My name is Phil Prins and I am a freelance photographer currently based in the Philippines. I have been doing a long-term personal project documenting the recovery process on the island of Leyte from Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left in its wake 6000 people dead, and thousands more homeless and without livelihood.
I was there shooting recently from Nov. 7-10, 2014, covering the 1-year anniversary of the storm. As I moved from town to town visiting the mass graveyards, temporary-shelter sites and individual neighborhoods, an unexpected wave of anger began to build inside of me as I witnessed first hand the lack of progress that was being made in many of these areas. That wave broke into full on rage after I stumbled upon San Roque Elementary in the town of Tanauan, one of the hardest hit areas, where after a year, the students are still having classes in tents and make-shift structures in sweltering 90 degree plus weather.
To add to the problem, there is a severe shortage of desks and almost no textbooks. One teacher shared that they only have one math book and one science book for grades five and six.
It is a public school yet the teachers said that no government funds have been given to assist with rebuilding or to purchase desperately needed teaching aids and supplies. The school serves over 700 students who come from families who were already struggling before Haiyan hit and many of them are even worse off now.
Unfortunately, nine of the students died during the typhoon and many others never returned once classes resumed about two months later.
Without the required number of desks and enough classroom space, only half the students can attend school at a time, dividing up the day between grades 1 - 3 in the morning and grades 4 - 6 in the afternoon.
The locals in the area have managed to rebuild their thatch-roof huts and build new fishing boats but there is still a long way to go.
The children that attend San Roque are some of the most at risk in the town, yet it has been primarily NGO's and private donors who have tried to help them.
A school building is under construction, funded by an NGO from Manila, but in the meantime the students still need the necessary tools for learning.
I've decided to stop being a spectator and start doing something real, which in this case is getting these kids the books and desks they need and I hope I can get help from you.
We have talked to a book company that will give us a 35 percent discount and free delivery. The initial goal is to provide a total of 540 books to the school. Below is the breakdown per grade:
· 30 science books,
· 30 math books, and
· 30 English language books
This will cost $122,850 Philippine Pesos ($2,857 US Dollars) so each book comes out to about $5 US Dollars.
Once the goal for purchasing books is reached the rest of the money raised will go to buying as many desks as possible. The goal is to have all the books and at least some of the desks delivered by the second week of January, 2015, so about a month and a half of fundraising lies ahead. If funds are raised sooner we will speed up the timetable. This fundraising effort is not affiliated with a NGO or agency. This is a collective project meant to empower each of us as individuals to make a difference. All members of the fundraising team are donating their time and talent so 100 percent of funds raised will go directly to supplies.
We will also scan all receipts and post them on our Facebook page so that donors can track where the money is being spent. This project is meant to be 100 percent transparent so if any of you have any concerns or questions please feel free to contact me via the project's FB page : San Roque Elementary Project.
If your like me, the world's problems can seem overwhelming at times and figuring out how to solve them even more so.
Most of us will never be in a position that gives us the power to steer the course of world events...but I am convinced we can still make a difference. Between this crowdsourcing drive and Filipino friends in country who are organising a grass-roots fundraising effort, we can come together as family, friends and an international community to get these kids the basic building blocks for their education and future.
Change starts with teaching children to be better than we are. To care for the planet and each other on a scale that past generations have not mastered. Many of these kids lost everything last year so lets help them towards a hopefully brighter future. A huge thank you to everyone who donates to or shares this project.
I was there shooting recently from Nov. 7-10, 2014, covering the 1-year anniversary of the storm. As I moved from town to town visiting the mass graveyards, temporary-shelter sites and individual neighborhoods, an unexpected wave of anger began to build inside of me as I witnessed first hand the lack of progress that was being made in many of these areas. That wave broke into full on rage after I stumbled upon San Roque Elementary in the town of Tanauan, one of the hardest hit areas, where after a year, the students are still having classes in tents and make-shift structures in sweltering 90 degree plus weather.
To add to the problem, there is a severe shortage of desks and almost no textbooks. One teacher shared that they only have one math book and one science book for grades five and six.
It is a public school yet the teachers said that no government funds have been given to assist with rebuilding or to purchase desperately needed teaching aids and supplies. The school serves over 700 students who come from families who were already struggling before Haiyan hit and many of them are even worse off now.
Unfortunately, nine of the students died during the typhoon and many others never returned once classes resumed about two months later.
Without the required number of desks and enough classroom space, only half the students can attend school at a time, dividing up the day between grades 1 - 3 in the morning and grades 4 - 6 in the afternoon.
The locals in the area have managed to rebuild their thatch-roof huts and build new fishing boats but there is still a long way to go.
The children that attend San Roque are some of the most at risk in the town, yet it has been primarily NGO's and private donors who have tried to help them.
A school building is under construction, funded by an NGO from Manila, but in the meantime the students still need the necessary tools for learning.
I've decided to stop being a spectator and start doing something real, which in this case is getting these kids the books and desks they need and I hope I can get help from you.
We have talked to a book company that will give us a 35 percent discount and free delivery. The initial goal is to provide a total of 540 books to the school. Below is the breakdown per grade:
· 30 science books,
· 30 math books, and
· 30 English language books
This will cost $122,850 Philippine Pesos ($2,857 US Dollars) so each book comes out to about $5 US Dollars.
Once the goal for purchasing books is reached the rest of the money raised will go to buying as many desks as possible. The goal is to have all the books and at least some of the desks delivered by the second week of January, 2015, so about a month and a half of fundraising lies ahead. If funds are raised sooner we will speed up the timetable. This fundraising effort is not affiliated with a NGO or agency. This is a collective project meant to empower each of us as individuals to make a difference. All members of the fundraising team are donating their time and talent so 100 percent of funds raised will go directly to supplies.
We will also scan all receipts and post them on our Facebook page so that donors can track where the money is being spent. This project is meant to be 100 percent transparent so if any of you have any concerns or questions please feel free to contact me via the project's FB page : San Roque Elementary Project.
If your like me, the world's problems can seem overwhelming at times and figuring out how to solve them even more so.
Most of us will never be in a position that gives us the power to steer the course of world events...but I am convinced we can still make a difference. Between this crowdsourcing drive and Filipino friends in country who are organising a grass-roots fundraising effort, we can come together as family, friends and an international community to get these kids the basic building blocks for their education and future.
Change starts with teaching children to be better than we are. To care for the planet and each other on a scale that past generations have not mastered. Many of these kids lost everything last year so lets help them towards a hopefully brighter future. A huge thank you to everyone who donates to or shares this project.