Container van school rises in Smokey Mountain

October 20, 2011, 4:19am

MANILA, Philippines — Have you heard yet of a school made out of container vans? Unbelievable but it’s true. And the grade school now stands proudly at the foot of what used to be Smokey Mountain dumpsite in Tondo, Manila.

The person who started the project is British national Jane Walker, a leading force of the Philippine Christian Foundation (PCF). She thought that a project like a school made out of container vans, donated by generous supporters, can help bring educational opportunities to children who are out-of-school and scavenging in Tondo. The container van school now accommodates a good number of marginalized pupils up to Grade Four.

Recently, the container van school, under the auspices of the PCF, was opened in simple ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

Gracing the occasion were officers of the British Embassy, led by Gerome Vizmanos, Gretchen del Rosario, Mark Allen Sison, Geof Lucraft, Paul Harmston, Cecile Tayag and Jane Walker herself, as well as the generous supporters from various sectors of the government agencies.

Among those who supported and donated classrooms are Victoria Court, including ABC International School, ABC, KSPACE & Wilowbrook Int’l. Schools, APL, Archion Architects, Australian Embassy, Boysen, British School Manila, Holcim Cement, Hyder, International School Manila, KSPACE International School, Pedro &Dionesia Esteves, PSF, PLDT, Smart, Motolite & PBSP, Rotary Club of Makati, Openwork Foundation, SHOM & IBF, The Body Shop, The Canticle Singers Malaysia, Tokyo International School, and Willowbrook International School.

The container van school hopes for a much better future for the out-of-school children. It is as well an ideal model or blueprint for giving access to education to the poorest of the poor in all parts of the country where school buildings are hard to come by.