Prince Jared Calundoy, a pupil at Asinan Elementary School, smiles after receiving his Gusto Kong Mag-Aral bag School year 2019-2020 for public elementary schools has already started, but there are pupils who go to school without supplies.

Prince Jared Calundoy is one of them. Calundoy is a Grade 2 pupil at Asinan Elementary School in Buenavista, Bohol. His mother describes him as a hardworking child. Because of financial difficulties, he would sometimes skip class and help his parents bind fishing nets as fishing is his family’s primary source of income. Given these limitations, Calundoy still manages to be an honor student.

“Malungkot ako kasi pasukan na wala pa akong gamit. Kaya masaya akong nabigyan ng bag ng Sagip Kapamilya,” he said.

Calundoy is just one of the thousands of pupils nationwide who received Gusto Kong Mag-Aral bags from Sagip Kapamilya.

Sagip Kapamilya recently distributed a total of 2,003 Gusto Kong Mag-Aral bags in Bohol. Thirty-one schools in Buenavista received 1,688 Gusto Kong Mag-Aral bags while Sikatuna district received 315 bags. Inside each bag are notebooks, eraser, ballpen, pencil, sharpener and crayons.

“Maraming salamat, Sagip Kapamilya. Mahalaga ito sa mga bata o pamilya na hindi kayang bumili ng bag,” said Noel Duavis, acting public school district supervisor of Buenavista.

Calundoy’s story is one of the many stories that inspired Gusto Kong Mag-Aral. The project is part of Sagip Kapamilya’s rehabilitation efforts to help disasterstricken areas start over. It aims to encourage children to go to school by providing basic needs such as school supplies.

For P350, you can give a child a Gusto Kong Mag-Aral bag with school supplies. Help by donating to Sagip Kapamilya. Visit www.abs-cbnfoundation.com. (Story/Photos by: Eva Mae Nares)