We are KaEskwela
KaEskwela means "schoolmate" in Filipino. We are a group of volunteers who help public schools in the Philippines. We believe education is a foundation for building better lives and nations.
Join us in our journey to nurture our educational system. Think of the many ways you can help beyond just giving money: understand what a school needs, coordinate donations to respond to these needs, hold training sessions for teachers, assist in fund-raising events, help feed undernourished children -- you may have ideas, too, that could help your local school. Tell us about it.
IT TAKES VERY LITTLE TO HELP A LOT
We asked a friend once to join KaEskwela, and he replied, "naku, hindi ako mayaman."
Well, neither are we. You don't have to be rich to be a KaEskwela, or to help out.
Aside from becoming a volunteer and joining our activities, here are small ways to make a big difference:
1. Share your extras. What you consider as clutter may be necessities for others. Ransack your drawers and closets, and you will be amazed at the quantity of items you don't really use: pens, pencils, notebooks, giveaways like bags and umbrellas.
2. Collect your friends' extras. Ask your friends for old books, excess art materials, or anything that students and teachers can use. If it's too much of a hassle to pick them up, just ask them to bring the goods on your next get-together.
3. Ask your school to help out. Schools are always asking for help from their alumni, so maybe it's time to turn things around. Maybe their library is getting rid of old books. Or maybe, they're going to purchase new SRA kits and can donate their old ones.
4. Start a book and bag drive in your office. Talk to HR or your boss about putting a big box in a corner where people can drop donations. Send a memo to let your officemates know what it's all about.
5. Suggest KaE or any public school to be your event's beneficiary. Perhaps your alumni association wants to make your batch reunion more meaningful, or your company is mounting a fun run and wants a cause. Recommend KaE, or we can recommend a specific school or project.
6. Raise money. No, we don't mean organizing a major fundraising event. A KaE volunteer joined a marathon and asked for pledges for every kilometer that she ran. We sell books that we can't donate in garage sales. A friend asked clients to donate instead of giving him Christmas gifts. No amount is too small. With 5 pesos, we can buy pencils. With 15, an undernourished child can have a meal.
7. Share KaEskwela's FB posts. We have gotten a lot of help from people who "saw us on Facebook" even though they weren't in our network. If our more than 1,000 friends Shared our posts, there will be at least a thousand more possibilities of finding help.
8. Ask your friends to Add us on FB and Twitter. Hopefully, they will be moved by our schools' stories and be inspired by our volunteers' actions.
And perhaps, they will realize that it takes very little to help a lot.
