"If you are a kid, reading is really important stuff."
- Bruce Jenner
As a kid, I used to read a lot. My allowance back then was just enough for my daily expenses, for me to purchase a book; I have to really save up for it. I envied my classmates whose moms buy books for them. You see my mom was a working one and I never really wanted to bother her to ask her to buy a Sweet Valley Twins book or a Nancy Drew book or one of those books that lets you choose your own ending. I simply borrowed from my classmates. I remember this particular seatmate of mine in high school; Ivy, she was really neat and took good care of her books. Whenever I was given a chance to borrow her Sweet Valley books, I took extraordinary diligence in making sure that the sides of the book never had a crease. I read lying on my bed and opened the book just enough for me to somewhat peep through the entire page. I almost did not flip the pages, I somewhat figured out a way to flip my head, or my whole self. I may not have my own books, but I still consider myself lucky to have classmates with books who was kind enough to lend it to me.
But there are kids who can't buy books... and their friends can't buy as well... and I think what's worse than not being able to read is being able to do so but not having something to read. A few days back as I was cyber-stalking someone on facebook, I chanced upon a post from a friend who is very active with TREK (TRails to Empower Kids). A group of friends who did not just admire the beauty of the mountains but also saw how deprived the isolated tribes were. So they have decided not just to trek, but to bring treats to the tribes that they visit.
Sometime next month , August 25-26, they will again embark on a journey,to have a good exercise, to marvel at the beauty of nature and most importantly, to bring treats to Primary School Kids in Nagtipunan, Quirino. I am such a wimp and wouldn't want to go with them, not for the fear of being away from my urban lived comfy life, but from the fear of embarrassing myself because I might just be deadload for the group.
So I just told my friend that I will try to collect books for the kids. And I need help. I need books that an 8 year old can read and learn from. To my mommy friends, I know some of your kids have been given books that they no longer read and are just collecting dust, I am more than willing to meet up, and catch up too with a cup of coffee. I also need pens, crayons.. lots and lots of them. I want these mountain trekkers to really have heavy bags on their backs full of treats.
