School Planting

In July of this year the Visions of Hope Foundation began teaching children how to read through the Basic Literacy Education and Support System (BLESS), a 20-week condensed version of the reading programs of Philippine pre-schools. It is specifically intended for children from age five to eight.  The first sets of learners were nine children in Laguna and ten children in Pasay City (Luzon), 13 in Aleosan (Visayas), and 16 B’laan children in Malungon (Mindanao).  Within two weeks to one month of their children’s attending BLESS classes, parents were already noting a marked improvement in reading skills.  Some said the children could even read better than siblings going to public school. Many parents have also been happily commenting on how their children’s manners have gotten better and on how they have learned to pray and use polite and affectionate expressions.