Teacher Jessica to go abroad for volunteer stint in Phillipines

A KINGSWOOD Community College teacher is preparing to volunteer in a school in the Philippines for four weeks this summer and is appealing to the community to donate to her fundraiser.

Jessica Lynch, 28, is a Firhouse native and teaches Irish and geography in Kingswood Community College, She will be volunteering in a school in the Filipino city of Cebu for the entirety of July.

The school is a combined secondary and primary school which serves the local Badjao tribe and in recent weeks, Jessica’s students in Kingswood made projects about the tribe.

Jessica told The Echo: “In geography, we study economic inequality, and we’ve taught them about global citizenship.

“I’ve always wanted to go abroad and use my skills and experience – volunteering means I won’t only be talking to the students about something we read in a book, I’ll have first-hand experience.

“The students recently did case studies and projects on the Badjao tribe, and they did a comparison of students here in Tallaght to ones in the Philippines to see the differences.”

Preparations are now underway for Jessica’s stint in the Philippines, as she has been taking part in pre-departure training led by the charity she is going with, SERVE in Solidarity.

She will be part of a team of 11 other Irish volunteers who will be in the school for July, and she will facilitate English lessons, and crafts, drama and health workshops for the children in Cebu.

“We’re so lucky here in Ireland,” added Jessica.

“We have access to education, and a right to education.”

Jessica has set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for SERVE to go towards the project, covering things like flights, accommodation, pre-departure training, and resources and initiatives in Cebu.

Donations are now being accepted on Jessica’s donation page called ‘Support Jessica SERVEing the Philippines’ HERE.