Photographs by Melissa Chia
As I walked into the Immaculate Heart of Mary School, I realized that I am very privileged and fortunate to have a proper and most importantly, comfortable environment for my education. The headmistress, Sister Gia, warmly welcomed us with love in the same way she welcomes her own students.
Sister Gia
While we complain about our lack of facilities, equipment and poor service at our school, these children are pleased and contented with what they have been given. As we walked past each class, the children stood and greeted us with a blast of energy chanting, “Good Morning Visitors! Welcome to Grade 1! Please come in!” in every class we passed by. They may not have the best English, but their effort portrayed their sincerity and good manners. I was so touched by their manners, and their friendly greetings gave me goose bumps. It was such a heartfelt welcome.
Children looking out at visitors
This group of 370 students have enlightened my perspective on life and deepened my appreciation for what I have. One in every five students enrolled here are from the Ati tribe. School life has not been very pleasant for them. Most of them have the tendency to skip school due to the discrimination they face. School is something that they are afraid of because of the common bullying they endure from the non-Ati.
Sister Gia related an incident from the childhood of Mrs. Josephine Tahan, the chieftain of the Kati-kati tribe. When she was attending high school, she was routinely bullied by non-Ati individuals. Sister Gia remembers particularly an instance when Josephine’s hair was pulled, resulting in her leaving school after 6 pm, when it was already dark outside. The Ati are also teased about their dark skin color and curly hair. The non-Ati children mock them shouting, “Hey! Look at her! She’s Ati. Look at her dark skin! Ati! Ati!”. These unpleasant incidents discourage them from attending school.
Sister Gia related an incident from the childhood of Mrs. Josephine Tahan, the chieftain of the Kati-kati tribe. When she was attending high school, she was routinely bullied by non-Ati individuals. Sister Gia remembers particularly an instance when Josephine’s hair was pulled, resulting in her leaving school after 6 pm, when it was already dark outside. The Ati are also teased about their dark skin color and curly hair. The non-Ati children mock them shouting, “Hey! Look at her! She’s Ati. Look at her dark skin! Ati! Ati!”. These unpleasant incidents discourage them from attending school.
Sister Gia described the school as, a “School of Mission”, an outreach program to support & advocate for the Ati or any children who need help. The Immaculate Heart of Mary supports them with love & care, slowly bringing them into the school to be accepted and treated with respect by the non-Ati. In addition, the school also teaches the non-Ati to understand the Ati tribe.
Main entrance to the Immaculate Heart of Mary School
Speaking with Josephine Z. Tahan
Josephine Z. Tahan, tribal leader of Sitio Kati-Kati (also known as Ati), San Miguel in Jordan Guimaras, explained to us the culture and practices of the Ati tribe and added that the performers in the Dinangyang Festival are not the original Ati. “They are only illustrating us by painting their bodies with colors” said Josephine.
Exemplifying one of the Ati traits
She expressed her concerns about the Ati children’s education and is very proud to be the first from her settlement to receive a proper education. When asked what her wish for the Ati is, she paused for a while, visibly gathering herself before she could reply. “My wish is that other Ati children are able to attain proper education like me. I hope that the children of the Ati community are able to complete their education,” she said. She believes that education is the only way to increase their standard of living because they are currently suffering from discrimination and unemployment. She hopes that this will help them gain respect and equality from other communities. She asked us to help make people aware of their community so that they can attain greater support for their education through government and privately funded scholarships.
At the end of the day, I reflected on what Victor Marte, one of the jeepney drivers in Guimaras Island said, “We do not worry about things. We live a simple life. We do what we want, anytime we want and anywhere.”
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Melissa is looking forward to completing her second year. Although she still strives to overcome various obstacles, her perseverance and confidence keeps her going. Melissa loves sports, especially Ultimate Frisbee and is currently in an open team and hopes to travel around the world to compete.
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