Project Report - La Trobe University
Project Report - La Trobe University
Project Report - La Trobe University
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Arranging support<br />
Obtaining funding and forming working partnerships<br />
Before commencing the project in mid February<br />
2009, we spent some time arranging support for<br />
the project from various sources. Maria developed<br />
all applications and proposals, always in close<br />
collaboration with relevant host or partner<br />
organizations.<br />
The Dananao Elementary School applied to the<br />
AusAID-funded volunteer program Volunteering<br />
for International Development from Australia for<br />
two volunteer positions for us. The Philippines<br />
Australia Studies Centre of <strong>La</strong> <strong>Trobe</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
supported us by giving us Honorary Research<br />
Fellow positions for the research elements of the<br />
project. We approached the <strong>University</strong> of the<br />
Philippines Baguio’s Cordillera Studies Center<br />
about becoming Research Affiliates (and although<br />
our application was successful, we didn’t follow<br />
through with formal affiliation in the end due to<br />
logistic and time constraints).<br />
Dananao Elementary School partnered with the<br />
Ateneo Center for Educational Development for the<br />
development and publication of indigenized<br />
educational materials. This marked the<br />
continuation of a partnership between Ateneo and<br />
the school facilitated by us in 2008, when we<br />
profiled the school (at the school’s request) and<br />
produced a School Profile <strong>Report</strong>, which outlined<br />
the school’s unique situation and suggested<br />
priority areas for improvement. The Ateneo Center<br />
for Educational Development then applied to, and<br />
was successful in obtaining, a small grant (Php<br />
275,000, approximately AUD 7,000) from the<br />
Australian Government’s Direct Aid Program to<br />
cover publishing costs. We began initial<br />
discussions with Art Angel Printshop regarding<br />
printing of all the materials within our very tight<br />
timeframes. Also through our Ateneo networks, we<br />
began to explore options for a partnership with<br />
Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan to develop illustrated<br />
storybooks as a key project output.<br />
Edwin (standing in the foreground) and Apalis<br />
(Ombin) Abaggoy (standing at the back to the right of<br />
Edwin) in the classroom with a group of about 50<br />
children with whom we conducted an art activity.<br />
Apalis told the children stories (first about a monkey<br />
and a turtle and then about a snail and a water<br />
buffalo) and then we gave them colored pencils,<br />
crayons and pastels to illustrate scenes from each<br />
story. This was the first time most of the children had<br />
ever drawn with colors.