The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Gerry Roxas Foundation (GRF) granted additional funding for the extension of the Flalok Project, which is implemented by Conrado & Ladislawa Alcantara Foundation, Inc. (CLAFI).
The Project, set to close on 5 August 2017, was extended until 31 December 2017 with additional funding of Php2.5 million.
This was announced by Ms. Ma. Rosamund Parado, Executive Director of GRF, in a Flalok Project Stakeholders Forum held on 27 July at Family Country Hotel, General Santos City.
Flalok Project is a 2-year project grant by USAID that seeks to reinforce the Mother-Tongue Based Multi Lingual Education (MTBMLE) paradigm of the Department of Education by reviving Flalok, the Blaan art of storytelling, through Flalok Big Books.
“We will sign another grant award with CLAFI. It’s actually an extension of the award,” said Ms. Parado.
Ms. Cecile Dominguez-Yujuico, CLAFI President, and Ms Parado signed the contract for the extension of the project grant. The additional grant will expand the Project to reach more Blaan schoolchildren and communities.
Ms. Parado added, “We want to reach 20,000 Blaan students. We have only served 7,000. The challenge is how to reach the remaining 13,000.”
The extension of the Project shall provide additional 1,800 Big Books, 1,500 Learner Materials, and 50 Teacher Guides for 25 new Blaan schools in South Central Mindanao. This brings the total schools-beneficiaries of the Flalok Project to 100.
The original project grant had produced 72 Flalok Big Books, 4,650 Grade 1 and Grade 2 Learner Materials, 240 Teacher Guides for Grade 1 and Grade 2, 500 ALS Learner Materials, 250 Blaan Alphabet Charts, and 250 Blaan Number Charts.
GRF and CLAFI are both members of the Association of Foundations.
