CHILDREN lined up inside the covered court to receive school supplies, while adults sat on plastic chairs waiting to read the letters on an eye chart.
Dressed in bright Korean costumes, little boys and girls smiled before a photo-spewing camera. Others giggled as they learned to say “Good morning” in Korean.
Dozens of students from the Wongkwang Health Science University in South Korea visited the Cordova Elementary School in Cordova, Cebu yesterday morning for an outreach program.
Residents of a nearby urban poor village were also invited to the event, where they availed themselves of a free eye test and got free eyeglasses.
The university partnered with the Department of Science of Technology (DOST) 7 and the Department of Education (DepEd) 7 to distribute school supplies, learning materials, computer units and other donations.
Cultural Exchange
“By supporting the local residents, we want to strengthen the friendship between Korea and the Philippines,” said Lee Hark Jun, an official of the Wongkwang Health Science University.
Lee said the activity enabled their students, who are studying English in Cebu, to learn more about the local culture. It was the university’s second outreach activity in Cebu this year.
Aside from school supplies, the university also donated dental kits and computer units. The DOST 7 gave two desktops, a laptop, an overhead projector, books and magnifying glasses.
The Cebu Korean Community donated five sacks of rice for the school’s feeding program.
The activity was also supported by the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation-Integrated Development Center Inc., the SIGN Asia Foundation and the Philippine KOICA Fellows Association. KOICA stands for the Korea International Cooperation Agency.
Some 50 students from the Korean university participated in the outreach activity. They taught children simple Korean phrases and helped distribute sunglasses to the residents.
Long-Term Project
“This outreach program is part of their curriculum,” said Jessica Eribal, human resource manager of the university who also volunteered as part of her duties as a runner-up of the Mrs. Philippines Globe 2013.
DOST 7 Director Rene Burt Llanto said they have identified Cordova as one of the areas in Cebu that need intervention in terms of technology.
“This is a long-term project. This is just the start of the assistance we will extend to Cordova,” he said.
Crescensia Sitoy, a Grade 4 teacher and president of the Cordova Central School Teachers’ Association, said the materials will help them teach their pupils more effectively.
“Our goal is to improve our academic performance,” she said.
Dr. Caridad Labe, assistant director of DepEd 7, described the outreach program as “a very holistic intervention.”
“This is a sustained assistance with a holistic approach. Aside from the learning materials, there is also a feeding program to keep the pupils healthy,” she said.
Labe lauded the efforts of the different organizations, saying collaboration among stakeholders is important to address the problems on education.
“If we depend only on the government, nothing will happen,” she said.
