Recently CULE, through its Solidarity Fund, contributed towards rebuilding efforts of a Day Care Centre in the Philippines that had burned to the ground after a major fire in an urban poor neighbourhood. Please see below for further background on the day care and its role in the neighbourhood.
Pablo Rosales, one of the organizers, sent this message of appreciation to CULE on behalf of the Malabon Day Care
First of all thank you for your continued support of our daycare, and thank you for sending aid for initial efforts to organize and rebuild our daycare building which burned to the ground. You have my assurance that we will use it for important and immediate work, especially to re-open the daycare. Despite the tragedy and people are working hard to recover from the effects of fire. The members of KAISAKA are happy and wish to convey their gratitude to you for your continued support. We will communicate and update on the developments of our building by sending a report. Once again we are grateful and wish that we are endure safe throughout these trying times. Long live international unity and cooperation!
Background
The day care center was built 2013 by community organizations affiliated with Pagkakaisa ng Kababaihan para sa Kalayaan (KAISA KA) and League of Urban Poor for Action (LUPA). KAISA KA is a national organization of grassroots women.
Since it was built, it has been managed by volunteers from the local KAISA Ka chapter in Malabon. Its program which is developed by the Teachers Center of the Philippines (TCP) has been recognized by the local government of Malabon City and can accommodate 40 kids aged 4-5 every school year . The school year runs from June and ends in March.
There are two holiday breaks, a short semester break during October and Christmas vacation in December. The daycare is highly regarded in the locality since its graduates do well when they are integrated into local public schools. The school acts as a much needed “step up” for underprivileged children in depressed communities to be able to have an early start in pre-kinder literacy, numeracy and socialization skills.
The space also doubles as a community hall or center where locals discuss and hold forums on relevant community issues such as health rights, housing rights, women’s rights and children’s rights as well as social occasions such as community Christmas party.
All this was put to a halt when the daycare went up in flames following the February 8, 2017 fire. Suspected as eviction by fire, it started at 5pm and ended at 12:30am the next morning. The daycare was damaged along with other houses and properties spanning more than three hectares estimated to cost 70 million pesos and displaced more than three thousand families.