by Aivy Rose N. Villarba
Student leaders from the Samahan ng Mga Mag-aaral ng Sining at Komunikasyon (SINIKOM), the academic organization of the Mass Communication and Interdisciplinary Studies students of the Ateneo de Davao University, spearheaded a back-to-school book collection drive for the students of Tboli Sbù Senior High School (TSSHS).
Dubbed as “Today’s Readers, Tomorrow’s Leaders,” the book drive aims to help strengthen the reading literacy of the partner indigenous community of the Ateneo.
SINIKOM External Vice President and 4th Year Mass Communication student Rexor Amancio said they conducted a need assessment and found out that TSSHS does not yet have a library and other resource materials.
Amancio was one of the student volunteers who immersed in Lake Sebu last April. He and his fellow officers also helped in building classrooms under DepEd’s Brigada Eskwela last May in Barangay Lemdalag, Lake Sebu.
Amancio said in an interview that they aim to collect at least 100 books including encyclopedias, dictionaries, storybooks, and history books.
Around 80 to 90 students from TSSHS, the first indigenous and culture-based senior high school in the country, will benefit from the drive.
“As student-leaders it is our duty and responsibility to serve our fellow students, but it is also a great challenge to extend assistance to those who are in need,” Amancio said.
The campaign was adopted from a project of SM City Davao, one of the organization’s partners.
SINIKOM set up two booths for the collection, one at the SM City Davao Annex, near Payless, and the other at the Ateneo Roxas Pavilion. The book drive will run from July 4 to 10.