LEYTE – A non-governmental organization called Save the Children, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Department of Education, celebrated the return of children to school in central Philippines, in major step of recovery after super typhoon Haiyan.
Across some of the hardest hit areas schools re-opened, welcoming back children, some of whom have been out of school since the typhoon made landfall in November.
More than 3,000 schools, providing an education to over 1 million pupils, were damaged by Haiyan, with school books and learning materials being destroyed or swept away. Save the Children’s priority has been to set up temporary learning spaces to provide safe places for children to learn and allow them to restore some sense of normalcy.
Save the Children teams on the ground have also been clearing debris from schools and training teachers to provide the care and support children need following the shock of the typhoon.
In San Rafael school in Leyte’s Dulag town, Save the Children provided stationary to children returning to school and in Dulag Central, it organized a ceremony for over 400 pupils, where representatives from the Department of Education addressed the crowds and children performed songs and dances.
“The return of children to school today marks a great achievement in the continued recovery of communities from the devastating effects of Yolanda. Returning to learning after such a terrifying ordeal is crucial for children’s well-being. Save the Children will continue to work around the clock to distribute essential teaching and learning materials and support schools to provide a quality education to children,” Ned Olney, Save the Children’s Country Director in the Philippines, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
A nine-year old pupil, Sun, who was among those who returned to Dulag Central school said: “I am so happy to come back to school today – I get to see all my teachers and classmates again. I know my future will be ok if I can continue with my education.”
Rowena Vical, Central Principal of San Jose School, which also re-opened and has received support from Save the Children said, “education is so important – many of the families here are poor but education is the one thing we can share with our children. If children are educated they can stand on their own two feet and have a future.”
Save the Children works in 120 countries and has been working in the Philippines for over 30 years.
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