Badjao Literacy Program in Bohol

[pioneer]

Fifty-five badjaos enrolled themselves to literacy program implemented by Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF), in partnership with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Commission for Indigenous People (NCIP) and the University of Bohol (UB).

Two subjects will be taught in the program. “How to Start Your Own Business” will be taught to the 38 female badjao enrollees and “Coastal Resource Management” will be taught to the 17 male badajo enrollees.

The program welcomes badjaos aged 15 up to 45 years old who are living in the badjao community in Totolan, Dauis Bohol. It is a nine-month project where classes are held every Saturday starting August 11 at 9:00am to 11:00am for How to Start Your Own Business” and 11:00am to 1:00pm for “Coastal Resource Management”.

The teachers include Dodong Formentera of BLDF and Glenn Sasing of University of Bohol under the project coordinator Eulalie Albuladora. The project is brought to Bohol by ProLiteracy Worldwide through its representative Ms. Sarah Frank.

The badjao community in Totolan, Dauis has been surveyed and put into the Poverty Database and Monitoring System (PDMS), a software developed by Bohol Local Development Foundation in collaboration with the Provincial Planning and Development Office. The software can rank communities and households based on specific poverty indicators and helps monitor their progress over time or after project interventions.

press release

[Macky Ferniz]

For thousands of years they survive from God given resources.

They are called the Sea Gypsies and scattered from Thailand up to Indonesian Archipelago. During the recent tsunami they knew that it is coming. They have thier own system of writing and counting. Their civilization is far older and ours is new; however our system is a destructive one.

I believed we should be the one learning from them. There should be a cultural exchange.

It is OK to teach them literacy, but not to the extent that thier culture will be wiped out to extinction like we totally lost our own way of writing and our identity.

[ligiah]

you´re right macky... i mean, we (the `educated´ ones) often force education and literacy on them without really understanding their culture. i just hope that this literacy program will teach them something, but at the same time preserve their culture.