The Elementary School of Bolong Beach

Approximately 500 children attend the Elementary School of Bolong Beach. They are aged between 6 and 12 years and attend the classes 1 to 6. They are trained by 15 teachers.

Benita Francisco is the director of the school and is very sorry that many children cannot make use of their abilities, although they are very curious and eager to learn:

“Many parents are hardly in the position of paying the money for the school fees and the school uniform the children have to wear at school! Furthermore there is no money left for pencils, exercise-books, books, sharpeners and scissors.”

Especially the writing utensils are absolutely necessary to help memorize the language. Additionally, the building of the school is in much need of a redevelopment.

Bolong Beach

Bolong Beach is situated on Mindanao, the second biggest island of the Philippines. Approx. 5.000 people live on Bolong Beach, which, by the way, can be reached very well by small air-conditioned buses. The so called “Aircons” is typical means of local public transport of the island. Mr. Antonio Evangelista has been elected again in the year 2007 and is the “Barangay Captain” which stands for a mayor in Germany. Beside a small “health center”, which is only opened for an hour or two several times a day, there is a small Kindergarten which belongs to the peaceful fishing village. And beside the elementary school they got a grammar school.

In Bolong Beach they speak “Chavacano” – only one of approx. 200 languages which are spoken on the more than 7.100 Philippinen Islands. The main occupation is fishing and rice growing. On the Philippines they pay with Pisos, spoken as “Peso”. Monthly they earn on average between € 50 (3.000 Piso) for example for fishermen or sales assistants and € 80 (4.800 Piso) for officials.

Here you can see
the map of the Philippines, northeast of Zamboanga
located,is the place
"Bolong Beach".

to entlarge please click on the picture