amBAG: A Thousand Bags For a Thousand Smiles

Growing up, a child becomes familiar with the everyday encounters that surrounds him or her. As long as there  is family who can provide shelter, food and the basic necessities a child needs. But the recent crisis that has beset my hometown has left many families displaced, and kids have not only lost their homes, they also have lost their school materials, toys, and other material possessions that offer them familiarity in a different situation.

Adjusting can be difficult for young children, and they need all the guidance that they can get. But with our help, we can bring smiles to these children's faces through amBAG.

INITIATIVE

amBAG is a Filipino word that means a form of contribution or a share in a collective affair. As an initiative, it is our CONTRIBUTION to help the people who lost their homes and their lives and our SHARE in the realization of the children's dream to be educated and be the youth of tomorrow.

Approximately 10,018 structures were razed to the ground during the Zamboanga crisis, according to the Bureau of Fire and Protection. Some among the important structures ravaged by fire were schools. The Department of Education reported that the tragedy also affected over 20,000 students, causing some to vacate their homes and preventing them from going to school.

                The amBAG project is a post-rehabilitation initiative by Ateneo de Zamboanga University that aims to address the basic educational needs of the students who were affected by the crisis. It will aid them in their journey back to normalcy. The team behind the project believes that it’s the community’s moral obligation to help in upholding the right of education of the students, especially now that an incident of great gravity have caused the access primary education be tough and elusive.

BENEFICIARY

Elementary students from the areas of conflict, namely, Mariki, Rio Hondo, Sta. Barbara and Sta. Catalina, will benefit from this project. Each child will be given a bag filled with school supplies and other school needs.

DONATION

            Donations for the initiative may be given in CASH or IN KIND. Cash donations may be deposited into the BPI Account Ateneo de Zamboanga University 2111-0001-42 and email the deposit slip to ambagzamboanga@yahoo.com or notify (0906) 353 7767.

In kind donations may be dropped off in the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Fr. William H. Kreutz, SJ campus or sent to El Consejo Atenista Office, Ground Floor Xavier Hall, Fr. Eusebio Salvader, SJ Campus, Ateneo de Zamboanga University La Purisima Street, Zamboanga City, 7000

                Each Bag To School kit is valued at P500. Every donation will help in gathering the necessary school supplies needed for the kits. It will make a student go to school for the year and will make his dreams closer to reality.

                The collection period for the project will run from September 30 to October 25. The kits will then be distributed on November 4, 2013.

We’re inviting everyone to join in this effort of providing a thousand bags for a thousand smiles.

amBAG Back-to-School Kit

Based on Department of Education and Save the Children, Inc. standard

Item	Quantity	Unit
Rubber eraser	1	pc
Notebook, composition, no spring, 80 leaves	5	pcs
Notebook, writing, no spring, 80 leaves	3	pcs
Glue stick, long	1	pc
Crayons (12)	1	box
Long brown envelope	1	pc
Short folder	1	pc
Pencil sharpener, double	1	pc
Pencils, Mongol #2	2	pcs
Pencil case, tin or plastic	1	pc
Raincoat, plastic, kid’s size medium	1	pc
Backpack, medium	1	pc
Long plastic envelope	1	pc
Lunch box 5”x8”x12”	1	pc
Tumbler, plastic	1	pc

A complete set is costed at P500.00

Weekend Fun with Little Cousins and Plastic Toys

Alright, I'm doing this on a Tuesday. But having photos with kids over the weekend is a quick reminder that they will start school soon, so my little cousins headed back to town. The house is a little quiet now. No more running around, screaming, crying, fighting, kite-flying, afternoon naps, spilled watercolor on white monobloc table, no more. But they will be back for the next school break, that's for certain.

We assembled styrofoam buildings and plastic robots on the dining table, we got those from the goodie bags which were distributed in last Friday's party the kids attended...

...And displayed them on one of the potted plants outdoors..

[The robots are taking over the city! The styrofoam buildings are The Empire State Building, two Burj Al Arab, and the structure behind the yellow plastic robot is The Eiffel Tower]

And a giant boy is taking a photo op while the robots siege the city in a pot! 

And here come the plastic soldiers to defend the styrofoam and earth city! Forward march!

"Men, take over the gray evil robot, the rest of you defend the LEANING Eiffel Tower, while we distract the orange robot-creature!"

"Copy, Commander!"

And this time there are two more giant kids checking in on the action

, 

For team effort, we awarded ourselves with kids' temporary tattoos on our hands. 

The Little Mermaid Last Song Syndrome, Why Doesn't Disney Make Catchy Songs Like These Anymore?

"Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun"

"The sea weed is always greener, in somebody else's lake, you dream about going up there but that is a big mistake"

I watched the Little Mermaid again last night with the kids, for the hundredth time since its release in 1989. And I woke up singing the tunes to Kiss The Girl while getting ready for work this morning, from the shower, to breakfast, to the ride to town. Yeah, why doesn't Disney make catchy songs like those anymore? "Go on and kiss the girl, whoow whow... Shalalala my oh, my, (forgot what goes here) nanananah nah why oh why, go on and kiss the girl"

It's embarrassing for me to admit that while I was having dinner at my godfather's house when I was only seven in Cagayan de Oro, I grabbed the fork and combed my hair with it. My Mom had her eyes wide open, and Papa was explaining that I was imitating what I saw at the movie. I was holding the dinglehopper in my left hand and lowered it next to my plate. Where's Sebastian? Oh yeah, one summer we went to the beach in Opol, and found a tiny white crab. I insisted on bringing him home because he was Sebastian. We housed him in a silver mixing bowl, to my mother's dismay and I put in sand and water for him. He disappeared the next day. He must have sneaked out to the river nearby and left a little princess wondering what happened to him. Either that or Papa just hid the fact that he died. I would never know what happened to my white Sebastian.

That time it was still in betamax. Later on, my parents acquired a VHS player, but didn't have a rewinder yet, so it was my uncle whose arms were beat from rewinding with a ballpen or pencil, a heavy VHS, my own copy of The Little Mermaid.

Never mind my parents, adults had to go to work, and I had my VHS of Little Mermaid to attend to. At least five times a day. Before and after nap time in the morning, afternoon, and before bedtime.

And yesterday, it was Little Mermaid again with the kids, for summer. "Under the sea, lalalala. Under the sea, darling it's better, down here it's greener, take it from me, eeeee..."

Who in the world doesn't love The Little Mermaid? Ursula is a better villain compared to Morgana, the sea witch who appears in the second part of the story. Ariel already has a daughter in it.

I didn't enjoy the second part when it came out as much as I did in my kindergarten years. I've honestly developed a sense of critiquing to what I see on television since those dinglehopper days.