A container van school for the kids of Smokey Mountain

Once upon a time, in a not-so-faraway place, children lived atop Smokey Mountain - named for the thick odor emitted by the huge garbage dump that formed it. The humongous pile of trash was the ground beneath their feet, and their source of sustenance. Things went on this way until a traveler by the name of Jane Walker chanced upon the dump. The British national fell in love with the children, who seemed to her treasures among the trash. She pledged to build them a daycare center. To give them a chance at a different life was her challenge, the way 'taming' Tarzan was to another famous Jane. She established the Philippine Christian Foundation (PCF) Inc. and built her first school in 1998. Since then, she has been actively involved in charity projects such as building a preschool in the Helping Foundation Building at the Smokey Mountain Temporary Housing North Pier 18 under the Ramos administration, and most recently, the ingenious PCF Container School. Recycled school At first, the building was meant to be made mainly with container vans. However, American project consultant Tim Strong recommended that cement be used for additional sturdiness and better ventilation. The corridors were also originally planned to be steel, but in the end, these were cemented as well. As a result, anyone looking for the container vans will have a hard time finding them, as they have been covered with cement. Construction began in 2006 on site at the Permanent Housing area but it is only near completion. Amidst the finishing touches, Facility Supervisor Edgardo Escobio, fondly known as Mang Eddie, explains that the building was staggered, due to changes in the design and incremental funding. The school is three floors high, with room enough to accommodate 1,000 students. Already the school supplies are in -- fresh, crisp textbooks protected by plastic, waiting for eager hands to flip through them. The library shelves are packed with books, and some rooms are already decorated and stocked with school supplies. Only the bathrooms and kitchen are unfinished, and Mang Eddie says the school will be ready soon, but not in time for the opening of classes this month. In the meantime, the children will attend classes at the Helping Foundation Building. Space solution Could this design be the answer to our public school system's problem of space? The PCF Container School participated in the 2008 Holcim Awards - an international competition for Sustainable Construction. It was one of 1,875 entries that met the stringent criteria of the competition which assessed projects based on five target issues: Quantum change and transferability, Ethical standards and social equity, Ecological quality and energy conservation, Economic performance and compatibility, and Contextual and aesthetic impact. It has cost nearly 14 million pesos to build, as of their 2009 audit. However, this does not account for the materials which were donated - the container vans from APL Shipping Co. and the cement from Holcim. Carina Buenaventura of PCF says that in the end, the project could cost as much as a regular school, or perhaps more, since the design is unique, and also because of the changes made midway. Fortunately for PCF, they are well-supported half and half by local and foreign donors. Among their main sponsors are PLDT Smart, Meralco, RCBC Foundation, and the British and Canadian Embassies. "Baka kasi hindi safe para sa mga bata, kaya pinalagyan na rin ng cement," she told GMANews.TV. On the other hand, the PCF Container School students can look forward to good class sizes. So far, there are 600 enrolled attending classes at Helping until the new site opens this year. They have 20 regular teachers and several volunteers, which puts the student teacher ratio at approximately 1:30. School of dreams Mang Eddie says that the school is intended to offer pre-school and elementary schooling, and eventually, high school. Students of the PCF container Van school are scholars of the foundation. The annual cost, he says, is about 50 pesos only, and each student is given uniforms, school supplies, and a hot meal every day. The more malnourished students are enrolled in a feeding program. The kids are very excited, he says, because the old school which locals refer to as simply 'Helping' is not at all conducive to learning. "Tuwang tuwa nga sila kasi 'yung existing (school), parang 'di eskwelahan, puro putik, puro basura. Makikita mo talaga, puro basura. Kapag umulan, hindi puwedeng hindi nakabotas." The new school is the golden coach to Cinderella's pumpkin - quality materials, spacious rooms, and the only pervasive smell is the smell of freshly-painted walls. Still, the school is in Balut Island, Tondo, and right outside the windows is the river that still smells of decay. Walking around the empty school, you can already imagine the children, their faces lit up, hungry to learn and hearts thumping with dreams of a brighter future. As they walk the halls of this recycled school, their new dreams may just come true. - GMANews.TV