A mother to 100 kids every summer

GRADE School teacher Jean Eleanor Velasco of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu tells the story “Superwoman si Inay” encouraging the children to express their love to their mothers. Photo by Cris Evert Lato

Annabelle Simene has never given birth, but the head of Barangay Poblacion Ward 3 in Minglanilla town in Cebu is a mother to close to 100 youngsters, aged 5 to 12 years, every summer as they undergo remedial classes and skills training.

“I saw that children as young as 7 years old prefer spending time at the Internet café than playing outdoors. This is really not good for them because it makes them sluggish and inactive,” said Simene, 52, a marine biologist by profession.

In 2006, when she was barangay councilor, Simene initiated a series of workshops to keep the children physically and mentally busy during summer.

The activities involved taekwondo, volleyball, swimming, guitar-playing, flute, dance sports, speech (oration and declamation) and remedial classes on reading, English and mathematics.

The program had a budget of P28,000 derived from the barangay’s gender and development fund, while the Sangguniang Kabataan  cofunded the project. Instructors and trainers were each paid P800 to P1,500 for the monthlong workshop inside the three-story barangay hall.

Local health workers and youth volunteers, as well as parents and relatives of the participants, also helped in the workshops, Simene said.

When she was elected barangay chair in 2007, Simene continued the “summer tradition.”

The workshop sessions were evaluated to determine which helped develop the children’s knowledge and skills.  The classes, which took one hour for every subject—Monday to Friday—served as refresher course.

“This way, when the children enter school by June, the lessons are still fresh. They just do not think about television shows. Those who underwent skills training are more confident. You can see that in our children who attend the dance sports class,” Simene said.

A culminating activity for this year’s workshops was held on May 18. “This is the time for the children to showcase what they learned and it warms my heart to see them laughing and enjoying what we have prepared for them,” Simene said.

“It feels good to be like a mother to them even if I did not really give birth to any of them.”

On Mother’s Day on May 12, Simene co-organized a read-along session with the Inquirer anew, as well as a card-making session facilitated by Binky Ceniza of the Ate-Kuya Children’s Welfare.

Jean Eleanor Velasco, who teaches at Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, read the book “Superwoman si Inay (Mommy is a Superwoman),” written by Segundo Matias Jr. and illustrated by Ghani Madueño.

“This is a fun Sunday because I was able to hear a story about my Mama who is very hardworking. I also made a card for her to tell ‘Happy Mother’s Day.’ I will give this to her,” said 7-year-old Vincent Alicaya.