It takes 4 hours by car to get to Cuyapo Central School in
Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija. From the main highway, you take a right into a little road
you would not notice unless you’re looking for it, and you begin to follow this
thoroughfare where you see more tractors than cars. As you make your way down
this road, houses begin to appear farther and farther away from each other, and
soon you find yourself driving beside rice fields that seem to extend on and
on. And just when you feel that you might’ve taken a wrong turn, you arrive in
the little town of Cuyapo.
Despite it being located in a small town, Cuyapo Central
School has a student population of 800. To be able to accommodate all their
students in their classrooms they have both morning and afternoon sessions. But
despite the lack in the number of classrooms, the campus of Cuyapo Central
School is a nice one. They have a nice gym, a sprawling field, and a cafeteria.
The only thing that Cuyapo Central School lacked was a library.
Our friends from Books for a Cause actually recommended
Cuyapo Central School as a partner to AHON Foundation. Before our partnership,
Cuyapo Central School only had a simple room with a humble collection of books
that functioned as their library. But within a span of one month, they were
able to create a reading space that was unrecognizable from the very first time
we visited their school.
Under the tutelage of Dr. Cristina Miranda, principal of
Cuyapo Central School, the faculty and administrators were able to acquire
enough resources to give their library a new look. They are especially thankful
for their school’s Parents Association that helped them every step of the way.
With the money they were able to raise, they painted the tables, chairs, and
shelves, and covered all four walls with colorful murals depicting cartoon
characters as well as quotes inspiring children to read. When we arrived on the
day of the inauguration, their library was a shining example of what a library
should be. The only thing it lacked were students to use this!
But the students did excitedly pile into the library after
the short but meaningful inauguration took place. Once the ribbon of the
library was cut, and this declared officially open, children rushed towards the
shelves to grab a book for reading. As the four walls of the library were
filled with excited chatter of the students, Ma’am Jackie, Cuyapo Central
School’s OIC, thanked us for the library we developed. We replied to her
telling her that she was very welcome, but without the work that they as a
school put in, there wouldn’t be a library either.
Congratulations Cuyapo Central School! We hope that the
library we developed together will inspire your children to dream!
Visit www.ahonfoundation.org
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