19 young IAT scholars bring learning to remote Kalinga villages; over 100 children taught

Tabuk City — Nineteen scholars of the International Association for Transformation, Inc. (IAT) conducted an academic outreach program in remote communities across Kalinga through the organization’s annual Summer Literacy Program (SLP), teaching basic literacy and numeracy skills to more than 100 young learners from underserved barangays.

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‎The program, which ran from May 4 to 20, deployed scholars to far-flung areas across the province. For this year’s SLP, the volunteers were assigned to Sitio Burayukan in Balong, Tabuk City, and the barangays of Magaogao and Socbot in Pinukpuk.

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‎The scholars specifically taught at Burayukan Elementary School, Magaogao Elementary School, and Socbot Elementary School, with Magaogao considered the farthest and most remote among the three areas.

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‎In a mass interview with GURU Press Cordillera, Social work Program Coordinator Mhelanie Komisa shared that the organization conducts the SLP annually, primarily serving marginalized barangays across Kalinga.

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‎For this year, the 19 scholars were divided into three groups and deployed to the selected communities to teach elementary learners for two weeks.

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‎“...annually nga adda SLP. Ket ti talaga targets mi nga mapan surwan ket dagiti marginalized barangays across Kalinga. For this year's SLP, ti napili ket Sitio Burayukan, Magaogao, and Socbot. Tattan dagitoy current nga 19 nga scholars mi, nabingay da... dapat kuma ket maysa bulan ngem dadduma gamin nga scholars ket na-busy da piman,” she said.

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‎Komisa added that the Department of Education Kalinga and Tabuk City allowed the use of schools where the volunteer student-teachers stayed during the program.

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‎“Napan kami pay nagpakada ti DepEd Kalinga ken DepEd Tabuk City for the usage of the schools. Dagitoy nga agisuro ken masurwan ket approved metlang ti teachers from diay schools. For the SLP, haan kami nga agpilpili ti isurwan, uray out-of-school dayta ket mabalin basta willing metlang nga masurwan,” she added.

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‎Experiences of student-teachers

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‎According to the scholars, they joined the SLP not only to help children improve their reading, writing, and mathematics skills, but also to gain teaching experience and personal growth.

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‎One scholar, Jelliane Lambis, a high school student, shared that handling kindergarten and Grade 1 learners was especially challenging because of the varying learning levels among the children.

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‎“...narigat ta especially kinder to Grade 1 handle ko ket mostly kanyada nga na-observe mi ket agsasabali talaga learning levels da. Some of them ammo da agbasa, some met masadut da nga agsurat, and others ket diay nagan da lang ti ammo da nga suraten,” she shared.

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‎Despite the challenges, the scholars observed improvements in the learners’ writing skills and behavior throughout the program.

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‎Briethny Paut, an incoming third-year Social Work student at Kalinga State University, specifically noted that younger children showed the most improvement, with some eventually learning how to write their names by the end of the outreach.

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‎Some scholars also shared that the experience taught them patience, especially when working with young learners.

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‎What to know about IAT and its programs

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The International Association for Transformation (IAT) is a non-stock, non-profit organization based in Tabuk City, Kalinga, dedicated to supporting education and community development in underserved communities across Kalinga and Mountain Province.

Founded in 1979 through the efforts of David Durrance and a network of Canadian sponsors, IAT was formally registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1980. While the majority of its funding comes from generous Canadian donors, IAT Philippines also generates local funding to help sustain and expand its programs.

For more than four decades, the organization has provided educational opportunities to financially disadvantaged students. At present, IAT supports more than 90 full-time scholars and students, providing educational assistance at the elementary, junior high school, senior high school, and college levels.

Among IAT’s major initiatives include its annual Summer Literacy Program, where scholars are deployed to remote barangays throughout Kalinga as volunteer student-teachers. Through this program, they provide basic literacy and numeracy instruction to children in underserved communities while gaining valuable teaching experience, leadership development, and a deeper commitment to service.

IAT is also committed to responsible stewardship of donor support, with more than 85 percent of all donations going directly to student assistance and program services, while approximately 15 percent is allocated to administrative and operational costs.

Through its sustained commitment to education and community empowerment, IAT continues to help transform lives and create opportunities for future generations in the Cordillera region.