Project Launch:

A Reading Room of Our Own: Tarlac College of Agriculture (TCA) and Rehoboth Children's Home, Inc (RCHI) are located in Central Luzon, the largest island in the Philippine archipelago. The region is known as a crossroads for many Filipino cultures. The area surrounding both organizations is primarily agricultural, with rice production as a source of income for many families. The Tarlac College of Agriculture's Institute of Education (TCA) and Rehoboth Children's Home, Inc. (RCHI) have a shared interest in improving the literacy skills of children in their community as many RCHI residents are reading below grade level and the center lacks the resources to provide the level of remedial reading support needed for many residents. As part of their course work, TCA's future teachers need to apply literacy strategies to live classroom settings in order to demonstrate proof of learning among students in the community. A remedial reading program is under design based on a recently completed needs assessment, but concerns remain over finding adequate resources and a suitable location for RCHI residents to study with their TCA student tutors. RCHI had a reading room that was rarely used by the center's residents and was an ideal location for the remedial reading program. With a $500 grant from World Connect’s Kids to Kids Program in 2010, students from the college joined together with the residents of the children's home to revitalize the RCHI reading room so both organizations can use it to conduct remedial reading tutoring sessions. The project was planned by Filipino Kids and allowed them to improve their managerial skills. By the end of the project, they knew how to prepare a budget and organize task forces, giving them valuable business skills as well as a great product. The project also revitalized their interest in reading. Many of the kids who led the project have used the room as a tool to improve their reading level. The project also particularly helped the kids at the local children's home. The project did not simply provide a suitable setting for learning, but serves as a creative reflection of the young people who led, designed and participated in its revitalization.