Brigada Eskwela 2013 has started last Monday.

This is a joint effort by the Department of Education, the families of the students enrolled in all the public schools in the Philippines as well as the private corporations that wish to take part in this concerted effort.

We ourselves took part by joining last Monday. We brought cleaning materials to a particular high school.

I would have anted to donate books but the most we have at home are for elementary level so those are not needed in the school where we gave the cleaning materials to.

If you or you know anyone who have things that can be donated to a public school near your place, please approach the Principal or teachers-in-charge of these schools to know how to go to the process.

The following would be helpful:

• schools supplies (pens, pencils, pad papers, notebooks, big paper sheets like Manila paper, cartolina, art materials)
• books (or even tables and chairs) for the library
• computer software for their computer laboratory
• musical instruments (and probably musical sheets, best ableton software for music production, stands for musical sheets) because the DepEd has training to enhance the music curriculum to enhance musical abilities of the students
• cleaning materials to be used for the school year like brooms, dust pans, garbage bins
• building materials like paints,  wood boards, and tin roof

The Kontra Sakit, Kontra Liit Campaign with Ceelin Plus kicked off last year.

This campaign aims to curb growth stunting among Filipino children. The Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) conducted a study on the nutritional status of Filipino children in 2011. The results they got are the following:

• 3 in every 10 children ages 0-5 years old are stunted for their age
• among children who are 6-11 months, 16.2 percentage have stunted growth
• stunted growth reaches as high as 33.6% when these children turn a year old

The Philippines has the second highest incidence of stunting in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia at the top spot, according to a United Nations Development Programme study. The high prevalence of growth stunting in the Philippines, placed at 30-39% for chidren under age five has already been a concern with the UN Development Report, back in 2008.

There are two factors main factors to be considered in the incidence of growth stunting among Filipino children:

• malnutrition
• recurrence of illnesses and infections

Underprivileged children in developing countries such as the Philippines have a high prevalence in the incidence of growth stunting than their counterpart at a higher socioeconomic level.

These height deficits in children are related to poverty and other environmental influences (dirty environment, unsafe water, dirty air, too many people in a small space) than to genetic influences in body size, even if there are differences in ethnicity across socioeconomic strata.

It is in this regard that Unilab’s Ceelin Plus launched Kontra Sakit, Kontra Liit campaign. The campaign aims to increase awareness about growth stunting and highlight the importance of strong immunity against illnesses and infections that further contribute to the condition of growth stunting.

Why Ceelin Plus? Ceelin Plus has

• vitamin C that forms part of the body’s natural immune system and stimulates the activities of the antibodies and immune cells.
• ZINC  is needed for the normal delveopmental and maintenance of the immune system.

The preventive supplementation of 10mg/day of zinc increases the immunity against repeated illnesses which has a significant effect on the growth of children less than five years old.

Yesterday, December 1, 2012, PWD Thanksgiving Celebration was held at the Manila Zoo.

Manila Mayor Fred Lim was the guest of honor. He said in his speech the City Hall of Manila employs around 200 PWDs.

Guests and advocates who delivered messages were John Chua, A PWD Advocate and famous photographer;  Engr. Bien Mateo, Chairman of SM Program on Disability Affairs; Mr. Tony Pasia, representing all PWD Organizations.

The guests of the event were treated to intermission numbers by the ASP Dream Girls who sang a medley of pop songs, PHWHIC Kids who did a Gangnam Style dance number and the Nelmida Twins and the Ambassadors of Light who delighted the guests with their songs.

There was also a bird show c’/ Manila Zoo, Ventriloquist Show and Bubble Show .

Photography with a Difference supported the event with the participating groups:

• ADHD Society
• Autism Society of the Philippines
• Down Syndrome Society of the Philippines, Inc
• Parents Advocates for Visually Impaired Children
• Parent Council for the Welfare of Hearing Impaired Children, Inc.
• Philippine Society of Orphan Disorders

The PWD Thanksgiving Celebration was sponsored by the following: City of Manila, Kinder Zoo Adventure Jungle, Canon Philippines and SM Cares Foundation.

A few more photos here.

UBS Optimus Foundation partnered with Teach for the Philippines with CHF 1 million or approximately Php43,000,000 grant.

If you are a highly motivated, highly creative and has a heart for changing the lives and quality of education from high needs school, then you are exactly what Teach for the Philippines is looking for. Click here to know more about the application process.

Teach for the Philippines, formerly known as Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation, is a leadership development program that trains high-potential, highly motivated and creative leaders who are willing to teach at some of the identified high need schools in the Philippines.  UBS Optimus Foundation’s grant will support for over five years Teach for the Philippines in promoting educational equality.

Teach for the Philippines will recruit and train the most promising university graduates and young professional to invest two years to teach at one of the chosen public schools in the Philippines. The UBS Optimus Foundation’s grant will fund the training program, professional development activities and other support programs needed to fully to help the successful chosen teaching fellows in their foray into the public school system.

The inspiration for Teach for the Philippines is from a successful global program Teach for All which has been empowering the world’s most promising young leaders in transforming their nations through education, working to ensure that children who live in poverty have access to excellent education.
“UBS Optimus Foundation is delighted to announce our new partnership with Teach for the Philippines. We believe in the importance of human capital and how education can play a transformational role. In Asia Pacific, the Foundation supports 33 projects across 18 countries. We hope our support to Teach for the Philippines can lead to life-changing experiences that will positively shape the future of Philippines’ youth and help them achieve their full potential,” said Kathryn Shih, Board Member of UBS Optimus Foundation.

Lizzie Zobel, Teach for the Philippines’ co-founder and Chairman said: “This innovative new partnership in the Philippines allows us to tap into the talent within our country to build a lasting legacy for the next generation. We are collaborating closely with the Department of Education to enhance the programs which will develop the potential of teachers within the Philippine public education system. Our shared goal with the Department of Education and the local government units is to ensure that all children will have the opportunity to access high quality education. We are proud that the UBS Optimus Foundation has chosen to partner with us, bringing not only funding but global expertise which will help advance our cause.”

 Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for All and Teach for America said: “This bold move by the Teach for the Philippines’ team is representative of a society steadfast in its objective to uplift the future generation of your nation. I join them as they take a stand and begin making giant steps to bring us closer to our shared vision – One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.”

In this new initiative, Teach for the Philippines is working with Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Poverty Action Lab to provide a robust system to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of this program, identify successful elements that can be replicated in future educational projects and disseminate this knowledge to policymakers.

Phyllis Costanza, CEO of the UBS Optimus Foundation on the project: “We look forward to collaborating with Teach for the Philippines on this exciting new educational initiative as co-founders Lizzie Zobel and Margarita Delgado have had a longstanding experience through the Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation in promoting high quality education for all children, regardless of their background.”

UBS Optimus Foundation has been funding health programs in the Philippines: rabies education and vaccination program in Bohol, controlling and elimination of schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease, in Samar and a project about malaria disease in Palawan.

What is UBS Optimus Foundation:

The UBS Optimus Foundation is an independent grant-making organization which is funded by UBS clients and employees. The foundation’s administrative costs are paid by UBS meaning that 100 percent of all client donations go directly to the projects. The UBS Optimus Foundation’s employees carefully select all projects based on their technical expertise, provide systematic feedback on the program’s implementation and performance, leverage their network of international experts and facilitate an external evaluation of the project.

Since 1999, the UBS Optimus Foundation has supported children in the areas of health, education and child protection with innovative, cost-effective initiatives that impart lasting benefits. The UBS Optimus Foundation is a part of UBS’s dedicated philanthropic support to its clients globally.

Teach for the Philippines
‘Teach for the Philippines’ is a non-profit professional Philippine organization that enlists the Philippines’ most promising future leaders in our mission to promote education equality. ‘Teach for the Philippines’ is an official partner of Teach for All, the prestigious education network with 26 members globally.

The word auditory pertains to hearing.

Here are a few information regarding the word auditory when it comes to learning and language development. There are several intervention methods to improve auditory training to be able to maximize the full learning potential of people, most especially those with needing intervention services. 

Aside from undergoing occupational therapy and speech and language therapy with (some) focus on the auditory processes in relation with learning and other developmental concerns, there is an alternative intervention method to improving auditory skills: Auditory Integration Training.

What is Auditory Integration Training? Auditory Integration Training is a method of retraining the ear. AIT was developed in the mid1900′s by Dr. Guy Berard. Dr. Guy Berard is a French ENT doctor who developed Auditory Integration Training to initially correct genetically induced hearing loss.

What does AIT do? AIT is one of the alternative intervention methods that parents can avail for their children who were diagnosed with special needs and needing intervention and therapy.

AIT uses filtered and modulated music to help:

1. Normalize and improve hearing distortions.

2. How children perceive sounds as they develop is very important as this can affect the way they acquire their language skills. Any abnormalities in verbal perception will result in an inaccurate imitation of sound.

3. Improve sensory processing (which is very important for children with sensory issues). Children who have difficulty integrating and interpreting internal and external sensory cues will encounter difficulty in learning to communicate.

4. Improve the ways in which the brain processes auditory information. This in turn impacts on the different areas of the brain that controls the different senses and systems of the body.

5. Stimulate the auditory (as well as vestibular) and neurological systems. The vestibular and auditory systems are closely related and difficulties in this area can impact on speech and language development.

6. Improve sensory overload tolerance and reduce self-stimulating behaviors.

7. Diminishes or resolves behaviors related to sensory defensiveness. People who are sensory defensive often react negatively to or experience anxiety to sensory input that is generally considered harmless to other people. Both painful and uncomfortable, it can impair one’s ability to attend to daily tasks. Example: a child may refuse to join a loud party, have a haircut, or be orally defensive (in the case of an extremely picky eater).

8. Improve speech and language.

9. Improve behavior and learning.

10. Improve mood and social skills.

11. Improve comprehension which impacts on learning which may lead to better academic performance.

What types of problems does AIT (plus other intervention services) help with? In 1998 the US FDA evaluated and approved Auditory Integration Training as a safe and effective way in improving impairments in auditory discrimination associated with the following diagnosis:

1. Autism Spectrum Disorder
2. Asperger’s Syndrome
3. Pervasive Developmental Disoder
4. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
5. Attention Deficit Disorder
6. Central Auditory Processing Disorder
7. Learning Disabilities like Dyslexia, Non-Verbal Learning Disorders, Language Delays and Communication Disorders
8. Those with Sensory Processing Disorders, Hyperlexia, and Sensory issues  can also benefit from AIT

To know more about Auditory Integration Training, contact Sound Therapy Learning Center

Sound Therapy Learning Center Unit 7 3rd Floor, The Promenade Building 198 Wilson St. Corner P. Guevarra 1006 San Juan, Metro Manila
Telephone: (02) 775-8100 Mobile: (0917) 887-7852
Email: bridging2worlds@gmail.com
Website: http://soundtherapy.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/aitph

Cobra Energy Drink recently concluded its 3-month campaign to search for everyday Filipino heroes. These men, through their perseverance, dedication, determination and strength go against the odds in fulfilling their commitments and the realization of their dreams.

Last August 29, 201, 3 winners were given awards for the first Cobra Pinoy Hero Awards 2012  in a culminating event held at the Crowne Plaza. From around two thousand inspiring stories gathered through interviews and submissions via social media, nine (9) finalists made it to the grand finals:

Mark “Rubberman” Cerezo of Marikina who learned to make sculptures out of trash and discarded rubber from shoemakers; 

Leonilo Beltran from Baler, Aurora, a former OFW electrician who founded Skills Caravan where fellow volunteers teach skills to out-of-school youth and jobless adults;

Ramil Junasa Jactin of Butuan City, a polio victim who conquered his disability in order to be able to teach and was lauded by Malacanang as an Outstanding Youth of the Philippines;

Mark Eden Ellaga of Antique, a driven scholar and the very first Outstanding Student of Antique Awardee.

Police Superintendent Dionisio Abude from Davao who took in troubled youth with past crimes due to poverty and made it his mission to turn them into productive citizens;

Sherwin Abanilla who hails from Zamboanga is a volunteer of the Philippine National Red Cross Emergency Response Team and dreams of becoming a great leader someday.

Benjamin Vidallon of Taguig used to be a lumpia vendor and janitor but turned his life around and now works as a Call Center Agent and Spanish Translator.

Ariel John Villares of Zamboanga, a jeepney conductor and security guard by day and a working student by night.

Ramley Chio Dangla Cruz who hails from Balut, Tondo and works as a med rep but is also a volunteer firefighter/medic.

The three grand winners were Mark Cerezo, Leonilo Beltran and Police Superintendent Dionisio Abude. Each of the winners received Php100,000.

During the awarding ceremony,2009  CNN Hero of the Year Efren Penaflorida was presentor and keynote speaker.

His co-presentor was Mr. Tony Meloto, founder of Gawad-Kalinga.

Major General Renato Garcia, the Executive Director of the Help Educate and Rear Orphans (HERO) Foundation was also present. The HERO Foundation, which was founded by the late President Corazon Aquino and former Chief of Staff Renato de Villa aims to provide educational stipend to the orphans of the military personnel.

Three young scholars were present to thank the HERO Foundation.

Capping the event was a “Panata” or pledge where the guests made a commitment to become Everyday Heroes. 

Rivermaya performed their hit songs that aims to inspire the youth to be better Filipinos like Bandila, Posible, Liwanag sa Dilim and their new single, Pilipinas, Kailang Ka Magigising.

“Ginawa namin ang kampanyang Cobra Mga Kwentong Tunay na Lakas dahil naniniwala kami sa Tunay na Lakas ng Pilipino. The close to 2,000 stories that we gathered from this campaign is our way at taking a step towards nation building; in order to inspire Filipinos to be everyday heroes and forward moving,” said Abe Cipriano, ABI’s Marketing Manager for Non-Alcoholic Beverages.

Added Jef Mendoza, Cobra Brand Manager, “With this tremendous response from Filipinos from Luzon to Mindanao, it was only fitting that Cobra pays tribute to these men and women who continue to inspire us to become better as a nation.  What better time to recognize the Cobra Pinoy Heroes than this, the month when we recognize our heroes of the past.”

Visit: Cobra Energy Drink Facebook page.

_________________________

Being an Everyday Hero does not mean risking one’s life or going out of your comfort zone. Being an Everyday Hero means helping others in your own little ways (or you may choose to be a big help too!). This may be in a form of helping a neighbour learn to read, or starting a greening program within your village or maybe by being a volunteer to services that will be for the greater good of people in need.

Be an Everyday Hero.