July 09, 2025 – Bringing children back into a real ‘classroom.’

Rather than sending their children on a two-hour walk to school, Sitio Lapdok’s parents would rather see their three to five-year-old children studying in a nipa hut or under a tree.

For several years, all of the residents of Sitio Lapdok in Brgy. Umiray, General Nakar, Quezon can do almost nothing to change the situation. However, since they value education even for very young children, they endured altogether. After all, living in a far-flung sitio, which is five kilometers away from the barangay center and even farther away from the town proper, made them all accustomed to services that are almost always out of reach.

In 2023, the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan–Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development was introduced in their community. This program uses the community-driven development approach in addressing maltnutrition in vulnerable communities such as Sitio Lapdok.

Teresita Abiera, 63, a resident of the barangay, shared that they first had apprehensions about the program as it was something new to all of them. 

However, Teresita did not hesitate to volunteer.

After a series of orientation sessions, Teresita saw the program’s potential in addressing their problems, particularly the increasing rate of malnutrition among their children.

As the elected head of the project preparation team, they proposed the repair and expansion of their child development center, an old and dilapidated multipurpose building that has long been of no use to the barangay since Typhoon Lando destroyed it in October 2015.

“Magiging napakalaking tulong nito sa aming mga kabataan, lalo na sa kanilang pag-aaral at paghubog ng kanilang kinabukasan. Ang pagkakaroon ng maayos na silid-aralan ay malaking hakbang para sa kanilang edukasyon,” shared Teresita.

For Teresita and other residents of the barangay, the child development center would not only serve as a learning center, but would serve as a venue to address the malnutrition problem of their community.  The center would be the venue for supplementary feeding and learning sessions for parents on how to prepare nutritious meals using local products.

With such motivations and despite various setbacks (such as weather conditions and delays in the delivery of supplies among others) during the construction of their project, the community volunteers kept moving forward together to achieve their goals and did not lose hope. 

In April 2024, the child development center was completed. Teresita and the parents cannot be more proud that for the opening of the school year, their children will finally have a real classroom where they can shape their dreams.

“Maraming henerasyon ang makikinabang sa proyektong ito, lalong lalo na ang mga kabataang nagsisimula pa lamang na matuto. Kaya nagpapasalamat kami dahil nagkaroon kami ng pagkakataong magbigay ng maganda at matibay na pasilidad para sa mga bata,” shared Teresita with pride.

These days, the innocent laughter of children resound from the child development center – a place once in ruins and forgotten. 
For the residents of Sitio Lapdok, this facility will long stand as a symbol of hope and unity in their far-flung community.# [with reports from GLBayran]