Amazon's Bargain Books

I just stumbled upon the bargain bookstore at
Bargain Books Section where there are premium books for as low as $1.55.

Of course, nothing beats the free book donations from many generous neighbors but browsing the bargain section is truly fun!

I just filled out a box of books and just awaiting funds to send it out.

Should you need bargain priced books or have extra storybooks, kindly keep some for us. Or else, please indicate so I may pick up in the East Bay.

Raising Funds

Raising a box-full of books costs about $55/box. Though most of the books come from generous donors, the shipping costs always stump me as I have to get it from my own pocket. My pocket is not exactly deep and so I have to keep finding ways to eek out $55 here and there.

Help me raise funds by checking out my Toot Sweets at Etsy.Com.

See you there!

Candlelight Books, New Jersey Chapter

I am writing to let you know that we received a box of Candlelight books from the New Jersey Chapter through Ms. Elizabeth Velez. Thank you ever so much! It is deeply appreciated.

We donated the books to one of our Pangasinan sites - Sta. Barbara through its project management team (PMT) last August 6. They will take care of dividing the books for the two districts comprising the municipality of Sta. Barbara.

I have written a letter to Ms. Velez and had it mailed yesterday. I thanked her and the New Jersey Chapter for sending the books. These will go a long way especially for the primary school students. I requested Ms. Velez to provide me her e-mail so I can share with her some pictures.

The pictures I am sending you are with the PMT members of Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan. I will also send you a picture of one of the public elementary schools located in another Pangasinan municipality called Natividad. Dr. Guevara and I were supposed to send you pictures of Sta. Barbara Central Elementary School but it was raining so hard that afternoon and the flood was rising. Sta. Barbara usually experiences this during the rainy and typhoon season. The children did not go to class for one week last month because of the continuous downpour.

Anyway, the facade of the school in Natividad is very similar to the one of Sta. Barbara Central.

I do hope to hear from you soon.

Yours truly,
Nicole


Ma. Rita Theresa Nicole L. PaternoAssistant Development OfficerSynergeia FoundationRm. 203 Ateneo Professional SchoolsRockwell Center, MakatiTel. Nos. 898-2617, 898-3221, 898-2913

Walking 3 hours to School Daily

I was saddened with the state of the Philippine schools, especially the one featured in this Sine Totoo episode. With tattered blackboards, no electricity, school buildings that are about to collapse (if there is a school building to speak of), a lack of desks and chairs, books, and supplies for an average of 120 students in a classroom, the Philippines ranks 41 out of 45 in Asian countries in Math and Science.

Check out the video HERE.
Wouldn't it be great to raise funds and build a small classroom per village?

Walking for textbooks

In an effort to get textbooks into the far-flung Philippine classrooms in time for school, volunteers from the communities offered to help by distributing textbooks to their local schools. Instead of waiting for the bureaucratic red tape to clear, parents, teachers, and students walk from their Dep Ed office to deliver the textbooks to their proper destinations.

DepEd is adopting “Textbook Walk" this schoolyear to help ensure that more schools get their textbooks on time. It is designing the scheme after “Brigada Eskwela" wherein communities help refurbish and get schools ready for the school opening by contributing cash, kind or labor. Last year, 26,000 schools signed up for Brigada Eskwela and received P2 billion worth of materials and man-hours.

The deliveries culminate into a celebration or fiesta. And there is reason to celebrate.

Redempto Parafina of the Ateneo School of Government said Textbook Walk hopes to reduce delays in the delivery of textbooks to elementary schools, especially those in the remote areas.

He said the project also focuses on the importance of community participation in the distribution of textbooks.

“By organizing a festive event that facilitates the delivery of textbooks from the districts to elementary schools, the citizens’ demand for good governance is dramatized," said Parafina.

DepEd suppliers deliver textbooks directly to the country’s 6,439 public high schools.

Read the whole article HERE.

2008 Book Drive

During Candlelight Books' inception last year, we were able to send 5 boxes of books (about 200 books each) through our Manila partner foundation, Synergeia.

This year, I am calling out to everyone who may want to donate their children's used books
(elementary level) to Philippine schools in remote provinces.

Before this first delivery, the children only have mimeographed papers and textbooks to read. The few colored storybooks are put away somewhere for protection from rodents and theft.



The children squealed with delight when they saw the books from the States! They even had to wash their hands before handling them.

It is the vision of Candlelight Books to establish reading corners, filled with colored storybooks, with vivid pictures on white paper--in every elementary school we can reach.

Please help us by getting a book drive together. Email me at mrcuenca@yahoo.com for more details.

Many thanks!

Minotte

Los Angeles Book Collection

Many thanks to Josie Madlansacay-Chernoff and daughters, Nicole and Monica, for heading the Los Angeles Brownie Troop book drive.

The books have arrived Manila and here is a note from Synergeia:

Dear Ms. Josie, Monica and Nicole,

Thank you very much for the books that you sent this Christmas. The box just arrived at our office today! Your friends from Mindanao will surely be delighted when we send this package to them. Ms. Minotte Cuenca of Candlelight Books just sent us a box of books through her husband, Ricky. We promised her that we will send the latest batch of books to children of Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental (that is at the northeastern tip of the island of Mindanao where children have never had storybooks. They do not even have textbooks of their own! They have to share their textbook with 3 other classmates). Your gift will go a long, long way (figuratively and literally) to help disadvantaged children learn and love to read.

We are touched by your efforts. It is a gift to be able to share, more so at a young age. Please thank your Scout-mates and friends for us. We will let you know when the books arrive and send you pictures as well. Our deepest thanks too to your parents, who made it possible for this package to reach us in the Philippines as well as to Ms. Minotte for sharing our work with you.

God bless and wish you all the best in 2008!

Sincerely,

Trissa Manalastas

We went on an offroad trip to deliver workbooks to one of the farthest schools in Alabel. Banlibato Primary School only has Grades 1 and 2 and was established through the efforts of the Indigenous Peoples Development Program (IPDP, under the office of the governor) a few years ago. We crossed a snaking river 28 times and broke an axle on one of the Land Rover Defenders on the way. Many thanks to the Provincial Government for loaning us the Defenders. On the way down we also stopped at Sofan Elementary to deliver more workbooks.

P.S. Let me share with you some pictures of our children in Sarangani. These are photos of the workbook distribution in 2 schools. Synergeia provides each child with a workbook that complements the textbook they use in school. The books that you sent will enable schools to have their own reading corners so that children can keep on reading during and after class. You can share these pictures with your friends so that they can learn to appreciate the schools they go to. In Sarangani, children have to cross the river several times to get to school. Some kids have only one pencil for writing. It has become so short and worn out of use. Thank you once more for your generosity. Check out the pictures here.