Ateneo 7th Grade Students Join Gawad Kalinga

Ateneo 7th Grade School students came in droves to Sitio Ruby last March 1 & 2

I’ve heard of it before…only in Gawad Kalinga (GK) do you see Ateneans and La Sallites (like me) working perfectly in harmony together for the good of others.

The first weekend of March saw the arrival at Sitio Ruby of practically the whole batch of current 7th grade school students from the Ateneo. The school organized the students, parents, teachers and some teaching personnel to do community work in underprivileged communities and chose GK Ruby for this level of students.

The students along with their parents and other volunteers prior to their visit admirably raised a considerable amount of money for the GK site.

Nation-building begins with youth of this land

Every batch of students that arrived were all fired up and excited to do GK work. They were subdivided into several groups, basically by class section (their shirts were color coded) and were sent to different work areas. They were asked to do some hard menial work. It was difficult considering many of these kids come from sheltered homes, kids who have never lifted hollow blocks, or shoveled sand or constructed street pavements, much less build houses.

Students place pavers on a foot path in Sitio Ruby

There were some minor mishaps. One got hit in the face by a paver while passing them in the human chain. Another I think got sunstroke. All looked generally tired after a few hours of work, some of them under the heat of the summer sun. While all welcomed a periodic water break, nobody really complained. Instead, every looked exhausted but happy, fulfilled in their efforts.

OMB Officemate Miles Luanzon (lady with the cap and long sleeved shirt) joins

the Atenean human chain of volunteers

Ateneans get ready to chow down their lunch food

Blue Eagles in green shirts – a fitting and welcomed irony

I think I wasn’t dreaming when I saw some students watery eyed as their community work drew to a close. Certainly, many were moved not only by the poverty that they saw but by the realization that they could contribute in making the lives of many Filipinos a whole lot better, even at their young ages.

I hope this eye opener of sorts drives them to be better young men for others.

Job well done, Ateneans! I salute all of you.