Filipino-American teens run mobile library to support literacy in Mindanao

Jeddah - Yasmine El Tohamy - MANILA: Brought up in the US, Arianna and Oliver Horsup knew their grandfather was one of the pioneers of Philippine community journalism, but it was only last year, during a trip to his ancestral province, that they learned more and found a way to honor his legacy.

When they traveled across the impoverished rural areas of Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao, they realized how other children had limited access to quality education and often had to walk far to even get to their schools. The teenagers thought they could help by bringing educational materials straight to their homes.

Chapters of Change, a mobile library with over 5,000 books in its inventory, began its journey on June 27, from Cagayan de Oro, the hometown of their late grandfather, Ben Emata Jr.

A reporter and editor, Emata ran the local publication Mindanao Reporter, which was shut down during a press clampdown under martial law in 1972.

“Oliver and Arianna knew that their grandfather, Ben Emata, Jr., was a renowned journalist in the area. He was the only journalist who was on local TV, radio and newspaper at the time. They were surprised to find that locals and reporters still remember him fondly,” the teenagers’ father, David Horsup, told Arab News.

“When we visited the rural areas of Misamis Oriental, Oliver and Arianna noticed that the schools were few and far between. They asked how children went to school. We informed them that in certain areas, children have to walk great distances to attend school. Arianna wanted to find a way to help others break the cycle of poverty for generations by increasing access to literature, specifically, in English comprehension.”

When the Horsups returned home from their trip, Arianna spent the rest of her summer researching how to establish a charity. Chapters of Change was registered in Texas in July last year.

The 15-year-old also handpicked members of the board, which included family members and people from her community, including her former Filipino middle school teacher.

Chapters of Change also became a literacy partner under the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation in the US, which helped the charity in its early stages by exposing it to a network of other nonprofit organizations.

“It has also provided our organization with a degree of credibility, which is helpful, especially when dealing with corporations,” David said.

“Once we obtained the necessary certifications to become a charity at the state and federal level, we immediately set in motion several fundraising events. Our goal was to acquire and retrofit a vehicle to create the Chapters of Change mobile library.”

Most of the books were donated by famous children’s book authors in the US from schoolbook drives, while the organization approached businesses for sponsorships and ran a GoFundMe page to set the library up.

At the moment, Chapters of Change is run on the ground by a Misamis Oriental-based board member, a lawyer and philanthropist who mobilizes a group of volunteers, with plans to hire a full-time library manager in the next few months.

The mobile library aims to eventually reach 300 children a week when it reaches full operations, stopping at one village or school a day where children can borrow books and return them when the mobile library returns. The organization is working out a route for the mobile library to regularly drop by, allowing children to routinely check out and return books.

As a high school freshman back in Houston, Arianna, 15, and her younger brother are learning the ins and outs of running a charity while balancing their teenage lives.

“Our vision is to improve literacy,” Arianna told Arab News.

“I try to make time based on my priorities and section my time for education, sports, volunteering, and personal (things). It was hard having to cut time from my personal life, but it was well worth it!”