MANILA, Philippines?Their days of hunting and foraging in the forests are almost at an end. And 38 Aeta children and their parents have realized that education is the key to survival in the world beyond their mountain homes in Barangay Bayan-bayanan, Dinalupihan, Bataan.

But even with a public school in place, the matter of the children getting there and returning to their homes afterward presented a problem. The Bayan-bayanan Elementary School is a 14-kilometer walk from where they live.

It?s no wonder that absenteeism and dropout rates go up during the rainy season. And even if they stay home during those inconvenient days, there is not much?sometimes nothing?to eat.

Bahay Kalinga, where the children can stay during the week before trekking back to their homes on weekends, serves to solve that problem.

It is what one may call a bahay-bahayan?a halfway house that Evelyn Reyes San Buenaventura, a hometown girl who made good in the big city as a practicing accountant, has mobilized her friends at Quota International and Rotary Club of Makati-Bonifacio to help build and sustain.

Bahay Kalinga is a bungalow with cement walls and a roof made of GI sheets and thatch. Because of their tiny frames, as many as three kids can fit on each bed in the sleeping quarters.

There are separate toilets and baths for the boys and girls. A nearby artesian well supplies the water they need to take baths and flush toilets.

Most of the time, the children stay at Bahay Kalinga the whole week because they are assured of three meals a day, according to Elvira Paule, the local coordinator of the halfway house and a former barangay official.

Their meals consist of boiled rice and vegetables flavored with a little bagoong (fish paste).

Paule and the children have planted vegetable seedlings like okra and string beans so the household can be self-sustaining at least in terms of viands.

?Bahay Kalinga exists through donations. We have to raise more to keep it going,? said San Buenaventura, the Rotary Club project director for the Aeta.

Moving forward

Although the children?s ages range from seven to 15, there are 12-year-olds among them who are entering first grade at the Bayan-bayanan Elementary School.

The children of preschool age are being put in a day care center so they would acquire social skills and not be afraid of visitors, San Buenaventura said.

?Education is important for these people to move forward,? she said.

San Buenaventura observed that even among the adult Aeta, many had not entered or completed grade school level. This is why her group of volunteers is also opening classes of basic reading and writing for the adults in June.

These classes will be held at Bahay Kalinga while the children are away in their own school.

But even that promises to be a big struggle. The Department of Education has committed to send a teacher in functional literacy but can afford to pay this person assigned to the hardship post only P2,000 a month.

San Buenaventura, who also serves as auditor of Soroptimist International (Philippine Region), is at the point of twisting the arms of the members of her organizations to supplement that teacher?s salary?and the day care workers? take-home pay of P3,000 each.

Mass baptism

When the people from the National Census and Statistics Office recently counted the members of the Aeta community, San Buenaventura and Paule found it a good occasion to organize a mass baptism of babies, children and adults on May 28.

Buenaventura got all of her friends from Quota, Rotary and Soroptimist Clubs and the Australia Business Volunteers to stand as godmothers.

Quota Manila president Jean Facuri celebrated her birthday on the day of the mass baptism. Instead of hosting a party for the birthday girl, her friends donated food to add to the Aeta feast.

The next outreach to Bayan-bayanan is on June 12. Monetary donations may be deposited to the checking account of Evelyn San Buenaventura (Allied Banking Corp., Amorsolo Makati branch, account number 0191-03944-6). Donations in kind (clothes, school supplies, children?s books and workbooks, toiletries, rice and vegetable seedlings) may be dropped off at ABV Philippines country manager Waya Araos? house at 47 Mahabagin St., Teachers Village East, Quezon City, or the Lolarga residence at 3 Santa Clara St., Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City.