SUMMARY
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Living in a remote area in Samar, 21-year-old student Jessa Mae Gabiana has been climbing a mountain to get a strong signal for her online classes since August. She only used a mobile phone with a battery that needed to be charged every few hours.
Gabiana, however, might be able to comfortably join her classes, after a local advocacy group offered to buy her a laptop.
Having heard of Gabiana’s story, Rappler and its civic engagement arm MovePH captured her daily journey – as well as that some other college students in Barangay Pamamas-an, Motiong, Samar – to their classroom in the mountains in a bid to draw attention to their plight.
Gabiana’s story inspired The Wagi Project to adopt the Samar student as their beneficiary. The Wagi Project is a local advocacy group based in Metro Manila helping students cope with distance learning. It is also a partner of MovePH for the #PisoParaSaLaptop campaign.
“It’s quite hard to get in touch with Jessa. Most of the time she is out of the coverage area since she is residing in a remote place. There are times we need to coordinate with her about the status of our fundraising and other details about our acquisition of the laptop,” The Wagi Project co-founder Mariko David shared with Rappler.
“But we really want to help her even if it is quite challenging to find a shop where we can purchase a laptop within our allocated budget and willing to deliver to her area,” David added.
Since Rappler amplified her story on October 8, netizens sent donations, allowing The Wagi Project to raise at least P18,000 for Gabiana’s laptop.
With this amount, they were able to purchase a Fujitsu Core i5 worth P16,000, inclusive of the delivery fee from Tacloban to Motiong, Samar. Gabiana received her laptop on Thursday, October 22.
Gabiana, a 2nd year BS Education student at Samar College in Catbalogan City, said their struggles with distance learning does not just stop at having to climb a mountain for their online classes.
Aside from having to find a spot with a strong signal, Gabiana shared how they are unable to join some of their reporting sessions in class because of the lack of laptops or power banks.
“Minsan kahit may klase pa kami, biglang nagshutdown, na-low batt ang cellphone namin, uuwi at uuwi kami doon sa baba, doon sa lugar namin. ‘Pag naka-full charge na siya, balik ulit kami doon sa bundok. Sobrang hirap niya po,” Gabiana earlier told Rappler.
(Sometimes our phone shuts down or becomes low batt in the middle of class. We have no choice but to go home. Once it gets fully charged, we go back again to the mountain. It’s very difficult.)
This has pushed The Wagi Project to use the remaining P2,000 from the donations to purchase one power bank and one pocket WiFi that Gabiana and her friends can share while they are in the mountain.
Great help
Although Gabiana will still have to climb a mountain to access strong internet connection for her online classes, she said that the laptop she received made it easier for her to work on her assignments and finish other school requirements on time.
“Malaking naitulong po sa akin ang laptop na ibinigay niyo sa akin. Ang dating natatambak na mga gawain ko sa paaralan ngayon, mas napadali ang pagsagot at nakapagpasa na ako sa mga gawain ko,” Gabiana said.
(This laptop you gave me is a big help to me. Before all my school requirements would pile up but now I get to answer and pass them more quickly.)
Gabiana even promised to lend the laptop to her other friends so they can finish their school work too.
“She’s super happy and excited and so [are] we! We are glad that even if it took some time to generate funds [for her laptop], we are blessed to find a shop that can accommodate our request. That was a big factor and of course, the generous donors who contributed. L&B Computer Store & Services has really helped us to accomplish this,” David added.
“Maraming salamat po sa mga taong nasa likod ng The Wagi Project, Rappler at sa MovePH…Maraming salamat po sa tulong ‘nyo sa akin. Malaking tulong po ito upang magamit ko po sa online classes ko, lalong lalo na nandito kami sa bukid, mahirap po. Maraming salamat po sa inyo,” Gabiana said in a video message.
(Thank you very much to everyone who behind The Wagi Project, Rappler, and MovePH…. Thank you so much for all your help. This [laptop] will be a big help for my online classes, especially since we’re in a remote place, it’s really hard to cope with distance learning. Thank you, again for your help.)
Despite the countless times that her parents told her to quit school, Gabiana found ways to pursue her studies. She even sold clothes to raise money for her schooling, using her savings to purchase the mobile phone that she initially used for her classes.
Gabiana hopes to become a teacher one day, and help her siblings finish school, despite the challenges.
Since its launch in August, TWP has helped at least 29 students from NCR, Cavite, Laguna, Zambales, Bacolod, Tacloban, Bukidnon, Camarines Sur, Pangasinan, Batangas, Isabela, Sarangani, and Samar. The group was recently recognized as Ayala Malls’ Extra Mile Changemakers for their initiative.
There are more students like Gabiana who need of help. While a lot of students are able to acquire their laptops for their online classes, finding and funding stable internet connection is another challenge altogether.
To support other student beneficiaries of The Wagi Project, you may send monetary donations or donate items for their bid for a cause initiative. Visit their page for more details about their cause and how you can donate. – Rappler.com
What’s your story involving distance learning? Share it with us and join the #StoryOfTheNation by sending your thoughts and a photo of your current setup to move.ph@rappler.com.
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