After heavy rains and extensive flooding in the municipality, Sablayanihan volunteers organized school supplies drive for the indigent families particularly the children of solo parents. The list of qualified beneficiaries were obtained from the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO).

We distributed school supplies kit to the children of solo parents age 4 to 12 who are living in ‘barangays” or communities far away from town proper. These are the communities in Barangay Victoria and Barangay Lagnas which are low-lying areas and situated along the flood plains of two of town’s big rivers: River Amnay and Patrick. Communities in these areas face constant threat of flooding which could erode riverbanks and inundate neighborhoods, schools and agricultural lands especially during typhoons and intensive rainfall during rainy season.

Solo parents and their children were affected significantly by the recent typhoon that hit the municipality and caused the river protection to burst and caused soil erosion and flooding in their communities. Although solo parents receive some support from the local government, it is often spent to buy food for the family and school materials is not a priority. Children help their parents by working in the farm.

The school supplies kit, although not enough to cover all their needs, can help ease some of the financial burden of the family. On this day, we distributed 60 school supplies kits to children and parents in community centers and visited houses of those who could not reach us easily.

Below are some pictures taken that day.