Cheung Charity (In The Making)

Hey everyone!

As most of you know, I am a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from the Philippines. I was teaching at a high school on the island of Siquijor called Camapalanas National High School. I, mainly, taught Grades 7 through 9 in Computer Education. These classes were selected students who had taken an entrance exam to enter a class called the Special Science Class. I'm sure you can figure out that the Peace Corps only assists countries classified as Third World or Developing. This high school was located in a 5th class municipality. Although there are internet cafes around the island, it isn't always accessible to students due to their family's income level. For most of my students, it was their first time sitting in front of a computer. It was their first time opening programs, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft PPT, and Microsoft Excel. Even before that, it was their first time learning about the various hardware of a computer, like a mouse or keyboard. 

The learning curve was very real. However, these kids are absolutely brilliant. They caught on to the many lessons I taught them. By the end of a year, most of them were comfortable enough in front of a computer to explore various programs on their own and, sometimes, learn different functions by themselves. Some of them were even typing without looking at their keyboards! 

Throughout my time with them as their Computer Education teacher and as a co-teacher in some of their English classes, I truly bonded with them. These students have really touched my heart and I want to help them reach their full potential. I know every teacher around the world will say their students are the best, but my students are the greatest. I can never fully explain my service to you via one online post, but I am willing to talk to anyone wanting to listen! At the end of my service, my students said, "You were not only our teacher, but our friend." I hope this means something to you as it means the world to me. 

Their potential is immense and I want to help them achieve their dream. One of my female students wants to become a civil engineer so she can build her family a big house. Cool, right? The dreams are endless and their potential is immeasurable. I am, currently, brewing up an idea to begin my own charity or foundation to create scholarships for these students when they reach the University level. The sole reason for this is due to the students' mindset. They, sometimes, believe they cannot achieve their dreams due to a simple lack of money. Money should never stop a child from reaching out into the stars. 

While I was still teaching, I assisted in developing the school's Resource Center (Library) via book donations from multiple organizations and some of my personal donations as well. Aside from scholarships, I want to raise funds to purchase more books for the students to read at school. Students are always interested in the latest teen novels. I want to continuously send books for the students to borrow and read on their own time. If you have books that you can donate, let me know! If not, some of the proceeds will go towards purchasing books too! Education rules! 

This page is just an initial start. Help me just a tiny bit and I'll keep you posted on my progress!