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Scholarship 2019/20
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About Us Blog Stories Founder's Story Partners FAQ > FAQ: The Library Project FAQ: Scholarship FAQ: General Annual Return Contact Us
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By Cindy Bajema：You Can’t Stop the Librarian in Action 4/22/2013 So how do you start a library? Well, it helps when you have a librarian. Sambat Trust is fortunate to have that and more in Zarah Gagatiga. We all know the stereotype of “the librarian”, often pictured as an elderly, severe looking, pinched nose, glasses wearing, fearful creature who glares and says, “Shhhhhush!” Zarah is none of these. Instead she is a smiling, bubbly, and powerful advocate for libraries - and the life changing opportunities that they represent. Trained as a school librarian, a position that she fulfills full-time at an IB school outside of Manila, she also works hard as an advocate through many organizations, serving on boards and conducting workshops for students, librarians and teachers in an effort to improve the standards of education in the Philippines and beyond. Zarah Gagatiga waits to cross the street as a Jeepney passes by in Tanauan City, Batangas. She generally takes public transportation to the various projects she works with, a journey that can take from 1-2 hours. For Zarah, a library is not just about the books. It is a process that starts with meeting teachers and administrators from the selected schools. During these meetings she stresses the importance in getting the local community involved, building a library is not just a process of installing books, it is also about building a space. The space needs to be prepared and feel welcoming, there should be adequate and appropriate shelving, but there also needs to be a level of comfort that is inviting – and this is something that the community needs to create! Once the space is ready and the school has received some training in using the library as a resource, then the books start to arrive. Staff at Trapiche School near Tanauan City, Batangas, unpack library books donated by Sambat Trust for their new library. Zarah helps them to realize that the environment of the library is important. You have to make a home for the books! As more and more books are unpacked for the Trapiche library, the staff become visibly excited. When she comes to a newly opened library she always reads a story to the students there, but she is not just reading a book -She is transporting her audience (children and adult) to an experience outside their own. -She is demonstrating how libraries can be used as a lively resource for learning and personal growth [not just warehouses with librarian-custodians] -She is giving a positive and inspiring example to teachers who are often overworked and underappreciated. Zarah’s passion for storytelling is captivating to these students attending the opening of the Trapiche School library. Zarah hands a book she’s just finished reading to a grateful teacher at the opening of the Ambulong School library. Her storytelling is a means of demonstrating to the teachers how they can use books to engage their students and expand their teaching skills. Zarah’s gifted storytelling has both students and teachers fully engaged at the library opening for Ambulong School in Batangas. So what motivates Zarah? I think it would be fair to say that she loves books. She loves stories and is inspired herself by their transformative gifts. Her work with Sambat Trust brings her to Batangas at least twice a month, usually making the 1-2 hour trip by public transport. Once there she networks with local individuals and organizations to lend their support to the work of Sambat Trust, she trains teachers to be creative with their limited resources, and evaluates schools to help them understand how to create and use a library. She recognizes and honors the struggles of her teacher colleagues and does her best to support them in their own quest for learning – knowing that the spark of excitement that they experience is something that they will pass on to their students. Zarah Gagatiga climbs into a tricycle as part of her almost two hour trip to visit Sambat. Zarah takes a moment to catch her breath after the Trapiche Library Opening event. Working for months with schools to prepare them for receiving a library is just the beginning. Zarah and other Sambat Trust volunteers will continue to work with the teachers in the area to show them how to expand their own knowledge and be creative in their teaching. In Zarah’s own words, “I love books and I want to share this love to others. Being involved in Sambat Trust's projects help me manifest this goal. It is always a joy to see kids reading. Some say, it's a passive activity, but a child reading is an active learner. Notice the reaction a child has when reading. With an open book, the child is actively engaged with the creators of the book. The fun part is for the child to express and share his reading experience with another, maybe a teacher, a parent or a friend. I know I can do book donations on my own, and conduct trainings through different organizations. However, Sambat Trust's school library initiatives begin at the grass roots. It's not a big NGO or charity. It's the little NGO/charity that could. It's inspiring to see community leaders, school leaders and parents pool their resources and work together to build a school library. It's amazing to see the wonder in kids' faces and the joy in teachers' eyes when they open a box of books delivered to their school. They're so happy! To see people happy, makes me happy.” I once heard it said that her name was a good one for a superhero, “Zarah Gagatiga!” Somehow this image has always stayed with me and so aptly demonstrates what this small but mighty woman is capable of. Whether it’s storytelling, networking, or training teachers in how to use libraries and stories as a resource, her infectious enthusiasm, passion and dedication will have you fully engaged in whatever she is sharing with you. Zarah has everything she needs gathered and ready to go. She’s off to face another day of inspiring and educating others of the transformative power of books. 12-Year-Old Boy Shows Making a Difference Comes from the Heart and Knows No Age. 4/6/2013 It just takes a genuine concern for others to make a world of difference to their lives. This is exemplified by elementary new graduate Shane de Rojas, who finished valedictorian at the Daughters of Mary Immaculate School. Shane invited sponsors to raise funds for the scholars of Sambat Trust instead of asking them for graduation gifts. Through JustGiving, Shane wrote: “I want to help children here to have a better life in the near future. There are so many children who can’t go to school because they don’t have enough money.” As one of the two sons of Sambat Trust coordinator Wilma de Rojas, it is no wonder that Shane developed this attitude of helping others. By helping and going with his mother, he saw that there a lot of children – some of them are of his age – that are not able to get an education because of financial difficulties. “I am just lucky,” Shane said, “that I have parents that strive to send me to a decent school and help me in my studies.” Because of this, he was able to do a lot of activities from topping academic requirements, writing journalism articles, participating in inter-school competitions, reciting poems, playing volleyball, reading science books, watching TV and even helping his younger brother. Santor Elementary School, 2009：Shane and his brother see the new library. Appreciating that he is truly blessed, he always saw to it to give his best in school. Ms. Wilma even remarked that Shane reviews his lessons almost every day and, as a result, he has been a consistent topnotch student since he was in kinder! After all the years of hard work, Shane wants to be a chef so he could cook delicious meals for his family. To fulfill his plan of helping the Sambat Trust scholars, Shane asked his aunties, uncles, grandparents and other relatives, as well as friends, schoolmates and their parents, to donate any amount to the foundation. Sambat Trust will use the donations to pay for the scholars’ school fees, school materials among other things. As of now, the amount raised is £170.00 (or roughly PhP 10,000.00) , which is over the specified target of £100.00. When asked what he felt about graduating, Shane said he was going to really miss his friends and classmates because they had really forged close friendships. He was also excited, however, to attend his new school, the high school division of the First Asian Institute of Technology and Humanities. Studying at FAITH will help his family, Shane explained, as he got a full scholarship. He promised, despite the scholarship assurance, that he would exert more effort in high school. Truly, Shane shows that making a difference comes from the heart and knows no age. And even without the other blessings he enjoys right now, he said that he will always continue to believe in the cause of Sambat Trust and to help other people in need. Teacher Training Workshop Sponsored By Adarna House 4/1/2013 Last February 16, 2013, eighteen teachers from Trapiche, Ambulong and Pantay Bata Elementary School attended the teacher training workshop sponsored by Adarna House. Here are selected photos from the session. Getting Children to Read： Teachers were given sessions on reading activities. Ergoe Tinio orients teachers on WikaHon, a Filipino Reading Kit for primary learners. Facilitator Teacher Pam Razon listens to participants share their insights and out put. READ: Teachers write anagrams on reading. Ate Wilma De Rojas, Coordinator of Sambat Trust, with Team Adarna. Teachers were all smiles after the workshop. What magic reading can do!
4/22/2013
4/6/2013
4/1/2013
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