Ernie Rose could have been out labouring in the fields or working as a servant in the house of a wealthy family like her mother. She stopped schooling during Grade 5 in order to look after her younger siblings. “I felt compelled to take care of my younger brothers when my parents were separated,” recounts 13-year-old Ernie Rose. Thankfully, through World Vision’s Education for All campaign, Ernie Rose is now back in school.
Ernie Rose lives in the far-flung village of Panaon with her younger siblings, Dexter, 4 and Mark John, 6. The children live with their aunt Lorna, who is their guardian. After her parents’ breakup, Ernie Rose’s mother, Rosana, 33, decided to work as a housemaid in Manila while her father, Ernesto, 56, opted to live with another family. “The absence of my parents was extremely felt. It’s hard to fill their roles,” says Ernie Rose.
Being a parent
Being the oldest, Ernie Rose took over the role of her parents. She was able to finish all the chores, cook rice for breakfast, feed the cow at the vacant pasture, clear the grass in their vegetable garden and fetch gallons of water from the water pump. “I’d given up my studies to do these things but I wasn’t completely happy,” she says.
Ernie Rose’s list of chores has become a daily routine. At nights, she helps her siblings with their homework and cuddles the boys to get them to fall asleep. She regularly helps her aunt Lorna to wash their clothes. “My responsibilities at home were full but I had to do it because I love my siblings,” Ernie Rose says.
Rosana sends financial support to her children every month but no one could replace her presence at home. Rosana earns P1,500 ($33 USD) but this isn’t enough to support the family’s needs. Ernie Rose recalls that the most difficult times with her brothers is when they got sick. “I was worried when Dexter and Mark got a high fever. I wished my parents were there,” Ernie Rose recalls. She rushed the kids to the clinic and looked after them while they were ill. “My role made me become a responsible sister but something was lacking still, my desire to go to school,” she adds.
Education for All
Thankfully, Ernie Rose found relief through the Education for All (EFA) programme introduced by World Vision. “This is one way of practical ways of achieving the outcome of World Vision's strategy. Children are educated for life and this is a way of supporting the global and national call to achieve the Millennium Development Goal 2: Achieve Universal Access to Education,” says Christopher Estallo, a World Vision Advocacy Specialist.
From 2009 to 2010, there were about 883 students (from grade school to college) in Panaon who stopped schooling due to various reasons, and Ernie Rose was one of them. But through the EFA campaign, about 620 students returned to school.
The children and youth representatives in Misamis Occidental, together with local government representatives, faith-based leaders, advocates, media correspondents, educators and parents, launched a variety of initiatives to achieve the Education for All children.
Role of educators
The teachers in Misamis Occidental closely coordinate with village leaders to discuss issues affecting the education of the children and youth. “We seek support from the village officials to monitor parents who don’t value education much,” says Anastacia Mangal, a member of watch group in Panaon. “We conduct group counselling in order to influence parents to support their children in school.”
Aside from conducting an enrolment campaign, teachers do regular home visits to those who encounter academic issues. “The number of enrollees has been increasing because of our efforts,” Anastacia adds.
Local government efforts
As a major supporter of the education campaign, the local government unit in Panaon has been able to sustain 17 daycare centres in 16 villages. “We shouldered and increased the salary of daycare teachers. We also reconstructed the buildings of daycare centres,” says Quirino Morales, a local government representative of Panaon municipality.
In order to respond to the increasing number of high school drop-outs in Panaon, the local government provided a transportation allowance to students living in hinterlands. “The parents of these kids could barely support their education,” shares Quirino. The local government is also planning to purchase a private vehicle to provide free transportation for some needy students.
Youth response
With the theme ‘Bring a Friend to School,’ the campaign aims to enforce a child’s right to education through policy implementation and influence and a massive information campaign. In their spare time, the youth watch group in Panaon has been collecting empty bottles and cans to raise money to help send a child to school. “Education is the antidote to poverty,” states Gigie, a youth watch group leader. “We may be young but we know that we can contribute something to support the EFA campaign.”
Children aged 14 to 18 meet once or twice a month to discuss initiatives to help other less fortunate children. They also coordinate with village officials to help them facilitate discussions with parents. “We collect and recycle used notebooks to provide school supplies to the kids,” shares Gigie. They also collect monthly dues to raise funds for school supplies for poor kids. “We save five to 10 pesos each every month to send a child to school,” says Melody, a youth leader.
Stepping stone
The campaign has helped Ernie Rose to return to school. “Apart from school supplies, we were oriented about children’s rights,” Ernie Rose says.
Now, Ernie Rose continues her studies and juggles all her responsibilities at home and school. She reviews her notes every night to get high scores on exams. She’s been doing well in history and science. She realises that the only way to have a better future is to finish school. “I want to fulfill my dreams by becoming a doctor someday,” she adds.
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