The Young Euramersian Philanthropist: Educational Needs For Indigenous Children

The donated school materials

With the school children in waiting

Naragsak nga Isasanbay! This is the Ilocano greeting for welcome! Personally, I am very proud of my Cordilleran paternal indigenous bloodline namely Ibaloi, Kankana ey and Bontoc. In short, I am proud to be an Igorot! Igorot ak!

In this blog, you will see the pictures of my fellow Igorots living on the mountains of Mapita, Aguilar of Western Pangasinan, The Philippines. It is almost 20 kilometers from the town proper of Aguilar. There is only one school in Mapita and that is Mapita Elementary School where students wake up early and walk kilometers just to attend formal schooling. The high schools are within the town proper of Aguilar. Almost 20 kilometers away!

On 16 July 2011, together with Rodolfo Zuleta and his wife Sheryl Santos-Zuleta, Bhing Rivera-Carpio, three of my fellow Marian alumni of St. Mary's College of Meycauayan, Bulacan, Philippines, with Sylvia Manzano-Holandez, the mother of Fr. Sherwin Manzano Holandez, my fellow Marian alumnus and with cousin Grace Mate Sausa, they donated boxes of school materials for these intelligent and talented Igorot children for School Year 2011 - 2012.

The grateful teachers

This is the facade of Mapita Elementary School

We, the educated Igorots of these mountains work hand in hand to increase the literacy of these children and out-of-school-youth and to help their parents in augmenting their income. We organized its first non-stock, non-profit cultural association named SOCIETY OF DYNAMIC CORDILLERANS INC. I was elected as the President / CEO. Part of our programs is to establish a formal private secondary school named NEW CORDILLERANS ACADEMY INC. for the students and out-of-school-youth to continue their studies and to have the best future that awaits them. Sadly but frankly, most of the students in Mapita after their elementary graduation could not finish high school. They would prefer to help their parents / elders in the farm. Their intelligence is ceased from formal education learning.

Through, this blog, we invite you to join us in this philanthropic missions. Your help will be highly and deeply appreciated. We guarantee you a lot of heartwarming experiences from the smiles and gratitude of the these children and people from the mountains. Your help either medical, legal and any other things such as old books, usable school supplies will mean a lot to us. You are also invited to help us build the high school of this place. We are proposing to have classrooms made of native materials. A building will follow later for those who would like to donate.

For further information, feel free to message me in this post or to send me in my private message box in my two Facebook Accounts, Prince Heinrich FitzGerald (Official) and Prince Heinrich FitzGerald. You can also visit us at Familia Sauza-Berenguer de Marquina Corporation and like us on Facebook at Familia Sauza-Berenguer de Marquin Corporation.