March 17, 2025
Tzu Chi Pampanga provides school supplies to 150 indigenous students
By Dorothy Castro
On March 9, 35 Tzu Chi Pampanga scholars, volunteers, and staff worked together to organize an outreach program at Villa Maria Integrated School (VMIS), in Porac, Pampanga. They provided school supplies and other essential items to 150 elementary and high school students who are members of indigenous communities in the province.
Situated in the upland, this integrated school provides quality education to students from indigenous communities. Due to its distance, students often have difficulty getting the school supplies they need.
At the school’s covered court, students from the sixth to 10th grades received bags of school supplies distributed by Tzu Chi volunteers, scholars, and staff members. These contained pencils, ball pens, sharpeners, rulers, face masks, notebooks, and snacks for the children to use for school.
For these children, it was an enjoyable day to bond with Tzu Chi scholars, who prepared performances for the students.
Analyn Baclay, a senior high school teacher at VMIS, expressed her gratitude for Tzu Chi’s commitment to helping their students. As the coordinator of this outreach program, she learned about Tzu Chi’s initiative to help from a group of teachers in Novaliches, Quezon City. Establishing ties with Tzu Chi allowed her to make the outreach possible.
“We are happy and we are lucky that VMIS is one of the schools that Tzu Chi helped,” Baclay said.
“What Tzu Chi did for us today is a blessing,” says Sorito Baclay, a senior high school teacher at VMIS. Having known Tzu Chi from the foundation’s visit to their community in Inararo, Porac, to help repair the church in their area, Baclay considers it fate meeting the volunteers again, with the same goal of bringing happiness to the students in the Aeta community in Porac.
For Tzu Chi scholars, this was more than the act of giving school supplies to students in need; to them, it was their way of fulfilling the teachings of Tzu Chi founder Dharma Master Cheng Yen and in turn, reciprocating the compassion they received.
Gerald De Guzman, a Tzu Chi scholar studying at Pampanga State Agricultural University, felt very grateful to be a part of this initiative to help their community in Porac. Inspired by Tzu Chi’s effort to reach the community and provide these materials, he said to the students: “Never give up on [your] dreams. In the future, [you] will be the ones who can help other people.”
Arriving in Porac, Pampanga, students help in unloading the school supplies.
The Villa Maria Integrated School in Porac, Pampanga, provides education to students from indigenous communities.
These 150 school supplies are given to students from the sixth to 12th grades.
Tzu Chi volunteers help in arranging the bags to be given to the students.
Gerald De Guzman helps in facilitating the outreach activity.
Students also enjoy sharing their thoughts during the program.
Children are all smiles at the fun dance activity prepared by the Tzu Chi scholars.
Tzu Chi volunteers and scholars help in distributing the school supplies to the students.
Tzu Chi volunteers and scholars help in distributing the school supplies to the students.
A young volunteer gives a bag of school supplies to a student.
Tzu Chi volunteers are happy to give these bags of school supplies to the students.
Students show off the school bags they received.
“We are grateful for the school supplies given to our students, because many of the children here have a hard time buying them,” says Analyn Baclay, a senior high school teacher at Villa Maria Integrated School.
“These items that Tzu Chi gave today will be very helpful for our students,” senior high school teacher Sorito Baclay shared.
Students of Villa Maria Integrated School, Tzu Chi volunteers, students, and staff take a group photo after the outreach activity.