Kids on my Mind

I am excited to ship out a new box by end of September. I can imagine the faces of the many children who will get a new book to read. . .

It's not too late! Just keep sending me your used children's story books. I will send another box out in January, too!

What Are Books Without the Light?

Rolex Laureate 2002 award-winning electrical engineer Dave Irvine-Halliday is a man with a mission: bringing light to homes, schools, and temples throughout the developing world.

In 1997, at a colleague’s invitation, electrical engineer Dave Irvine-Halliday spent his sabbatical leave from Canada’s University of Calgary in Nepal, helping the University of Tribhuvan in Kathmandu launch its electrical engineering degree.

(David Irvine-Halliday)

While there, he took a side trip into the heart of the Himalayas, on a trek along the Annapurna Circuit. Along the way, he visited a small village where he noticed that children were forced to study in the dark—or more likely, were not able to study at all—after the sun went down because there was no electricity.

Irvine-Halliday saw the light in his mission. If you were his wife, would you allow him to pour your family’s entire life savings, and the maximum limit on three credit cards into an organization that would Light Up the World?



Yes! Apparently, you would!

Working from his lab at the University of Calgary, he devised a plan for bringing low-cost lighting to villages without any reliable power supply: He would create energy with a pedal-powered generator, a hydro generator, or solar panels, then run lines into homes and connect them to low-energy (LED)lamps. In 1999, Irvine-Halliday went back to Nepal with his wife and one of his two grown sons to try out his idea. It worked.

By the end of 2001, Irvine-Halliday’s rechargeable, battery-powered, white LED cluster lamps were illuminating more than 700 homes, schools and other community buildings in remote villages in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka.

Today’s high-brilliance, white LED lamps can light a Nepalese village of 60 households consuming the same amount of energy as a single 100-watt light bulb in a Canadian home.

Light Up The World is not only donating light to the very poorest, but is also promoting job creation and assuring long-term viability for the project.Irvine-Halliday founded, financed, and turned-over Pico Power Nepal, a LED manufacturing firm, to Nepalese locals to ensure its sustainability and to generate employment and income in the area.

The average "one-time" cost of equipping a home with lighting is set to fall below $40. Not to mention the environmental benefits the system has versus the 300 million batteries discarded in Nepal each year, makes for truly a brighter alternative.

Light from kerosene lamps is poor, inefficient and unsafe. Toxic fumes inhaled because of close proximity to the lamp cause respiratory illness. Kerosene lamps also cause many fire catastrophes, burning both homes and bodies.
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Check out the countries Light Up the World Foundation has impacted here.



Irvine-Halliday defines his success in his interview:

"I suppose success is when the 2 billion people in the world presently without any electricity of any sort actually have some form of safe, healthy, and affordable lighting. . .Light the Wolrd has refocused my life. I am turning 60 and this, without a doubt, is the next chapter in my life."

How can we change the world today?

First Book.Com

I came across an interesting site: First Books--giving children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. They are also coordinated with many publishing companies like
Random House, who has donated $1 Million Dollars to First Books.

"As publishing professionals who spend our days surrounded by and immersed in books, it is difficult to imagine a world without them," Random House chairman Peter Olson said in a statement.

How wonderful to know that books will always be shared and that publishing giants such as Random House care for those who have no access to books.

Second Synergeia Box Arrives!!

We just received the second batch of books - all 205 of them. The books are wonderful - some of which we left for reference/resource materials when we conduct trainings. In fact, there were flash cards and handouts as well - all will be useful in class and in the library. We decided not to segregate the books and send them all instead to one municipality. We segregated the first batch of books between two municipalities in Sulu and noticed that not all schools were able to receive books. We decided its best to send a big number of books to one site so that impact is felt and more students can benefit.


The second batch of books will be sent to South Upi, Maguindanao, ARMM. It is an upland community where we were surprised to learn, half of the grade 1 teaching force are men. (Based on our experience, grade 1 teachers are more commonly women). This is so because of the difficulty in traveling / reaching the schools. During our teacher training in April, the teachers from South Upi requested for storybooks so that there are materials that children can use to hone their reading skills. The Mayor of South Upi, Mayor Campong, will pick up the books and distribute it to pupils.



They will set up a system where books shall be provided only to schools that can ensure that the books are taken cared of and are accessible to children. In some cases, the principal / teacher bring the books home instead of putting up a reading corner / library. We want to ensure that the materials will be used in class. So rest assured, the books that you send will be properly utilized and taken cared of. We have requested them to send pictures so that we can forward them to you. Aboitiz (our carrier) will pick the box tomorrow from the office.

Thank you again so much for your continued support.

God bless you!

Sincerely,

Trissa Manalastas

THERESA ANNE F. MANALASTAS
Development Officer
Synergeia Foundation
Room 203 Ateneo Professional Schools,
Rockwell Drive, Rockwell Center , Makati City
Tel: (632) 898-2617, 898-3221, 898-2913

www.synergeia.org.ph

Sulu Image

Let us not forget the state of the Mindanao classrooms, neglected and dilapidated by war.

Any book donations for pick-up are always welcome!

Wish List

Some have written me to ask how they can help. There are so many ways, but I will choose the easiest one. Aside from collecting your children's used picture and story books and setting them aside for our December shipment, there is an interesting way (for those who have no time to wrestle in the library sale) to give to the Filipino elementary school children: Check out the Wish List.

I came across a book in Amazon.comthat was really a fun and educational read. Click on
Children Like Me by authors Anabel and Barnabas Kindersley.

The authors spent two years meeting and photographing youngsters from every continent and more than 140 countries. The volume is divided by continent, which is introduced with photos of children, their names, and nationalities. Then a double-page spread features pictures of each child's food, eating utensils, housing, school, friends, and family.

My kids and I had fun reading Edgar and Tata from Albay, Philippines. Clad in shorts and slippers, their favorite food is left-over oysters from their fisherman father's harvest and fried fish with rice.

The text gives the young people a chance to comment on their favorite games, friends, and hopes for the future. The final section includes excerpts from the Kindersleys' travel diary. This book is factual, respectful, and insightful. It provides just the right balance of information and visual interest for the intended audience.

The best thing is, you can buy it used for only $1.28. But shipping costs about $4. It is still a small price to pay for this treasure--one that will illustrate that, though, the children of the world are different, they are also the same.

Should want to send this book for a September shipment (we can't have too many!), please send it to this mailing address:

2036 Tupelo Way,
Antioch, CA 94509

And may God bless your generous and kind heart always!

Antioch Library Book Sale

I was lucky to browse the Antioch Library Book Sale this June. The selection made it effortless for me to choose, since all the children's books were educational. I had to wrestle my way in a bit to find the treasures that I will include in the next Candlelight Books box bound for the Philippine elementary schools in remote provinces.

All children's books were priced at 50cents for soft covered and $1 for hardbound. What a deal, indeed!

I am also exploring registering Candlelight Books as a 501c non-profit organization to benefit from free books or low price access from publishers and literacy foundations.

Here are the exciting book titles from the Library. Many thanks to my husband who contributed $10 worth.