JTS Philippines Project: Repairing the elementary school building at Alawon, a village that touches the sky

Alawon is a remote village located in the deep primeval forest at an altitude of 1,200m on Mount Kitangladh. JTS first visited the village in May 2005. The residents desperately needed an elementary school for their children because it was impossible for them to commute to the nearest school which was 18 km away.

From September 2005 to August 2006, JTS provided construction materials and volunteer residents constructed a wooden elementary school building with 3 classrooms.

In August 2022, the residents of Alawon Village requested JTS support to repair the school building. After completion of the construction in 2006, there had been two renovations, in 2015 and 2017. This is the third renovation.

It always rains around lunch time in Alawon causing the school’s wooden exterior corridors and handrails to easily deteriorate due to direct exposure to humid air, rain and wind.

During our school visit, we found that the students were in danger of hurting themselves while in class as the floors and handrails in the corridor were in such a poor state of repair. Because of the safety concern, JTS provided materials such as cement, rebar, and wood as requested by the residents. The village residents started the repair work on September 28th.

On October 28th, a month later, we visited the village and found that new wooden and cement pillars supporting the school building had been erected.  The exterior corridors and handrails had been replaced with new wood and were nicely finished with yellow and red paint.

We were happy to think of children reading aloud and playing in a safe and nicely renovated school.