A BOUT 300 books entitled Ang Alamat ng Matibay were donated by Bear Brand Powdered Milk Drink together with the Children’s Hour to Bagong Silang Elementary School (BSES) in Caloocan City.
The books aim “to teach children how to be strong in order to conquer the challenges of everyday living.”
In an interview during the turnover ceremony, Willifredo de Ocampo Jr., category team leader of Bear Brand, said the book is a simple and beautifully illustrated story that revolves around the kind and loving Mina, a child beset with fears.
“When teddy bear, which she regard as her best friend, was stolen, the ever respectful Mina goes on a search mission in an enchanted world where she was forced to conquer all her fears and thus develop tibay ng loob.
As she embarks on her adventure, she not only finds her lost best friend; she also develops a friendship with the top thief Anino,” de Ocampo narrated, stressing that the book highlights the importance of tibay ng kalooban.
Bear Brand has partnered with Children’s Hour in promoting tibay ng loob to Filipino children who shares the belief that instilling the value of tibay ng loob among Filipino children will help them achieve their dreams.
On March 2 Bear Brand and Children’s Hour donated the 300 books for the library of BSES in Caloocan City. Since Februaury some 1,025 books were already distributed to public schools nationwide. School Principal Dr. Nimfa Narcise said their school has already launched a program to encourage reading among their students.
“Each student who was able to borrow and read 10 books will have his or her name placed in our reading wall.
Through this simple project, we hope to motivate them to make reading a habit,” Narcise said.
Through Mina and the book, she hopes that the students will learn the value of strength of will and character and someday be the future leaders of this country.
“We are very happy that Bagong Silang Elementary School was selected for this worthy and noble cause. We believe that through the story of Mina, we will be able to encourage our students to have strength of will and strong character that will help them as they embark on their life journey. We thank Bear Brand and Children’s Hour for giving us school books that our students can enjoy and learn from,” she said.
For the part of Children’s Hour there are three focus areas in selecting the beneficiaries prioritizing the poorest and vulnerable, excluded groups, and action programs.
The BSES was selected because of the population of its school-aged children. Like in Grade 2 alone, there are already more than 900 pupils.
With the help of Bear Brand, Children’s Hour will be sharing the books with the help of partner schools and organizations in Metro Manila, Albay, Leyte and Samar.
In Albay, 45 elementary public schools are the next target of the project. Each school will be given five copies for their school libraries.