As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Making the world a better place requires action to make a difference. You don’t need to be wealthy to make an impact; even a small group of people coming together can achieve great things.
Day Hike Therapists truly embody this philosophy. They are a small group made up of adventurous nature enthusiasts, a group of friends with a big vision. Their vision is to provide help to children and different communities, one day hike at a time. Established in 2017, DHT has organized multiple projects, all run by volunteers who invest their time, sweat, and effort in these day hikes for a cause.
This is their second project at Kalangyawon Elementary School. The first was the rehabilitation of the school wall, which was damaged during Typhoon Odette. DHT was able to rebuild it for the safety of the children. The next project was intended to be a canteen. However, due to a DepEd memo removing administrative tasks from teachers, a new idea emerged, which is arguably more impactful—a Grade 2 classroom.
The school wall made possible through the effort of DHT and it's joiners. The school head of Kalangyawon informed DHT about the daily struggles of the Grade 2 teacher, Ms. Jessa. They held their class every day on the stage because they didn't have a proper classroom. Therefore, it was only natural to redirect the funds from the canteen to building a classroom for the students instead.
Over the span of almost 8 months, starting from July 2023, DHT conducted day hikes with a registration fee of ₱250.00 ($4.49) per person for each hike and was able to raise the target amount of ₱133,777.00 ($2402.73) to build the project, this is still excluding the money used for the feeding program, logistics and prizes for the games during the culmination activity that was held on March 17 at Kalangyawon. I was privileged to be invited to the event, where the turnover of the donation was conducted, and a feeding program was also held by DHT.
The journey to Kalangyawon was challenging as well. It is a remote barangay in Carcar City. We took an early morning bus trip, traveling around 1-2 hours to reach Ocanya, Carcar, and then had to take a habal-habal ride to reach the school. The habal-habal ride itself was one of the steepest I have experienced in Cebu, with a combination of rocky roads, high cliffs, and blind curves that made me a bit nervous. However, the view surrounding the mountain was heavenly.
The children were already waiting at the school when we arrived, and they were incredibly welcoming and excited to see us. We grouped the children by school grade and organized games for them. I was assigned to the Kinder, Grade 1, and Grade 2 students. Although I lost my voice the following morning, I couldn't fathom the joy I felt playing with the children and doing TikTok dances with them, which we later performed.
After the games, we headed straight to the stage for the program. We were welcomed by the teachers and their head teacher, Ramil M. Gemota. Despite the scorching heat of the sun, the kids and parents welcomed us and attended the program. The kids graced us with their intermission number, a TikTok dance per grade level, in which us facilitators also joined. Afterwards, we proceeded with the feeding program and distributed slippers to the more or less 250 students of Kalangyawon.
After the program, the teachers and parents prepared a hearty lunch for us, and we enjoyed dining with DHT and the co-joiners. It was fun connecting and making new friends with like-minded people who share the same advocacy. Although this is already the last major project of DHT in Kalangyawon, doors won't be closed, and other programs will still be initiated along the way, like tree planting.
DHT is now on the lookout for the next beneficiary school, and the next session of hikes is not yet finalized, but once it resumes, the new beneficiary will be identified as well.
The experience was incredibly heartwarming. I heard a lot of stories from the kids. One of them told one of the joiners that they had to walk an hour just to reach school and had to wake up super early in the morning. Hearing the children's stories of perseverance despite their hardships was humbling.
Our habal-habal driver, Kuya Andy, also touched my heart. He told us how thankful he was that DHT was able to reach their barangay. He shared that he has two children studying in Kalangyawon and how big of a help DHT's projects were for them. They have received a lot of help and blessings from DHT, and for that, he is so thankful.
Meet Kuya Andy, our habal-habal driver. A father of two students in Kalangyawon Elementary School. More Snaps from the Event
DHT and Joiners
I went home with a big smile on my face and a full heart. We are blessed in so many ways, and we should always share those blessings, even if it's just our time. What we think is little might be a big impact already for people in need. We just have to pay it forward.
If you're interested in joining Day Hike Therapists' future advocacies or collaborating with them for donations or events, visit their FB page for more information.
Together, we can continue to make a difference, one step at a time or should I say "One Day Hike at a Time".
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All photos taken were shared by my trail mates using different devices with permission for public sharing except for the selfies that was taken by me using RedmiNote 12S. Some images may have been shared to my social media accounts prior posting to the blog.
Wes & Grindan