John Oliver Allayban with a thank-you note for KCFI and Tahanan BooksA virtual turnover was held for 649 books donated by Ilaw ng Tahanan Publishing Inc. (Tahanan Books) during the 22nd anniversary celebration of Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) on June 14.

The event was led by KCFI president Rina Lopez and Tahanan Books publisher and editor in chief Reni Roxas. Recipients of the storybooks were parents and students from KCFI’s “Basa Bilang” program in Santa Rosa, Laguna and Marikina, and its early childhood development program in Jordan and Buenavista in Guimaras.

“Matapos ang higit isang taon na tayo [ay] nasa pandemya, tayo ay may pinagdadaanan pa rin na Philippine learning crisis. At malalabanan lamang natin ang learning crisis na ito kung magtutulungan tayo at bibigyang pansin natin ang nutrition, health, social protection at early learning stimulation ng mga batang [nasa] edad 0-8 years old,” said Lopez.

Reading books can help address gaps in early childhood and primary learning, two sectors in basic education greatly affected by the Philippine learning crisis. In 2018, the Philippines ranked 78th out of 79 countries in reading proficiency and 77th in science and mathematics, according to research conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Roxas believes that coordinating with KCFI will ensure that the books will be read by the children and not left unused on library shelves.

“We hope our titles will serve as useful teaching aids for your literacy development initiatives. Knowledge is a precious commodity in every person’s life. For a developing country such as ours, the spread and dissemination of knowledge is particularly vital to our role as nation builders,” she said.

The recipients conveyed their gratitude in a short video slideshow showing the books they received. Stephanie Burac, a Grade 1 pupil under the “Basa Bilang” program, also delighted the donors with her live storytelling of “Ma Me Mi Mumu!” written by Jomike Tejido and published by Tahanan Books. (Story/Photos by: Lucky dela Rosa)