Back to School Festivities

For kids, the month of June means one thing: time to bring out the brand-new backpacks and shiny black shoes. Summer has come to an end and a new school year begins yet again. 

The transition from playing all day to sitting down in a classroom is never easy. To help the Mano Amiga students ease back into the school year, the Habitat Youth Council and Mcdonalds celebrated the children's return with a Back to School party.

"The volunteers had so much fun because the kids were so excited and energetic." Habitat Youth Council founder Alex Eduque shared. "They were actively participating in all the activities and they were able to communicate well--proof of the good education that they're receiving in Mano Amiga."

The Habitat Youth Council spent the morning eating and playing with the students. In between bites, the students entertained the volunteers by showing off their talents as they sang and danced to the songs being played in the the store.

Even the Mcdonalds crew were amazed by the students' "go-getter attitude." During one of the games, the students were divided into teams and were asked to make "the longest line" they could come up with using what they had in their pockets. "The Mcdonalds host shared with me that it was the first time in history that the line of objects extended all the way out into the streets," Alex recalled with a laugh. "We had to stop the game and declare a tie because we were worried the cars would run over their stuff."

The celebration concluded with the turn over of much needed school supplies and some food packages for the parents of the students.

"Apart from the fun and games, volunteering activities expose our students to youth role models they could look up to," Development Director Lynn Pinugu shared. "I strongly believe activities like this are one of the reasons why Mano Amiga students enjoy going to school so much. They receive so many opportunities that broaden their horizons and give them something to aspire for." 

Habitat Youth Council founder Alex Eduque was immediately charmed by Grade 1 student Carlos when he turned over his placemat and drew for her.

Morphing for Good

My initial reaction when I received the invitation to the Microsoft Innovate4Good conference was one of disbelief. I’m not someone who falls under the tech-savvy category and felt anxious about what I would contribute to the discussions. As what another participant pointed out, I didn’t even know what basic terms like cloud computing meant, much less how they worked.

As head of Mano Amiga Academy, a non-profit school for underprivileged children, I try not to pass on opportunities that would help generate awareness about the school. I knew I had much to learn when it comes to maximizing what technology could offer, especially when it comes to giving our cause a global reach. Since the event brief for Innovate4good promised that it’ll expose me to the “transformative power of technology”, I threw my apprehensions about ‘not being techie enough’ out the window, packed my bags and headed for Singapore.

In the conference, I found myself surrounded by bright young minds from diverse backgrounds: student leaders, software developers, game designers, NGO workers, entrepreneurs; each one brimming with ideas and ablaze with passion to help shape a better world. After words of welcome from the Microsoft team, they informed us that we had a day and a half to come up with a project. The proposed idea should 1) incorporate technology in solving a pressing problem, 2) feature a sustainable business model and 3) be ready for presentation to an esteemed set of judges by the end of the conference.

The facilitators encouraged us to “keep asking questions” because this would enable us to explore the same situations with a renewed perspective. Any other doubts we had about whether or not our assigned task was feasible simply became irrelevant when two guest speakers shared how they put up their own NGOs despite their economically disadvantaged backgrounds. One of the founders was a genocide survivor, while the other was an 11 year-old boy who used to scavenge for trash.

The conference showcased the latest Microsoft technologies, not only to show us what the available platforms are, but also to demonstrate just how liberating technology could be in crystallizing ideas we would have never thought possible. I lost count of how many times I had to stifle a gasp of amazement during my hands-on trial of Microsoft Surface as I saw images and simulations simultaneously being brought to life by 50 different inputs. I couldn’t stop wishing I had my students with me so that they too could have the exhilarating experience of creating something tactile at the touch of a finger.

Microsoft said it is in the business of enabling potential. I personally believe Innovate4Good is a testament to this. In spite of time constraints and some language barriers (something common, given that Asia Pacific is a melting pot of cultures), the combined skills and expertise of the participants led to the birth of simple yet innovative ideas that address real-life challenges. More than anything, the event served as a good reminder of the magic of collaboration. Young individuals are capable of amazing things, but by working together, particularly with people whose strengths and experience differ from us, we would be able to accomplish greater things.

Imagination paired with technology leads to endless possibilities. It was so inspiring to see young people take available technology, build upon it and choose to use it for social change. With technology as our paintbrush and the world is our canvas, there is nothing stopping us from painting a brighter future.

As for me, a.k.a. the ‘least techie participant’? Well, my team’s project won second place for an idea I had been assigned to present. I’ve also made a firm resolution that Mano Amiga Academy would be more aggressive in integrating technology in our education programs and in seeking out which products and services could drastically enhance the learning experience of our students.

Oh and I no longer have to Bing ‘Cloud Computing’ to be able to tell you what it means…Admittedly, I have a long way to go, but am making encouraging first steps toward embracing technology and the world of opportunities that it offers.

Eleanor Pinugu is the co-founder of Mano Amiga Academy, Inc. The World Economic Forum recently named her as a Global Shaper for her work in development and was one of the 70 Shapers chosen to participate in the 2012 WEF Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Her participation in Innovate4good@Microsoft has inspired her to work on her current relationship with technology—from being ‘one-sided’ and ‘transaction-based’ to a more fluid and mutually beneficial friendship. This blog entry is currently being featured in the Microsoft Citizenship Asia Pacific blog at: 
Morphing for Good Personal Highlights from Innovate4Good@Microsoft in Singapore

Teachers' Day OFF 2012: Music, Culture, and Environmental Conservation

Held annually, Mano Amiga’s Teachers' Day Off gives partners and donors a chance to step into the Mano Amiga teachers’ shoes and to immerse in the school’s learning environment.

The celebration this year is a 3-day event which includes teaching of different subjects such as music, environment, and culture. Save the Philippine Seas founder Anna Oposa taught the children about the sea and sharks while P-3 founder Mark Bantigue showed the kids the basics of playing the guitar. 

Professor Henry Calilung along with Starbucks Philippines CSR head Zarah Perez gave a talk about the state of the Philippine environment and the importance of conservation.  Afterwards, they guided the pre-schoolers in the planting of three saplings of Apitong, a critically endangered Philippine native tree.

Youth volunteer Miogi Abejuela flew in all the way from Washington D.C. just to share the heartwarming story of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree while Hapinoy’s Michelle Pabalan instilled in the students’ young minds the importance of entrepreneurship. The three-day activity concluded with a fun Carnivale-themed activity as volunteers from the Phinma H.E.R.Oes Network introduced the children to Brazil and its culture. 

Mano Amiga Academy is a school that provides high quality education, health, and development services to children from marginalized families. The school, located in Taguig City, is part of an international network of 30 Mano Amiga schools distributed around eight countries. “We believe that the best way for our students to learn is through exposure and immersion,” Development Director Lynn Pinugu shared. “The Teacher’s Day Off activity gives our donors and kids a chance to bond and learn from each other’s experiences.”

A child will always amaze you with their ways of thinking and the questions they ask; and the Teachers’ Day Off activity yielded the most interesting questions. As Mr. Bantigue recalls, the question that struck him was “How did you learn to play guitar well?” He said, “It created the natural avenue to hammer down the value of practice, hard work and perseverance despite discomfort and trials.” The funniest request made by a kid was when a 2nd-grader asked him to play a Justin Bieber song.“I had to remind myself that I was with children. I was ready with the snark but I kept it positive. It was a taste of what's relevant in their world,” He added.

 

Mr. Abejuela found the students’ fast comprehension truly admirable. “They understood everything about the story – especially one that has a deeper theme within. I’ve never been more impressed by a group of children,” he said. “It wasn’t very hard to gain their attention. Having them laugh every once in awhile kept the attention long enough to end the story. They’re all very disciplined, and I was thankful for that.

The things the volunteers shared may not be recorded by history but they will surely be cherished in the children’s hearts. Mano Amiga will continue to celebrate Teacher’s Day Off every year. They will continue to provide this enriching and meaningful experience for the kids and the volunteers as well.

Click here to see Anna Oposa and Mark Bantigue perform "Part of your world" for the students.

“I appreciate the opportunity that Mano Amiga provided me. To see everything in action made me admire the work even more – and I have become more devoted to the cause because of it. Even if I am contributing a small amount – I am proud of it, and will continue to do as much as I can for Mano Amiga,” Mr. Abejuela added.

 

 

Firework

Dance Basics offers free Ballet lessons in Mano Amiga Academy two Saturdays a month. The teachers saw great potential in Three Mano Amiga students namely: Jazailah, Joshua, and Camille. They received a scholarship to undergo a more intensive training and to join the ballet company's year-round recitals.

All the Way Live teaches MA kids to break dance

Members of All the Way Live (ATWL) flew to Manila to teach Mano Amiga Academy students about the basics of break dancing.

ATWL is a group of young people passionate about break dancing who use dance as a means to reach out to underprivileged children, “working to fill the gaps left by public institutions with a safe environment to develop and create self-expression through dance.” Their after-school programs offer youth creative and positive alternatives to gang and crime-related activities that are prevalent in marginalized communities. 
After three days of breakdancing workshops, the mentors chose the students with the most potential to join the ATWL concert that was held in MOA. 
See link below for a glimpse of the students' performance: 
All The Way Live- Mano Amiga performance in MOA
"We've been teaching dance in the Philippines for the past 6 years and I've always wanted to invite our students to perform with us.  Unfortunately, we've never been able to find a school with dedicated students... until now. The performance of the Mano Amiga students was the highlight of the show, and for me, the highlight of the trip," ATWL B-boy/DJ/mentor RJ Navalta said.