From the quiet intensity of their classroom at Pugaan Elementary School in Ramain, Lanao del Sur, three determined fourth graders share a single unified mission: an oath to heal, care, and save.
Nine-year-old Farhanah Munte and ten-year-old Junaisah Benasing dream of becoming nurses, while nine-year-old Nor-jannah Mojeb aspires to be a doctor.
Yet the path to such futures was once steep. These learners faced profound challenges, struggling with fundamental reading, spelling, pronunciation, and calculation skills. Prior to the TELUS and MARADECA coaching and mentoring intervention, these barriers stood between them and their aspirations. Through the program, those weaknesses began to yield.
“I thank you because I understand what I didn’t understand before,”a grateful Farhanah shared, proudly working to catch up with her peers. Junaisah, a quiet learner often seen peeping from the window during interviews, echoed a past where she “almost always got a very low grade.”
Now she can understand classroom lessons. For her, mentoring was a profound turning point. Nor-jannah was also vocal about her past struggles. Before the program, she often received very low exam marks. Now, young Nor-jannah is courageous and even boasts that her mentor chose her to compete in a contest.
The remarkable transformation is more than academic progress; it is testament to how dedicated mentorship can nurture learner potential and ignite the future of those who will hold community development in their hands. The success is due to the tireless effort of two inspiring sixth-grade mentors who revealed that few learners could read before the program’s intervention. Now they proudly witness the gradual development of their mentees, who can read and grasp taught materials.