MANILA, (PNA) — In its continuous thrust to provide better learning environments, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) inaugurated the first All-Lights Village (ALV) for an Agta community in Sitio Pureg, Sanchez Mira, Cagayan province.
The ALV, the flagship program of GPF Philippines, intends to improve studying conditions by providing electricity to learning spaces and households in the country — especially those in the far-flung areas.
Education Secretary Armin Luistro explained the importance of the indigenous peoples’ (IP) communities for the country’s growth. “We would like to journey with IP communities in building the foundations of culturally-rooted education,” he said.
“Our doors should not be the only ones which should be open for our IP brothers and sisters. Our hearts and minds must also stay open, because we will learn a lot from them,” Luistro added.
DepEd and GPF Philippines turned over 60 solar lights to the Agta community in Cagayan; and three solar lamp posts, and two solar lights to Pureg Primary School.
Pureg Primary School caters to the villagers of the Agta community. It consists of two school buildings, which house Kindergarten and Grades 1-4 students, with three teachers facilitating over more than 60 children.
The school also offers Alternative Learning System (ALS) classes for the adults who are not able to attend class during the day because they have to work.
“We hope that with these small lights, our children may dream and put into reality all our hopes and dreams,” Global Peace Foundation-Asia Pacific President Jinsoo Kim said.
Elpidio Tiene, chieftain of the Agta community, expressed his gratitude, saying that donors and volunteers are the “light of their community.”
GPF is an international movement that aids in the empowerment of countries all around the globe. The ALV program prioritizes improved access to energy through innovative solutions.
To date, it has already provided light for 22 villages (barangays) in the Philippines.
The ALV program provides portable solar lamps in each household, solar street lamps in each sitio, and the installation of solar lights in school buildings.