PROJECTS

San Simon Elementary SPED Class

History

San Simon Elementary SPED Class started year 2016 with 1 SPED

teacher and 20 learners with different disabilities. Nestled on an abandoned

classroom with just a few monobloc chairs and 1 table. Children were taught on a one-on-one basis because learners have no medical assessment or proper diagnosis from medical experts due to the village’s lack of disability resources and financial support. The students were not accepted to regular classroom settings because of their physical disabilites and neurodiversities. The students have learning, physical, visual, and hearing impairments and live with down syndrome, autism, aspergers, dylsexia, tourettes, and intellectual disabilities. In addition, parents of the children were ashamed of their children’s disabilities and would isolate them in the homes away from society. The students face economic barriers: lack of transportation to school, meals, uniform, and an inability to perform well at able-bodied jobs and provide for their families.

The founder of the San Simon Elementary SPED Class - Ethna Lapid Galura Manalac, began posting advertisements on social media, printed tarpaulin posters in front of

the school, and  posted daily activity workshops for students with disabilities such school: grooming activities, skills training (cooking, baking), fashion show, birthday

celebrations, give a gift, share and care, reading, and writing and would post them on her Facebook. From there, she would  ask for sponsors, donors, families, and friends to donate anything that the learners could use such as clothes, shoes, slippers, school supplies, food items, and etc. As the programs grew in popularity, parents and families enrolled their children in the class and the Department of Education in San Simon made the program an official classroom. Through this the number of learners from year 2016 tripled and this year in 2023, the total learners enrolled are now 65 and 3 teachers have joined the staff.  In a span of 7 years the number of learners tripled. There are learners whose age ranges from 16 to 23 years old and each student has a tailored education specific to their disabilities and neurodivergences. 

Unfortunately, the Department of Education in

partnership with the Municipality of San Simon are not advocates of special

education. Special education learners are not one of the priorities of the District of San Simon in DEPED because they are not contributing to the capitalist production of the village. 

As Saup Foundation, our goal as Overseas Filipino Workers in the United States of America, is to provide the support that San Simon cannot provide to these learners and their educators.

Testimonials of Students

• Jairel De Jesus – This learner is always present at school, he never misses

his schedule but one day he was absent and the teachers invesitaged. His absence was a result of no one being able drop and pick him up in school. As a solution, the teachers spent 2 months teaching him how to ride a tricycle going to school and going home, and now Jairel has not missed one day of school.

• Matt King Bonifacio - This learner has difficulty paying attention and has deficiencies in adaptive skills. The teachers tutored him for 10 months and now he is enrolled in a regular class setting in Grade 1 level.

• Ervin Calma – is an 18-year-old male learner. Through the class we taught him 

how to navigate the village and mathematical skills to know value of money. Today, he is now working as a delivery boy in a water station.

• Jayvie Esguerra – is a 20-year old learner who enrolled in our class, without

previous employment experience or education. Today he now works part time as construction worker and helper.

Dulu Ning Lugud Farm 

Dulu Ning Lugud is an organic farm in San Simon, Pampanga that provides native Kapampangan vegetables and herbs to the San Simon community and the SPED students. The farm has a healing center, spiritual center, meditation and yoga rooms, a plant-based restaurant, café, tennis court, basketball court, and a mental health and wellness clinic with psychologists. The farm operates as a safe-haven and spiritual sanctuary to students with disabilities, the elderly, LGBTQIA+ communities, and those who are marginalized in San Simon who may not have access to organic foods and holistic wellness services due to economic instability. It also serves as real world vocational training and application for students that have graduated from the SAUP program with applicable skills.