They captivated the hearts of many who saw how skillful, creative and talented they were, when they did a demo during their crafts exhibit at the Department of Trade and Industry’s One Town One Product (OTOP) Provincial Showroom in a shopping mall in Bacolod in July this year.
JB Arroyo and Brent Nighel Anzano’s demo on designing painting banig bags and hand crafting native trays and photo frames made of wood, coconut shells, resin and capiz shells respectively, proved that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have gifts and that they can use their gifts in making decorative objects and process food that can help them generate income.
And speaking of income, they were able to earn from the weeklong crafts exhibit! But what made me even admire these students who belong to the Transition Class of Happy Beginners School of Learning, Inc., is how they take care of their earnings every time they are able to sell some handicrafts and food stuff like the sandwich spread, processed food, spiced vinegar or sinamak, among others.
“This project started in 2014. We did this as part of our Pre-Vocational Program which aims to help children with special needs hone their crafts and to also open opportunities for them to earn,” explained School Directress Precious Geronimo.
I actually witnessed them being accompanied by their teachers when they went to the bank and opened their individual savings accounts one morning. Their parents eagerly assisted them while filling out documents and processing their application.
According to Geronimo, the profit they earned from the exhibit was divided among more than 20 of them so that each of them will have an amount for initial deposit.
Joemar Basto happily shared the improvement in both his children’s motor and verbal skills.
According to him, his son Eldred, 15 and daughter Elynde Marie Nieves, 7, also have gradually learned to value work and money. Joemar said the siblings woke up early because they were excited to go to the bank and open their savings accounts using the money they earned.
“They are now helping with the household chores. It is now easy for us to ask them to do chores because of their different activities in school where they get to learn how to do certain tasks and life skills like preparing ingredients. I always remind them to apply in life what they have learned in school because it will be very helpful to them. I impress upon my children the value of work and saving. I am happy that the responses I get from them tell me that they understand,” said Joemar.
Eldred did the thumbs up when he came out of the bank after completing his transaction. He kept mentioning the word “savings”. His younger sister Elynde was giggling while handing over her money and passbook to the teller.
Meanwhile, Greg Guanzon was all smiles and kept saying “Sadya!” or happy, after he received the receipt confirming his first deposit. He cheerfully thanked the bank tellers and waved them goodbye after finishing his first bank transaction.
Greg said he and his classmates were able to make and sell many bottles of sinamak or spiced vinegar.
I remember one afternoon when I visited them in school. I saw Greg, Eldred, JB, Brent Nighel, Elynde and the rest of the Transition Class all busy with their respective tasks on the big kitchen table. The room smelled of ginger, garlic, chili pepper and vinegar. Everyone was either peeling ginger, pounding garlic or cleaning chili peppers — the ingredients of their sinamak.
“I am happy to see him enjoying going to school and learning how to do chores and work with his classmates. Greg is a new student there. He is shy but very responsive when you talk to him,” said retired Judge and Cadiz City Councilor Frances Guanzon, who enjoys watching videos and photos of her nephew in school learning life skills.
Meanwhile, Anne Marie Makilan, owner of the school said she could not help but get teary-eyed seeing how happy and proud the students are every time they have earnings and are able to save the money. “Regardless of the amount, they just beam with pride! When I saw them endorse their money to the bank teller, I got teary-eyed,” said Anne.
“That is the reason why our school does its best to help the students develop their skills and use these so that they can be productive, earn some amount and save for their needs. If they know how to earn, they should also be taught how to save their money,” added Makilan.
It was heartwarming seeing students with ASD take care of their earnings because the habit of saving is not one that comes easy. But, saving is a crucial life skill because it gives a person freedom, allows you to take calculated risks and it provides financial security. That is why every kid must be taught how to save money to keep them away from financial trouble during emergencies and become self-reliant and more independent as they grow into adults.
What makes what they are doing even more inspiring is the fact that their circumstance does not stop them from learning also how to manage their finances early – one that is worthy of emulation by every kid and adult. These ASD angels are truly endearing and inspiring. Keep on shining your light, kiddos!*
