SMART employee-volunteers entertain, read stories to kids from flood-stricken areas

Twelve-year-old Bea and her friends, Joanna, 11, and Jovelyn, 13, are all smiles during an afternoon of storytelling, games, and fun. It’s a welcome respite.

They are among 364 children who were given temporary shelter at the ULTRA.  The girls and their families are among those in Pasig City who were displaced by Typhoon Ondoy, and whose homes remain flooded two weeks after the typhoon struck.

Unable to return home or go to school, these children have to wait–perhaps as long as two months–for things to go back to normal.

“They need activities like storytelling and drawing to help them cope after experiencing something very traumatic,” said Zenaida Perez, who works for the city government as a consultant on education and Pasig day care services.

Perez and her day care teachers are holding 11 multi-grade classes for the child evacuees. Employee-volunteers of Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) are complementing their efforts by bringing the telco’s Read-to-be-SMART program to the ULTRA for four days.

“We tutor in public schools using modules and lesson plans. But for the children affected by Ondoy, we’ve conceptualized activities that are not so structured,” explained Luz Hermoso, one of the leaders of Read-to-be-SMART. “We’re here mainly to entertain the kids. After what they’ve been through, they need to have fun.”

On their first afternoon with the children, the SMART employee-volunteers brought books that were donated by the Community of Learners Foundation for this activity. “It will be our first time to use these Tagalog books,” said Hermoso. “We’ve also prepared games, drawing activities, etc.”

The children, including Bea and her friends, came in droves after the Read-to-be-SMART volunteers unloaded their books, mats and drawing materials.  A total of 132, consisting mostly of elementary school children, attended the afternoon session. They were further grouped according to age and school level, and each group was managed by a volunteer.

The kids crowded around their storytellers. They listened eagerly, asked and answered questions, enjoyed the book illustrations, and also got the chance to create their own drawings or to color pictures. The Read-to-be-SMART volunteers told the stories with gusto, keeping their “classes” lively, interesting and interactive. The kids giggled and laughed when volunteers acted out the stories before them, appealing to their sense of humor with tales like “Ang Prinsipeng ‘di Naliligo.”

“Masaya po kami (We’re happy),” blurted out Bea and Joanna at the same time. “Maganda po ang kuwento. Gusto po naming maglaro at mag-aral (The stories are nice.  We like playing and learning).”

The girls, who have been friends even before the typhoon struck, said life in the evacuation center was “okay.” It gave them a good opportunity to help each other.

“Kung anong natatanggap namin, we share din sa iba (We share whatever we receive),” explained Jovelyn.

Perez said SMART’s activity is very close to the program that she and her teachers are offering the children. “When I saw the situation of the evacuees in ULTRA, I realized it would be more beneficial to bring my teachers here since many of the day care centers are flooded, even city hall is flooded. I told them it’s okay even if they’re not used to handling older children, just keep them occupied with stories,” she shared.

“Some people were good enough to donate paper, crayons and pencils so the children could also draw. And their drawings illustrate what happened to them during the crisis. One boy drew a matchstick figure lying on the bed. When asked about it, he said it was a drawing of himself. When he woke up his room was already flooded.”

“Thank you very much to SMART for holding this activity with the children!” Perez said. “It has given my 82 teachers time to rest. Aside from teaching the kids, they also help in the kitchen.”

And for SMART employee-volunteers like Deivid Rioferio, it was time well spent.

“I’m excited to be here,” he shared. “We want the kids to enjoy themselves. At the same time, we’re teaching them to share with others. Aside from telling them stories, we also impart story-telling techniques to the older kids so they can do it for the younger ones after we’ve gone.”