Safer classrooms built for So. Leyte schoolkids

EDGARDO Villareal can still remember when the nearby Jones River overflowed during a typhoon in 1962 and flooded the Himbangan Elementary School in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte.

The community facilitator, who now heads the school PTA (parents-teachers-association), thus appreciates efforts to address flooding, in terms of the school’s resilience and vulnerability.

Through a private sector initiative, his children can now study safely and their teachers are worry-free.

Smart Communications Inc. funded the retrofitting of the classrooms at Himbangan Elementary School and the construction of a concrete pathway.

Under the safe schools campaign, Smart raised P100,000 from employees in the region to fix the ceiling of the two classrooms, and the ceilings and floors of another two.

A concrete pathway to a separate row of classrooms at the back of the school plaza was also constructed to solve the recurring problem of mud in the school yard. Work was carried out by the Municipal Engineering Office and the PTA, which transported the sand materials.

“Nalipay kaayo ko nga wala nay tulo ang among classroom og dili na ma interrupt among klase (I am happy that our roof no longer leaks and our classes are no longer interrupted),” said Shaina Mae Casenas, a Grade 5 pupil. Shaina Mae’s classmate, Lendyl Liogan, also said “We can now focus on our studies.”

Himbangan is a village by the sea in Saint Bernard.

The town is one of several sites of Advancing Safer Communities and Environments Against Disasters project, which is implemented by Christian Aid, CARE Nederland and their partner organizations including the Corporate Network for Disaster Response, of which Smart is a member.