Basadours Inc. rolled out a series of storytelling sessions last October to the children of the City of Naga who were displaced from their homes due to a landslide.
The month-long outreach project started on October 4 at the CEPOC Central Elementary School. The children listened in rapt attention as the Basadours animatedly read “Just Add Dirt” and “Bakawan” stories that teach the important values of cleanliness and environmental consciousness.
In the weeks that followed, Basadours visited other evacuation centers in Naga, including Central Elementary School on October 11, Naga National High School on October 13, and Enan Chiong Activity Center on October 20. Volunteer storytellers shared stories of hope and positive change in each stopover.
The month-long activity culminated on October 27 at the Naga Central School, where Basadours teamed up with three other organizations: Summerville (an annual summer workshop for children ages two to 13 years old), Kalinangan Youth Foundation (KALFI Lead), and Choose Tuesday. They brought the magic of storytelling as well as other engaging activities for children such as a play station, a coloring station, and an origami station.
Jo Belle Marabiles, executive director of Basadours, Inc., expressed her gratitude toward her companions and emphasized the power of storytelling among children.
“I thank my fellow Basadours for volunteering their time and effort for this endeavor in the true spirit of service and charity — giving their time, energy and pooling their resources for the children of Naga,” she said.
“Storytelling gives them something to think about. We aim to inspire them to hope for the better by reading and delivering children’s stories that will hopefully stay with them. We also hope that they live out the values from these stories or that they will love to read books as well,” added Marabiles.
