[L-R: Professor Dr Florian Hoffmann, director of Brandt School, Commitment Award 2015 third placer George Ayuune Akeliwira ("Giving Hope to Hopeless Tomatoes Farmers of Zorko"), second prize winner Theresia Nkafu Atemkeng ("Shelter to Educate") and grand prize winners Jessie Jhon Magkilat and Hannah Saley ("Reading on Wheels"), Dr Edgar Aragón, lecturer at the Brandt School and keynote speaker at the awarding ceremony on July 12, and Markus Pins, initiator of the Commitment Award. Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of Willy Brandt School of Public Policy]

By Stephen J Pedroza

Xavier University graduate Jessie Jhon Mateo Magkilat and his Canadian project partner Hannah Saley received the Commitment Award 2015 of the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy at the University of Erfurt in Germany.

Magkilat, who graduated AB International Studies from XU in 2010, and Saley were awarded the grand prize for their proposed project “Reading on Wheels."

“My partner and I decided to do a project related to education since it is our common denominator,” said Magkilat who taught major subjects in International Studies at XU from 2011-2013 before accepting a two-year scholarship grant from Katholischer Akademischer Ausländer-Dienst (KAAD).

The Commitment Award honors WBS graduate students who collaborate among themselves and propose projects with social relevance and developmental impact.

“Having lived in Cagayan de Oro City for almost eight years, I saw the increase in the number of street kids,” he said. “So I talked about it with Hannah, and our ideas just started coming out!”

Magkilat is now in his final year at WBS taking up Master of Public Policy specializing in International Affairs, Cooperation and Development, and International Political Economy, while Saley is a recent graduate of the same master’s course but with specializations in Conflict Studies and Management.

["Reading on Wheels" project proponents Hannah Saley and Jessie Jhon Mateo Magkilat reap the grand prize at the Commitment Award 2015. Their project aims to inspire and motivate street children to develop the love for reading and learning.  Photo courtesy of the Facebook page of Willy Brandt School of Public Policy] 

They describe Reading on Wheels as “an opportunity for the community to build trust with the street children and meet them at a place they are familiar with. The target group will be between ages 5-12 and we hope to use Reading on Wheels as an avenue to create a childhood that these children have never experienced. The purpose is not to directly teach a child how to read and write but instil values of respect, integrity and knowledge as we inspire an attitude of lifelong learning.”

Following their award-winning project proposal, the duo is looking forward to gathering volunteers in CDO to take the Reading on Wheels wagon filled with books and other educational materials to different areas where street children dwell, for a three-hour interaction once a week.

“We are currently working with our partner organizations in the Philippines to develop a proposal for budget allocation. The prize money from the Commitment Award will cover the costs for purchasing culturally sensitive books, a mobile wagon (locally built), mats and training materials for the volunteers,” Magkilat explained.

The pair believes that through Reading on Wheels they can promote education as “a source of hope and a chance to inspire, teach and motivate street kids toward a brighter future.”

As a former XU instructor, Magkilat wants to mobilize XU students to be part of this project as volunteers and mentors.

“We are looking to establish a partnership with the Ateneo Diplomatic Corps, the co-curricular organization of the IS Department at XU. We will be working closely with Brandt School graduate Manilee Lorraine Pañares who is the current chairperson of the department,” he declared.

Besides Reading on Wheels, Magkilat also presented at the Commitment Award 2015 an initiative to support the Kilikili National High School (KNHS) with an internet connection and a digital high-speed copy-machine.

Maglikat’s hometown of Kilikili, Wao, Lanao del Sur is one of the country’s poorest regions. He strongly believes that the said equipment will boost the school’s quality of teaching and learning environment for students. Magkilat said in an online post of WBS that teachers at KNHS are still using a mimeograph machine to reproduce instructional and examination materials.