When People Cross Borders
October 2003
Banner photo: ©SEKAI BUNKA PHOTO
The People's School, Philippines
The students of Paaralang Pantao
On July 30, SGI-Philippines Adviser Yasunori Takimoto and General Director Yasuaki Niitsu visited Paaralang Pantao (The People's School) in Payatas, Quezon City, the Philippines, and presented stationery and school supplies to the students.
Payatas is the site of a massive garbage dump called "The Second Smokey Mountain." Around it live families dependent on scavenging. The Paaralang Pantao school, located at the foot of the dump, was established in 1987 by Dr. Letty Reyes for children of destitute families who cannot otherwise afford to send their children to school. The school began as a volunteer class for neighborhood children, and today around 200 children study there.
Since 1994, Soka University has been assisting Paaralang Pantao as part of its East Asian studies program. In April 1994, five Soka University students who were studying in the Philippines on an exchange program were taken to Payatas by UNICEF staff. The students were deeply moved by the stark determination and will of the people to survive. As soon as they returned to Japan, the students launched a volunteer effort that continues through a charity drive at the annual Soka University festival.
At the presentation, Mr. Takimoto told the students that each one of them is a beacon that sheds light upon a new era. Thanking the SGI for the gifts, Dr. Reyes reaffirmed her determination to dedicate her life to helping the children of disadvantaged families lead happy and fulfilled lives.
