For over 20 years, we have been longing  for decent and comfortable classrooms for the children of Brgy. Patong in the rural town of San Miguel, Leyte. Though we are still very hopeful, we never assumed that this dream will become a thing of reality.

For pupils in this remote village, going to school every morning is not just an opportunity but also a burden. Everyday, these children  need to wake up early for they will battle a three-kilometer walk to their elementary  school,  located in the next barangay. Almost 70% of the young population in this community were enrolled.

The depressing situation of these children moved us to act through a written resolution made by the parent association and the barangay council. Its purpose  is to open new grade levels (Level III to VI) in their barangay. With much luck, the Department of Education (DepEd) responded positively with the request. However, there was a bigger challenge  to face. The need for new classrooms was our next problem.

The result of the DepEd approval of additional grade levels brought a huge increase in the enrolment turn-out of the school. Although the faculty reported  a total of 132 newly-enrolled pupils, there was only one existing classroom for these students  posing a classroom-pupil ratio of 1:132 .

To address the issue on the uncomfortable environment of the pupils, the school and our active community stakeholders initiated to build temporary learning spaces made up of indigenous materials. But there was a still an enormous job to do.

Although the learning spaces made the conduct of regular classes possible, pupils in the village became more vulnerable to illness due to absence of a concrete building. It allowed them to be exposed to extreme weather conditions which included constant flooding inside their make shift classrooms.

Teaching and learning became a problematic process also, both to teachers and children, due to the unconducive setting susceptible to distractions and information barriers.

Because of this unbearable condition of the pupils and even their teachers, the school and the community worked together looking for possible solution and donors. But one thing was clear,  we did everything just for the welfare and education of our children.

Hence, we started to write joint resolutions to some government agencies and officials for funding. We even sent solicitation letters to local and international Non-Government Organizations. Patiently we waited for their responses. However, there was no response.

Not until 2015.

Last  year, the new school head learned about Kalahi-CIDSS, an empowerment program  of the national government implemeted by the Department of Social Wefare and Development (DSWD). During a barangay assembly, our school head expressed the need for the construction of a school building, and humbly asked the community for their support.

After a week, a Kalahi-CIDSS staff took a trip to our community to conduct a school visit and on-site validation. Luckily, after a series of barangay assemblies and activities, the community of Brgy. Patong unanimously decided for the prioritization of our proposed sub-project.

Finally, our prayers have been answered, as Brgy. Patong received a grant of  PhP 514,932.00 for the construction of 1- unit classroom.

This little victory for our children would not be realized without the participation of each community member during the conduct of the barangay assemblies. During the implementation, the community members volunteered for the fast-paced construction while the school personnel composed the monitoring team for the project implementation and its progress.

As of today, 34 pupils both from Grade IV and V level, occuppy the new classroom which is far better than what they had before. As part of the sustainability efforts of Kalahi-CIDSS, the school and the Parents-Teachers Association including their pupils, are expected to maintain the sub-project.

Our community has proven that individual action may seem insignificant and futile but if together, the small steps of one community can have greater impact to the lives of our future generation. (ChitoViador/DepEd)