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By Joy Tabor, Chair Adopt a Barangay Elementary School
RC Kalayaan CDO

The Rotary Club of Kalayaan Cagayan de Oro’s weekly feeding program began in 2004 for the 38 malnourished students of Malasag Elementary School in Sitio Malasag, Brgy. Cugman, Cagayan de Oro.

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Once they reached normal weight, other parents requested for their children to be also included in the weekly feeding program.

The school ranked No. 75 in the National/Division Admission Test in 2004 when the program began, and soared to No. 7 four years later. Its NAT score went from 49 percent to 72 percent after three years. It won the first prize in Science Investigatory Project (IP) in East District 1 for three consecutive years from 2012 to 2014 where its competitors were the bigger schools of the district, and third place for the same in the division level for 2013 and 2014. Its contestants have also made it to the Top 3 in other competitions within the district and division levels for the same period, proving that good nutrition, with some help from organizations such as Rotary International, is indeed necessary in helping the children focus on their studies.

Now on its 11th year, the project has since been called “Adopt a Barangay Elementary School,” with the feeding program named as “Share a Meal” which is conducted every Friday for the whole school year. 241 students from pre-school to Grade 6 are benefiting from the feeding program for Rotary Year 2015-2016.

The students’ parents have continued to help out in preparing and cooking the food weekly, with the guidance of Capitol University Medical City’s dietician Jean Albarricin who prepares the menu. A vegetable garden within the school compound has helped in providing organic ingredients for the meals.

The school has since become the beneficiary of the Club’s other service projects such as the free medical and dental clinic, eye examination, free haircuts, parenting seminars, agri-tech seminar, proper nutrition and hygiene seminar, deworming, gift-giving, donations of door grills, computers, books, school supplies, cookware, plates, soup bowls, etc. And the Club has been celebrating its annual Christmas party with the students for many years now. Some RC Kalayaan Rotarians have even chosen to celebrate their birthday parties there, complete with food, mascots, games, and prizes for the students.

The Rotary Club of Tamar Sunrise of Australia is the Club’s partner for the Malasag project.

For RY 2015-2016, the weekly feeding program continues with Pres. Netnet Camomot, Service Projects Chair Gigi Go and yours truly as Adopt a Barangay Elementary School chair. Pres. Netnet has assigned monthly teams of RC Kalayaan Rotarians to oversee the feeding every week.

Its relaunching for School Year 2015-2016 officially started on July 10, 2015 with the weekly feeding, and the distribution of school supplies—notebooks, pencils, crayons, sharpeners, plastic envelopes, pad papers, ballpens and erasers—to each of the 241 students, with snacks and other school supplies donated by District Governor Nominee Linda Deleste, and books donated by Cagayan de Oro City Councilor Ramon Tabor.

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