The Alternative Learning Systems is a two- Classroom facility. We provide meals from Monday through Friday for
children we rescued from the dumpsite, sponsored students who are already in elementary, and high school students in order to improve their nourishment and increase their attendance in school instead of staying inside the dumpsite and looking for means of living.
The school also uses this facility for regular class discussion like Technology and Livelihood Education. Volunteers take charge of the feeding, from buying food at the market to cooking. Food preparation and cleaning up consumes so much water, and we rely on the rain water catchment system of the school.
The water rain catchment of the school distributes water to different areas such as a comfort room for over 600 students, as well as the school administrative office, and the nearby transition shelters. When rain water supply is low, the school classes and feeding activity is affected. We fetch water from a nearby well when there is no rainwater.
When it is not rainy season and drought approaches, our Dumpsite Project Coordinator, Rico, is in charge of taking care of the ALS Classroom and Sto. Nińo VFV Center. He fetches water from the center using his bicycle. He transports 3 or 4 water jugs a day, approximately a 25-minute ride from the center to ALS. He wakes up 4:30 am to fetch water from the community, so the water can be used for potable drinking (filtered). The students and Rico fetch water from the well for hand-washing, flushing the toilet, washing kitchen tools, utensils and equipment.
Water is an essential need for our daily activities. In the northern communities of Tacloban City, however, water is more difficult to access. Most of the families find ways and use the deep well. Locals fetch from the water tank that is filled up by an electric water pump. Availability of water depends on the amount of water stored in the water tank. People from the transitional shelters rely on water deliveries by the city government and rain water collection.
With the Water Pump Project, a lot of beneficiaries will be given opportunities to better access water. It would be convenient to fetch water and save time. Water users are mainly students, VFV sponsored children, child scavengers, youth and adult scavengers, teachers, transitional shelters inhabitants, and New Kawayan constituents. We are humbly seeking your good support and kindness for the installation of a jetmatic water pump system.
We earnestly hope for your utmost support and consideration.
By Mano John
Please contact this email: john.balanlay@visayans.org
Read more about our project: https://visayans.org/community-center/dumpsite-project