“Helping others knows no time or place” – Child Leader Jam Alliah, on International Solidarity Day, 2020
As in most countries in the world, schools in the Philippines closed their doors in March because of our current global health crisis. Now, little by little, schools in other countries have started re-opening but this has not been the case here.
Jan Alliah is 17 years old and lives in Donsol, Sorsogon – a province in the Philippines. She regularly participates in Educo activities in her village, her work, and her contributions help to evaluate and improve our projects.
International Solidarity Day is celebrated every December 20th. This year, Jan Alliah tells us how she and other children in Donsol decided to help each other.
How did the initiative of helping other children to keep studying during the school closure come about?
The children from the children’s organization in our village were worried about other children, especially the youngest ones who need more attention. So, we thought of helping them study and regain their enthusiasm for learning and so we set up a project CLASS, which stands for Come, Let’s go And Start Schooling.
What were the first few steps?
At first, we shared our ideas, those of two other members of the organization and mine, and after which we wrote a letter to the village chief. Our initial idea was to ask people from Donsol for support with the materials we were going to need during the education sessions, but first, we needed to know how many children there would be, so we went to ask the families if they wanted their children to participate. We had expected a small group, as we were only allowed to gather in groups of ten people, but our initiative was more successful than expected, so we grouped the sessions according to age: five to seven-year-olds, seven to nine, and ten to twelve-year-olds. We also split into three groups in order to lead the groups effectively and comply with the health protocols.
Where did you do the classes?
This was one of the problems that came up because of the number of children who wanted to join in: the lack of space. We were able to use the Town Council hall, the daycare center, and the child protection office, but we still needed more space. Then a neighbor offered us their garage, which was quite big.
What time were the classes and what subjects did you cover?
Monday to Friday from 9 until 10 in the morning. For three weeks, we did reading and writing exercises, basic skills for the little ones, basic maths, and phonetics. We were able to do this thanks to the help from the village council, who gave us masks, hand sanitizer, and other materials to guarantee the health and safety protocols.
How do you value the experience?
At the beginning, we were nervous about working with the youngest children, but over time we adapted and ended up loving it because the children told us that they learnt a lot with us. As an empowered girl, I want to empower other children, and this will not happen unless I lead the way.
What projects are you planning now?
One of the things we are working on is the village budget for Children’s Month, which we celebrate in December. On Christmas Day, children will be allowed out, complying of course with all the protocols. Our plan is to have a simple celebration with games that do not involve physical contact and a poster competition. For the older children, we have thought of offering a parol design competition – a typical Christmas decoration similar to a lantern – and preparing a space in the indoor sports field where we can provide food.
How did your relationship with Educo begin?
When I was 12 years old I was the president of the student government and Educo invited me to participate in one of its activities. That was the first of many other occasions I had to represent children from my village in the project ME Child which the NGO carried out in Donsol and which aims to develop the capacity of children not just to participate but also to lead the promotion of children’s rights in the municipality and design programs that promote the fulfillment of these rights. My mother works in the daycare center and supports the children’s organization as a community facilitator and my father is a former member of the village council. I have always wanted to help and I was curious about the Educo workshops.
What does it mean to you to be a child leader?
For me, it was very helpful. Before I was very shy and although I knew how to do things I found it hard to share them. Thanks to the Educo activities I felt more and more confident speaking in public and coming out of my comfort zone. I feel like something in me changed, because before I kept everything to myself and had very few friends. Now I have learned to socialize; I have gained confidence and I am helping other children.
How else has it helped you?
As a child, in general, our voices are not listened to. But now I feel like I have the tools and I want to help to resolve children’s problems, especially during the pandemic, as cases of violence against children have increased. Adults should take children seriously when they say things, our voice and our opinions are important. In the future, I want to be a social worker, although I also want to be an engineer, but I think that being a social worker is more in line with what I am doing now.
What advice would you give those who want to help others?
Firstly, helping others has no time or place, if you want to do it you have to find a way. The best thing to do is to ask for advice from people you trust and be yourself.
We celebrate children who help other children, like Jan Alliah and her friends.
What about you? Tell us how you have helped other children.
