first year of operation
September 10, 2005SY 2004-2005
June 2004
TSINELAS officially started its operations with a visit to Lut-od National High School to meet with students, teachers and parents. The group evaluated the needs of the students and the school and assessed where it could come in.
Before the visit, Tsinelas, with the help of the teachers in Lut-od, selected ten second year students - all of them in the honor roll - as “full scholars”. As such, the students will receive all basic school needs, like school fees, uniforms, bags, notebooks.
During the visit, the group got first-hand information of the difficulties the school and its students are experiencing.
Aside from assisting the ten scholars, Tsinelas decided it should also help the entire school by giving it material assistance, like armchairs, office supplies, books, book shelves and minor repairs of its facilities.
• A WEEK after school opened, Tsinelas delivered its first bulk of material assistance to Lut-od National High School and the students. The ten scholars received complete sets of school supplies, including bags, while the rest of the students received notebooks and ball pens.
The teachers also received office supplies and materials for teaching. Earlier, they received a typewriter, a donation from lawyer Jojo Villa, member of the Tsinelas board of directors and the group’s legal counsel.
October
• THE Mass Communication Organization (MCO) of the St. Theresa’s College visited Lut-od National High School as part of its community involvement program.
The MCO, led by MCO president Dyna Montebon, met with the Lut-od students to see where the two groups can help each other as students.
The Lut-od students told the Theresians about their difficulty in speaking English and their wish to learn how to act, sing and dance.
Evaluating the activity days later, the Theresians recalled how the meeting with the Lut-od kids helped them value their education even more and deepened their concern for their fellow students in depressed areas.
• THE education committee of Tsinelas spearheaded a visit to Lut-od National High School to conduct a personality development seminar to students.
The seminar was aimed at helping the students discover their potentials and develop self-esteem.
The Board of Directors also met with teachers and officials of the school to discuss Tsinelas’ plan to donate 100 armchairs in December.
During the visit, Tsinelas distributed the second bulk of school materials to the students for the second half of the school year.
• THE board of directors met with Daisy Baad and Sarah Enclona of the Out of the Box Theater Company, which identified Tsinelas as a beneficiary NGO in its stage production Children of Eden.
November
A group of STC students decided to start an organization whose aim is to assist non-government organizations in their programs for the marginalized sector.
They call their group Yano, a Cebuano term for “simple” or “ordinary”.
The founding members have already worked with Tsinelas and used the experience in setting up Yano.
The group identified Tsinelas as the NGO they will support in their first year in operation. Group objectives include helping Tsinelas in looking for benefactors and raising funds.
They will also assist in other activities like giving seminars and distributing aids to beneficiaries. Yano has already applied for accreditation with STC student affairs office.
December
On Dec. 19, Tsinelas turned over 100 wooden armchairs to Lut-od National High School (LNHS). The turnover was preceded by theater workshops and group discussions for the Lut-od students facilitated by students from St. Teresa’s College.
STC’s theater group Buhilaman taught the beneficiaries the basics of acting and the performing arts, while Yano and STC’s Mass Communication Organization (MCO) facilitated the group discussions. Yano is an STC-based student organization that assists NGOs.
Topics in the group discussions focused on personality development and relationship with peers and family.
Following the workshops and group discussions was lunch with officials of the barangay and the school. A Christmas party was then held, with Tsinelas giving away “bundles of joy” to students.
Tsinelas also donated cash to the school for bookshelves.
The activity was capped with the formal turnover of the armchairs.
January 2005
The ten full scholars of Tsinelas from the pilot area in LNHS visited Cebu City to watch the production Children of Eden, of the Out of the Box theater company, at the USC Cultural Center on Jan. 8.
The children were accompanied by three teachers from LNHS and were billeted at the house of Tsinelas board members Jojo and Josephine Villar.
After watching the 3 p.m. matinee, the children and their teachers proceeded to the Basilica del Sto. Niño accompanied by some members of Tsinelas board. After lighting candles, the children were treated to a dinner of barbecue and puso at Larsian and watched cultural presentations at the Fuente Osmeña circle.
The next day, the group visited historical and tourist spots in Cebu City for their field trip. Joining the trip were student volunteers from St. Theresa’s College and Southwestern University.
The group visited the Guadalupe Cave, the Fort San Pedro, Taoist Temple and passed by other historical spots like the Cebu Provincial Capitol building, Cebu Heritage Monument in Parian and the country’s oldest street, Colon St. The group had lunch at the D’ Family Park in Banilad.
The activity was in line with Tsinelas’ objective of not just giving material assistance to its beneficiaries but also of helping them in other areas of their educational formation.
Two students from the Sacred Heart School joined the group at D’ Family Park and donated two boxes of bags and posters. Brothers Erl and Don Amores got the bags and posters from PAL. The boys were accompanied by their mother Maricel.
February
The Tsinelas Board of Directors started formal discussions of branching out to other areas in its operations. Among possible areas of expansion is LNHS’s sister high school in the neighboring barangay of Saksak.
A high school in Aloguinsan was also considered, but the Board decided to check first the reports that there are already educational NGOs operating in the town and that the public schools there are not really that depressed compared to other areas.
A barangay in Asturias was also discussed. The Board decided that Tsinelas conduct a survey of the high school in the barangay before it will decide on the matter.
• THE Board finalized the plan to link with the diocesan seminaries in Cebu. The Board scheduled a visit to the San Carlos Seminary College to meet with seminary formators.
March
The Board of Directors met with San Carlos Seminary College fathers Allan Delima, Elvin Miraflor and Benny Tao to discuss possibilities of linkages between seminary and Tsinelas.
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