Bituen Eco Volunteers

Bituen Volunteers is now an Eco Coop!    We are now transitioning from a non-profit to a Bituen Eco Volunteers Cooperative to allow growth not only for the people we want to help but for our own.  You are all welcome to join and let us build a resilient Philippines! Our site www.bituen.ph is under construction but we will keep you updated as always thru our social media page www.facebook.com/bituen.org Bituen was started in a #ReadingCaravan project in October 2009. It distributed thousands of books to school children with support from ReadPilipinas based in Florida, USA. It continued distributing used but high quality books directly to marginalized children in various parts of the country where request has been made. In December 2013, Bituen Volunteers started teaching youths, teachers, and various community groups # wastegardening, a method of planting using biowastes and empty containers . This was done to address lack of resources, from garden space, to organic ...

2017 proved as another progressive year for the Bituen group as we opened the year with Reading Caravan book distribution at San Isidro, Makati City in January 2 with Karinderia ni Mang Urot once again benefiting about a hundred young learners. The feat is followed by another book distribution at at Magsilay, Pasil, Kalinga Apayao, in January 11.  January 2 Reading Caravan at San Isidro, Makati City. Reading Caravan at Magsilay, Pasil, Kalinga Apayao, January 11. Urban Greening seminar/workshop March 27 @ DENR Social Hall, Quezon City with the Forest Management Bureau; Gulayan sa Paaralan Nationwide Conference in Dumaguete City, August 17; Waste Gardening at Love to Learn,  Old Balara, Quezon City in October 24; and Waste Gardening workshop again  at 3rd National Youth Environmental Summit November 21, at Teachers Camp, Baguio City. In between, the Bituen volunteers continue distributing books to marginalized children they encounter. S...

We are now accepting Organization Partners in our activities! There are 2 ways you can reduce your business taxes in the Philippines substantially. Partner with us either in Reading Caravan or Fruit Tree Planting . Click here ! In both instances, you can join us in the said activities. Under Reading Caravan, you sponsor a school for distribution of quality children's books to inspire the marginalized to read, learn, and aspire to become productive citizens! In Fruit Tree Planting under the Arbor Day and Graduation Legacy for the Environment laws, we may pick a school or public spaces and arrange all details. S chedule a meeting with us . Learn more about lowering your taxes for your Philippine business. Under the Republic Act 8525 or Adopt-a-School Act of 1998 and BIR Revenue Regulations 10-2003 , Bituen is now accepting Partners to join us in our two (2) programs as follows which your equivalent support will be duductible from your gross income (plus 50% additional deduction...

More than anything, quality children's books are most helpful and inspiring to marginalized children in third world countries like the Philippines due to its rarity and accessibility. Textbooks in the country seldom has more than 2 colors, of durable quality, or appeal due to its successive and years of use by several children. In Bituen volunteers' outreach experiences, when given food and a pack of toys, children set aside the rest and browse through the pages of the book they received for free because this is a new experience to them: being transported in another world with color and vivid images! All photos taken during the January 2, 2017 Reading Caravan in San Isidro, Makati CIty. Bituen continue accepting book donations for marginalized children. While giving to schools and libraries may also be a good intention, these books are rarely used by marginalized children for fear of soiling these books and being reprimanded later on. Contact us to donate.

"...the gargantuan challenge for Education Secretary Armin Luistro in realizing the value of the K to 12 Program includes ... above all, developing a culture of reading in Filipino children. There’s the rub. [It] might take 100 years or so..." Christopher Ryan Maboloc, The future of our children, Philippine Daily Inquirer Saturday, June 30th, 2012." The culture of reading is the biggest problem in Philippine education. This is compounded by the quality of books provided to public and even private school pupils which is abominable , to say the least... If children were provided books at all. In the latest  Reading Caravan conducted at Pideg, Elementary School in Pugo, La Union, all children in the school in June 5, 2013 (about 200 pupils in all), received their own books for their own reading consumption. The actual photos provide an insight as to how the children feel about reading decent books. We do not need to spell the ob...

Badoc, Ilocos Norte  - (First Leg of the National Tour from North to South) Badoc South Central School is the most populated school of the town with about 740 enrollees. Many come from marginalized families. During the reading session, some Grade 1 and 2 pupils, all from marginalized families, intuitively point on the letters and count with their other set of fingers to recall what the letters are in front of them. Some of them cannot read. In the case of this writer, out of 41 pupils, 6 pretended to be able to read, murmuring non-syllables. Incidentally, only 2 Grade 1 pupils out of 20 were noted to have difficulty reading. They already use books in vernacular and this could have helped because among the Grade 2 pupils, 4 cannot (out of 21 pupils). When asked why he cannot read, one pupil answered he have no books to read. Probably, he meant no interesting books to read. Public school pupils are provided with black-ink, dog-eared, disin...

All photos taken during Reading Caravan events. We are happy to announce that we are embarking on a nationwide book distribution through Reading Caravan. This is quite ambitious but will need all the support you could give, especially colorful children's' books. The children beneficiaries during RC opened their books immediately, with thirst for knowledge seen in their faces. Some of them were known to have reading problems as all public schools conduct a pre-post school year reading assessment. But with the eagerness in their eyes, the problem is not them but access. They do not even know how to open and flip the book pages properly. Philippine Literacy Right Now The situation right now in Philippine public schools is that all books are printed of black ink on newsprint pages. Gone are the colorful hardbound pages the 70s children experienced. These books today are dog-eared if not completely useless bound by packaging & scotch tapes for years of tear...

The first Reading Caravan for this year was held at the Sto. Tomas station. Marginalized children from barangays Quimmarayan and Sto. Tomas of Sto Domingo participated. There were 15 school supplies set with a book each that were distributed. The children were made to read from choices of books (filled with images/photos) and interpret what they read in vernacular. Some of the mothers requested, that they, too, should be included in reading sessions and asked to win books, too. We hope to expand to that later. More images here.