At the age of nine, Miljhon has seen the reality of life.  He has faced a lot of struggles living in poverty especially the hardships he, his sister and classmates face just to get to school.

But despite poverty, Miljhon and other children have such pure hearts and kindness that they can even share it with their classmates and schoolmates even they have almost nothing.

During school days, Miljhon and his eldest sister Meltchie, 10, wakes up around 5 in the morning for school. “Kailangan mi mo sayo ug lakaw sa balay kay kinahanglan pami mo mosaka  sa bukid padung sa eskwelahan. Dili mi gusto ma ulahi sa klase. (We need to go out early from our house as we still have to climb the mountains for school. We don’t want to be late),” shares Miljhon, speaking in Cebuano.  The children’s flag ceremony starts at 7:30 am and class follows shortly.

Miljhon, Meltchie, his classmates and schoolmates walk over a stream and through the woods to get to school which is located on top of the mountain.  While walking through the woods, these children share laughter so that they do not have a tiring walk to school. 

Every day, these children cross six mountains by foot. They are uncertain about what they’ll meet along the way such as snakes, which they normally see especially during rainy seasons. “Mas mahadlok pami maguba ang among sapatos kaysa makakita ug halas padung sa eskwelahan. (We are more than afraid for our slippers to be destroyed than to see snakes on our way to school,)” Miljhon shares.

For these children and for the parents, buying a pair of slippers is expensive.  When asked what’s the most challenging part in going to school, Miljhon says, “Kung mag uwan ug kusog dili mi maka uli kay kinahalnglan mi maghulat  mag ubos ang tubig sa sapa. Ug ang danlug nga dalan. (When heavy rains come, we can’t go home. We still need to wait for the floodwaters to subside and the mountains we are going through are very slippery).”

Spring water

Before these children reach the school, every day they stop at the spring before they continue on their walk.

Most children stop at the stream for a quick shower. These children leave their clothes hanging to dry while they study. They pick up their dried clothes on their way back home. 

All children stop at the spring for a drink and refill the empty containers they bring every day as the children don’t have access to clean water in school. " Kung ako or akong classmate dili  makadala ug sudlanan sa tubig, maghinatagay lang mi ug magpulo-puli ug arsa sa tubig padung sa eskwelahan (If me or my classmates didn't bring water containers we just share the water and will just help each other in bringing it to school)," Miljhon says.

“Sa among eskwelahan, ang among tubig gikan lang sa tubig sa ulan para lang pangbubo sa tanom, panglimpyo sa classroom ug pangbobo sa CR (In school the only water we have is the water from the rain. It is only good to water the plants, for cleaning the classrooms and comfort rooms),” Miljhon adds.

Classrooms

After a quick stop at the spring, children continue walking through the woods excited to be in school and for a few minutes rest before their class starts. With them are the containers filled with enough water to drink for the whole day.

The school has two classrooms for almost 100 children studying. Preschoolers, Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3 students share one classroom while Grades 4, 5, 6 share the other classroom.

These children sit in an old wooden desk. Each desk is shared by three students in the same grade and each row is in different grade levels. “Our teacher starts teaching the preschoolers then leave them with exercises and after a few minute she will proceed to teach the grade two and we [grade 3] are the next,” Miljhon explains.

When asked why they choose to study in their school, Miljhon says, “Mao lang ni nga eskwelahan nga pinakaduol sa among balay (This is the only school that is near to our house).”  The other school Miljhon mentioned is the school at their neighbouring village which is almost 10 km away from their house.

Lunch times

Miljhon’s school doesn’t have a canteen where they can eat their lunch. “Gapani-udto mi ilalom  sa kakahuyan or dinhi (We just eat in a shaded area which is normally under the tree or here),”Miljhon shares while he and his sister eat their lunch under a shed. The shed is dilapidated, made of old wood with a very rusty galvanized iron as the roof. Parents of the students just put rocks on top of the shed, afraid that strong winds will blow the roof.

Along with his classmates and schoolmates, Miljhon and Meltchie eat their packed lunch together.  "Ako, ang akong ate  ug mga classmate gahinatagay ug balon labi na kung wala mi mga sud-an.  (My Ate (older sister) and I share the food we have and we also share it to others who don't have food to eat aside from rice)," Miljhon says.

Most of children's lunches are wrapped in banana leaves. When asked what they have for lunch, Miljhon proudly says, “Luto ug bulad pirme (As always, rice and dried fish).”

A lunch wrapped in banana leaves has been normal for these children since buying a container where they can put their food is a luxury for them.

The perseverance of Miljhon and her sister Meltchie inspires his mother to work hard for her children. “Usahay gakaluoy ko sa akong mga bata sa ilang mga sakripisyo para maka eskwela. Naay usa ka panahun ako sila gipa-undang pero pursigido sila makahuman. (I sometimes pity my children for the challenges they have had been experiencing. At times, I even tell them to stop going to school but they are very persistent to finish school),” says 33-year-old Cheryl, Miljhon’s mother.

Cheryl admits that she is having a difficulty sending her children to school.  Cheryl works as a tenant farmer while her husband, who is not the biological father of Miljhon and Meltchie, works as a construction worker in a neighbouring town.  Meltchie and Miljhon's biological father died when both were still young, Miljhon was seven years old while Meltchie was eight years old  when their father died.

“Gakaguol ko kung magsugod na ang klase kay wala ko kabalo asa mangita pampalit ug mga gamit para sa eskewelahan. Ang among panginabuhian dili pa-igo para makapalit sa kinahanglanon sa mga bata (Whenever school days start, I am always worried where to get the school supplies of my two siblings as my work can’t provide my children the means for school),” Miljhon’s mother shares. Miljhon's parents earn less than a 1,000[MN1]  for the entire month of hard work. 

Notebooks and uniform

To compensate the educational needs of Miljhon, Meltchie, who is a sponsored child, shares her school supplies like notebooks and pen to Miljhon. "Pirme ko ginabahinan sa akong sa mga notebook nga hinatag sa World Vision. Maayo gani naa pa ang bag nga gihatag pud sa World Vision (My Ate (elder sister) usually shares her notebook with me. We are so fortunate that we still have our bags given to us last November by World Vision),” Miljhon recalls. Miljhon refers to the bags that heartstrings, a bag manufacturer here in the Philippines, gave through World Vision. 

Aside from Miljhon’s bag and school supplies, Miljhon wears a school uniform which was just given to him from a generous neighboyr he calls lola (grandmother).  “Gitagaan ko sa akong lola ug uniform katong grade one paku hangtud karun mao ra gyapon akong uniform. (My lola gave it to me when I was in Grade 1. This is the only school uniform I have),” he adds.

“Unom na ka tuig ang uniform nga ginasul-ob sa akong anak. Tinubuan na kini gikan sa apo sa kong lola (The school uniform is six years old now.  He inherited the uniform from lola’s grandchild right after her grandson finished his high school),” Cheryl recalls.

Despite the challenges and realities that Miljhon is facing, the child is determined and persistent to finish his studies for his dream.  “Nalipay ko nga naay daghan tawo ang nitabang sa akong pamilya. Sila akong inspirasyon sa akong pag-eskwela. Kabalo ko nga dili naku makab-ot ang akong gusto nga mahimong army kung dili ko magkugi sa pag-eskwela. (I am just so glad that there are a lot of people helping us, who shares what they have.  They inspire me to go to school every day. I know I won’t become part of the army if I don’t work hard for school),” Miljhon says.

"Manghinaut ko sa umaabot nga panahon makahuman ko ug eskweka, akong saad nga ipa-ambit naku sa akong ate, sa akong pamilya ug sa uban pa nga nanginahanglan kay nasayud ko unsa ka lisud ang pobre.  (I hope someday, when the time comes that I finish  my studies, I promise to share what I have to my sister, family and  others because  I know how it feels to have nothing)," Miljhon adds.

Miljhon and the rest of the children in the school are just few of the children who experience the face of poverty even at their young age. By helping these children, through sharing your means, you encourage more poor children to bring them closer to a brighter future through World Vision’s child sponsorship. Sponsor a child today.