Sunday, January 27, 2008

Basura Monster and The Story of Christine author Christine Bersola-Babao shares books and much more with BASA!


Thank you to Christine Bersola-Babao for donating to BASA Basura Monster and The Story of Christine, books she authored. We are excited to have you on board and look forward to working with you in BASA!

(L-R Christine Bersola-Babao, Fr. Ted Gonzales, SJ, and Marifel Castriciones)
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Thursday, December 27, 2007

Christmas Photos

Please check out newly-uploaded videos of the Christmas party for the children of Karangalan library held at Castriciones Law Office (Cainta). =). I heard it was a lovely program, complete with acting awards for the reenactment of the first Christmas! Thank you so much to everyone involved: Marifel, Fely, Virgie, Marcy and Mitos, Juliet and Fr. Ted, SJ and also to all friends of basa who keep the books and door prizes coming in!

"and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." - Luke 2:7
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Friday, December 07, 2007

Karangalan Library Christmas Party!


Maligayang Pasko!
Celebrate with the kids from Karangalan library on Dec. 9 (Sunday)!
Contact Marifel <0915-445-53-97> for details.
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Saturday, November 10, 2007

BASA's Seminar Workshop at Servants of Charity

Rev. Charlton Viray invited BASA to host a reading seminar at Servants of Charity. Thank you for your invitation!
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Friday, August 17, 2007

Thanks to our friends in Hawaii!

Long overdue thanks go out to my uncle and aunt in Hawaii, Yong and Vickie Bunye, who regularly donate to BASA books, educational materials, and giveaways for the point system in Karangalan Library.

We are equally indebted to their friends, the Trinidad and the Amore families.

Quite a while back, Corky and Hana Trinidad donated mint-condition comic books. Their sons Manny and Larry built their comics collection as an investment, but saw fit to donate and have BASA resell them and keep the profit to benefit BASA programs.

Mike and Tess Amore, and their children Lucia and Matthew donated children's books.

More donated items from my uncle and aunt and their friends, Tom and Willa Papandrew, and their niece, Chelsie, were shipped recently. Tom, Willa, and Chelsie donated books, toys, and stuffed animals. I have seen part of this shipment in Honolulu before I left for the Philippines in June. The children are going to love them!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!
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Sunday, June 17, 2007

To BASA from Australia, with Love





















Students from Our Lady of the Pines Primary School in Australia
put together boxes of supplies for the children of Karangalan library!














Notebooks, padpapers, clipboards, sharpeners, markers ballpens, pentel pens, crayons, color pencils, children’s storybooks, pencil cases, were neatly packed in 3 boxes shipped to the Philippines kindness of Gilda Guillermo last December 2006. The 3rd ballikbayan box arrived in Philippines in mid-January 2007, shipment fee of which was paid for by Don Bosco Australia through Thor Brizuela. Inside were more children’s books, school supplies and clothes donated by the families of de Guzmans, Abellas, Parels and Chambers; lunch boxes were courtesy of the Harbinsons through Ollie.



Very special thanks go out to
Principal Judy Abbott, Theresa Platt and teachers Karen Craven, Frank Piccione and Guilla Costa! A million thanks to Meg Belmonte, who has been instrumental in coordinating efforts in Australia to keep the help efforts to help BASA from their side of the world sustainable.

Meg, a parent in Our Lady of the Pines heard about BASA via email, and got in touch with the Manila-based volunteers and offered to help by coordinating with friends in the Philippines to regularly donate supplies and juice to the children of Karangalan library, as well as her daughter's class who generously gave of their time and resources to put together these donations. It is so exciting to hear about how people who never meet face to face can come together in such a special way for a special cause! I hope to meet you someday, Meg!

To read more about the project and view more pictures, come and visit Enzo's blog.


Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,the fruit
of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children
of one's youth.
-Psalm 127:3-4



To find out how you can help BASA, please contact:

friendsofbasa@gmail.com

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Free Workshop! Creating a Culture of Reading

Creating a Culture of Reading

(Facilitators workshop)

Sunday, June 24, 2007, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3rd flr., AVR Room, CEFAM

Fees and materials: free!

Bring a sack lunch/snacks or eat out at Katipunan!

For more info, contact : Marifel 09154455397
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Friday, March 30, 2007

BASA visits Romblon!




An excerpt from Marifel's experience:

During the first day, you will also see the picture where we met with some 10 local teachers. This was a big help. On our own, we will not be able to facilitate the 160+ attendees. We also took pictures of the different stages of the workshop in their respective small groups; the woman in blue blouse is Alice Quilicot of Bagong Kulturang Pinoy. She was also the one who invited us to go to Romblon and sponsored our trip. Of course, you will see the pictures of the BASA team in action: Sr. Mary Abellanosa, OSB and Sis. Lizette.
The participants in a plenary session is a picture which was for me, a very edifying scene, truly uplifting! I was awed. The welcome given us was overwhelming. Thank God for them.

Over-all, the workshop went well. We have received invitations for the next few months for the same workshop. Thanks to this recent exposure. April will see us in Pampanga.

If you are interested to help and see how the workshop goes, please come with us to La Salle this March 13. Call me at 09154455397.

-Marifel
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Saturday, October 21, 2006

Looking Back: BASA on Tour! (Aroroy, Masbate)


BASA team’s visit to Aroroy, Masbate was a success! Thanks be to God.





Role-playing games


Marifel's cell group
Briefing of the seminar participants
Alice Quilicot of Bagong Kulturang Pinoy, who sponsored the trip to Masbate


All praises go to our Heavenly Father for the various invitations from all over the country to minister to others who wish to start their own BASA libraries! The seminars are held in one to two days and cover various topics on creating a culture of reading.

2006 Visits:

Romblon

Aroroy, Masbate

For a detailed account of the Masbate, visit, please click here.

Thanks to the 130 participants, including
Rev. Joel Z. Baylon, D.D., Bishop of Masbate. Thank you also to the following families of students from Ateneo High School who made this trip possible: Mr. Ed & Chil Soriano, c/o Edmund Vincent, 4-A), Mrs. Thelma Ramos c/o Archie Rafael Gerard, 4-M, Mr and Mrs. Dante Liban, c/o Julius Carlo, 4-F, and also to Mrs. Linda Villamayor (ADMU), Mr. and Mrs. Ed and Emma Robles (Town and Country Homes, Marikina), Mrs. Cely Kotake (ADMU), Catholic Women's League (Mt. Carmel Parish), Mrs. Angie de las Alas, Mrs. Maiette Zee (ADMU), Mr. Carling Sobrevinas (New Manila).

Thanks to the Team BASA - Sr. Mary Avellanosa, OSB, Marifel Castriciones, Josie Damgo, Alice Quilicot and Baby Timbol

Watch out for our future tours:

Mary the Queen Academy, Pampanga - July 2007
Legionary Members - Sta. Lucia Parish, Pasig City - August 2007
Servants of Charity, Tandang Sor, Quezon City - November 13, 2007 (Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.)


To invite BASA to come to your area, or for more information, please send an email to friendsofbasa@gmail.com!


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Friday, August 04, 2006

The Karangalan Library kids thank you


Undo leads the Karangalan Kids in prayer



Mahal na Panginoon,






Salamat sa library


Salamat sa pagkain



Salamat kay Teacher Kam, Teacher Aileen, Teacher Sherwil, Teacher Frannie, Teacher Marifel,


Salamat kay Teacher Rhea,





Salamat sa nagbigay ng papel.









Salamat sa nagbigay ng lapis



Salamat sa nagbigay ng color. Amen.





The children, through their reading and writing work, are trying to earn points not only to exchange for the donations you send but also for a trip to the carnival this December. Come and visit Karangalan Library (Cainta Rizal) to see their progress!



Thank you to Jamie Lyn C. Arcega for the notepads, art paper, crayons, and pencils. The kids are so grateful! For more pictures from this visit, click here.


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Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Sanctuary


Sculpture by Michael Cacnio

Sanctuary
by Cynthia Villafranca

Sunlight streams through the leaves.
Shadows lengthen,
but the boy hardly notices.
High up in the tree,
his finger spears the page
trying to capture letters,
words,
sentences.
Only the leaves hear him
as he stumbles,
fumbles,
mumbles the lines.
It is an everyday struggle,
here, in his sanctuary;
struggling to read
high up these guava branches.




Thank you to Gigo Alampay of Canvas for permission to post the photo and poem!
Please visit Michael Cacnio's exhibit in Greenbelt 4.
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Joint Book Launch, August 15 Tuesday 8:30 pm







Stories from a Weekend is a compilation of stories from Life's Directions, a retreat-based community that's been bringing the youth together on weekends to discern and pray together, for about twelve years now.

Agimat ni Apo is a compilation of stories on leadership and love for the Philippines.

Come and support the project!

Click here for more info.
















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New look!

Our site has been down the past few days! I’m not sure what the problem is, but just to be on the safe side, we salvaged the old posts (2005- Summer 2006) and transferred them to this link, and all new posts (July 2006-onwards) will be posted here.
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A Visit to Karangalan Library (Karangalan Village, Cainta, Rizal)


July 27, 2006. Fr. Ted, Marifel and I trooped to Cainta, Rizal to Marcy and Mitos Buenaventura’s home, whose first floor was converted into Karangalan Library, for one of BASA/LCDF’s daily reading sessions (M-F 11:30-1pm) and extra activities on Saturdays. Mitos, the wife of Marcy, is a cancer survivor - her recovery was one of the reasons the couple offered their home to be used by the Row 4 students of Karangalan .




When we arrived, the younger kids were already working on their capital and lower case Y’s (the letter of the day). They took a break from their writing so we could start the reading session.



Fr. Ted lead a bodily-kinesthetic prayer.



Marifel asked the kids what songs they wanted to sing.


They suggested “With Christ as my vessel, I can smile at the storm”




Here's Marcy (in orange) with the kids in prayer.







I volunteered to read the Tagalog version of “Grandma and Me” a story about Bea, an only child of an OFW, who lived with her grandma.





In the story, Bea lived apart from her parents, but knew that she was loved. She and her grandma would bond by reading together and singing songs about Jesus. Here we are singinging “Jesus Loves Me”.




Game time! Words from the story are used in reading games.



There's a game for the younger kids who can recognize initial sounds.






And here's another one for older students who can read whole words.



After the vocabulary games, the kids resumed writing. The older kids went to a separate group for decoding more difficult words -volunteers from LCDF help the children overcome their shyness and encourage them to read more advanced words.

Free choice followed:








Some kids chose books,









the rest chose other activities.












Fr. Ted liked this one, obviously!


Volunteers from LCDF plus Fr. Ted (in green), me, and Marcy.


Volunteers with Marifel C (in blue).


Before 1pm, the kids took a snack-to-go (prepared by the volunteer parents) and walked back to school.

* * *

The kids need clipboards for their writing activities. We need about forty. Twenty kids come in for the daily sessions, but as many as forty come on Saturdays. Would you like to source the clipboards for BASA or volunteer in another capacity?

If you would like to replicate this project in your area, drop us a line at friendsofbasa@gmail.com or get in touch with Marifel Castriciones at 0915-445-53-97.
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