is also our main spokesperson for our campaign.

What’s great about Isang Milyong Aklat, Isang Milyong Pangarap is we made donating books easier and more accessible. We have drop boxes located at over 30 Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut Bistro, Taco Bell, and Dairy Queen branches in Metro Manila. We also pick up book donations in bulk. Donors can also bring the books directly to our office in Libis, Quezon City or at Filway branches in Lipa City, Naga City, Iloilo, Cebu City, Davao City, and Cagayan de Oro. Donating books has never been this easy!

Our excitement about our new endeavor was met with enthusiasm and outright support from different individuals we do not even know. Emails and phone calls not only from Metro Manila but also from as far as Canada, United States, and the Middle East started to pour in. It was totally overwhelming and inspiring. We realized we were not alone in our advocacy.

A few months since we began our mission, I’m delighted to share with you great news that we’ve gathered around 200,000 reading materials from organizations, schools, and private individuals! The support we’ve been getting makes us even more aggressive with our campaign and gives us the courage to hurdle the challenges we encounter along the way.

Another great surprise is the recognition that we’ve been getting from commendable institutions in the media. We have been featured by PCIJ, Manila Standard Today, and Probe at ABS-CBN. I’d like to think this is an affirmation that we’re doing something worthy. Like what Emil Jurado said in his column, what we are doing might be small considering the number of poor children in the country but it is with little things that we begin to make a difference.

Aside from books, we are also raising volunteers to help us in pick up books from our partner establishments, assist us in events, and organize book drive in their own office, community, or school. We are also gearing up for our Isang Milyong Aklat Day on December 8 at The Fort. This event includes a mini book fair and lots of fun filled activities for kids and adults alike. People can also bring their book donations at the event and be part of this worthy cause. This is our way of celebrating the holiday seasons – by encouraging people to share the gift of knowledge.

We’re still a long way from our goal but we are positive that through the help of more people, we’re going to sail through this endeavor with flying colors. It has been a very rewarding experience and we are committed to keep the fire burning until we reach our goal – 1 million books for thousands, even millions of deserving children!

I can’t wait to see the sweet smiles on the children’s faces the moment we distribute the books. I have experienced that many times with our past beneficiaries in AHON but being with the children and seeing their eyes widen with excitement is something I would always look forward to. At the end of a tiring day, what keeps me going is the thought that I’m part of the team that is helping build a million dreams.
What could be better than that?


*Cecille Bautista was a former program officer for AHON Foundation. She pioneered the library build projects of the organization in Marikina area.

Mar 10, 2008

First Provincial AHON Library Launch

The very first provincial library launch for an adopted libary of AHON Foundation was held last March 10, 2008 in a historic event at the Calaba Elementary School in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija.


The Calaba Elementary School, with more than 620 elementary students, will now enjoy over PhP 500 million pesos worth of brand new Time-Life books donated by Filway Marketing thru AHON Foundation, and its partners, A Better Chance Foundation, and Uniworld Inc.



The new Calaba Elementary School library was practically set up in less than 2 weeks through the untiring joint efforts of the local community under the leadership of their Honorable Mayor Sonia R. Lorenzo, the Dep Ed District Supervisor, Mr. Ricardo Badiola; the FPTCA President Kgd. Francis R. Ibanez, barangay captain, other local government officials, the parent-teacher council, and other community members.


The Calaba Elementary School Principal, Mrs. Alona S. Sta. Ines, coordinated this project with the AHON Foundation team, spearheaded by Donna Odra and Val Buenaventura. Mrs. Sta. Ines welcomed the special guests for the occasion with beaming smiles--her happiness resonating that of her community's excitement & gladness at their school's new library.
















Energizing the library launch more with the announcement of additonal support for the community, via a donation of about 200 pairs of eye glasses for those who will need them, was Mr. Lewis A. Edwards, Founder/Chairman of A Better Chance (ABC) Foundation. The mission of his foundation is to provide scholarships for the poor, among many other social development projects. With Mr. Edwards was his team composed of Project Director Hidie Niedo and Coordinator, Maricris Encarnacion. Also present during the festivities were VP for Marketing of Filway Marketing, Inc., Ms. Valerie Valena and Marketing staff, Melanie Renales.

Towards the end of the heartwarming program, Mr. Harveh Keh, Executive Director for AHON Foundation, turned over the books ceremonially to the president of the student council, who represented the excited students, eager to read the books for the very first time.


The eyes of the elementary pupils simply twinkled at the sight of so many colorful and hard-bound books in their new library. The younger kids rushed towards shelves with storybooks about animals and planets, while the older school children moved excitedly towards the reference books on various topics on Science, Social Studies, Reading, etc.



Due to the success of this project, Mayor Sonia Lorenzo and the other principals believe this experience can be replicated with their respective schools in the district. Everyone agreed that there is no greater joy than to see for oneself the wonderful fruits of the bayanihan spirit at work in the community.


Talks are underway for similar projects in the future. With a growing circle of friends and supporters, not only of AHON Foundation, but of the local communities as well, such dreams will not be too far from reality.


The Calaba Elementary School library was the 11th public elementary school library adopted by AHON Foundation in less than two years. The list of the other elementary school (ES) libaries inaugurated since May 2006 is as follows:

  1. Industrial Valley ES ( August 8, 2006)

  2. Concepcion ES (November 14, 2006)

  3. Malanday ES (February 26, 2007)

  4. San Roque ES (April 18, 2007)

  5. GSIS Village ES (September 13, 2007)

  6. Batasan Hills ES (September 20, 2007)

  7. San Bartolome ES (September 25, 2007)

  8. Lucas Pascual ES (October 4, 2007)

  9. Payatas B-Annex ES (December 12, 2007)

  10. 15th Avenue, Cubao ES (February 20, 2007)

  11. Calaba ES, Nueva Ecija (March 10, 2008)

  12. Old Balara ES (March 14, 2008)

Jan 23, 2008

thank you!

we would like to thank the ff:

Asian Development Bank (courtesy of mr. jun de jesus)
Ms. Joyce Dy
Soundscope Marketing (courtesy of ms. joyce dy)
St. Augustine Publishing (courtesy of ms. joyce dy)

Jan 16, 2008

thank you!

we'd like to thank the following for their donations:

ms. ma. angela c. parma
ms. melissa young
xavier school
ms. hazel ann luzentales and B&M global services, inc.
all those who donated books at pizza hut, pizza hut bistro, taco bell, and dairy queen branches..


keep them coming! ;)

and to our partners and participants at the Isang Milyong Aklat, Isang Milyong Pangarap event at Market Market last December 15...




Dec 14, 2007

Christmas Benefactors

We would like to thank the following benefactors for our AHON Christmas Card Project:

Ms. Anna Lopez
Mr. Martin Lopez, Sinagtala
Ms. Anna Lim
Dr. Didith Rodrigo
Ms. Anna Lim
Ms. Christine Susanto
Ms. Daphne Odra
Prof. Jose Faustino
Mr. JR Labadan
Mr. Ret Tan
Ms. Leam Agustin
Mr. Jeff Galan
Ms. Jill Villanueva
Mr. Aryan Antoni
Mr. Kelvin Faderan
Mr. Rommel Rico
Mr. Bryan Makasiar
Ms. Shikha Kumari
Ms. Isshin Cajoles
Ms. Maya Perez
Ms. Honey Bautista
Mr. Javy Bautista
Ms. Maricar Balcos
Ms. Mich Martirez
Ms. Kate Li
Ms. Roselyn Ombao
Ms. Jenny Felipe
Mr. Francis Reyes
Ms. Chaka Bakunawa
Ms. Christine Susanto
Ms. Shikha Kumari
Ms. Nora Tupas
Mr. Jonathan Gener
Mr. Ivan Mandy
Ms. Lilia Amincho
Ms. Christine Carpio
Ms. Lauren Ello
Mr. Lewis Edwards
Mr. Shievar Bolipata
Mr. Mark Dimal
Ms Romela Ramos
Ms. Angeline Go
Ms. Karen Santos
Mr. Bam Mejia