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Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga

Aeta Community in Pampanga: Coloring the Lives of Indigenous Children

This post was most recently updated on October 17th, 2018

The Aetas, being one of the biggest, in terms of number, member of ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines, are indigenous people living in different mountainous places in Luzon. They can be found in the provinces of Pampanga, Zambales, and Tarlac, to name a few. In Pampanga alone, Aetas are scattered in the municipalities of Floridablanca, Porac, Guagua and Angeles.

Sitio Camachile, Barangay Nabuklod, Floridablanca, Pampanga
We had to cross an old bridge just to get to the Aeta community.
Color Your Life team in Pampanga
Taking a rest from 20 minutes trek.

Color Your Life team chose Sitio Camachile, Barangay Nabuklod, Floridablanca to be the venue of its second project since the community is far from the city, which limits the sources of knowledge in school. There is also only a few that gives alternative teaching in this community. Not only that, these Aetas have been living in this place all their lives. Crops, livestock, and poultry are their only means of living. Imagine if there would be tropical storm, it’s really saddening to be in that situation.

#ProjectFloridablanca was held on October 23, 2017 in hope for the Aeta children to get basic knowledge in primary colors. We prepared art activities for a total of 50 participants with ages 4-12 years old. The facilitators conducted the usual art activities such as “Color By Number”- individual art activity – and “Color Your Lives”- collaborative art activity. As an ice breaker and feel-good vibes to start the day, the kids enjoyed CYL’s prepared action songs—Ako ay May Lobo, Takure and the famous dance craze, Baby Shark. Included in our project was the usual storytelling, which can feed them moral lessons from “Nang Magkakulay and Nayon” at an early age.

Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga
Kids listening carefully to the story of “Nang Magkakulay ang Nayon”.
Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga
Sam facilitating Aeta kids ages 5 years old and below.
Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga
Color By Number activity for ages 7-10.

Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga

Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga
Collaborative Artwork.

Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga

Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga

The children were creative, smart and very orderly. The Color Your Life supports the Aeta community through the use of Art. We dream that someday the team can go back to Sitio Camachile to build activities that can help them explore their artistic talents more.

Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga
Lining up for the distribution of art kits.

Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga

Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga
They surely love the kits that we gave them.
Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga
Project Floridablanca team.

Volunteer experience with the Aeta community in Pampanga

Read our first project in Brgy. Napaset in Luna, La Union.

Top Places to Visit in Pampanga

As part of traveling with a purpose, it’s not complete without exploring the beautiful places in the area. Given that, I listed down the Top Places to Visit in Pampanga. Whether you’re going for a short day trip or a long holiday with your family or friends, it’s likely you’ll be scrambling for time to catch all the attractions in this place.

We only know Pampanga as a go-to destination when it comes to satisfying those food cravings and also a place to party, but the thing is Pampanga has a pretty diverse mix of sights that you should definitely visit. Here are my top picks:

SANDBOX

Alviera Sandbox
Photo courtesy of Lakad Pilipinas

Sandbox is inarguably one of the most exciting places in Pampanga. This newest destination in Porac, Pampanga is fit for all outdoor junkies. For as low as 500 pesos you can try their popular attractions including wall climbing, giant swing, rappelling, and free fall. They also have a themed kiddie playground for the little ones and a mini golf course for the oldies, making it a family friendly site. They’re open from Tuesday-Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. You may purchase your tickets online.

FONTANA LEISURE PARKS AND CASINO

Fontana WaterPark
Photo courtesy of Sonny Mercado

Fontana is one of Pampanga’s well-known leisure parks. It is located in Clark Freeport Zone which is home to some of Pampanga’s top attractions like Nayong Pilipino Park, Mimosa Golf Course, Air Force City Park, and Aqua Planet. You’ll definitely want to see its beauty for yourself as it’s the only resort in the Philippines integrated with a theme water park, golf course and casino.

Book your reservation.

PRADERA VERDE

Wakeboarding at Pradera Verde
Photo courtesy of Ruth Dela Cruz

Pradera Verde is an ideal destination whether you want to relax or try extreme sports. If you’re from North then I don’t think there’s any more reason to go to Nuvali as Pampanga has its own version of wake park. The 315-hectare of vast greenery sits in Lubao, Pampanga which is directly opposite of Floridablanca. Aside from its wakeboarding activities, its main features also include affordable villas where you can stay and relax.

More information about Pradera Verde here.

https://www.facebook.com/praderaverde.ph/

ZOOCOBIA

ZOOCOBIA Love is in the Air
Photo courtesy of Zoomanitygroup

Pampanga is not only home to the fancy resorts and hotels but it’s also a place where one can enjoy the nature. Zoocobia is a family-friendly park where you can interact with animals. They also have gravity car that is patterned after the Luge in Sentosa in Singapore. Make sure to book your tickets in advance. You can directly buy right here.

MOUNT PINATUBO

Mount Pinatubo Crater!!!
Photo courtesy of Ronald Deang

No visit to Pampanga is complete without a visit to this stratovolcano caldera, Mount Pinatubo. Ride a 4×4 and trek to the crater that sits in Botolan, Zambales. The volcano is in the boundaries of the provinces Pampanga and Tarlac. Plan your trip ahead as it requires good physical health for a whole day journey. If all sound appealing to you, check out a complete guide to Mount Pinatubo, right here.

Pint it for later.

Community Project for Aeta Community in Pampanga

Kevin del Prado

Kevin is currently working as a Business Analyst. Interests also include traveling, watching movies, outdoor activities, and photography. He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering.

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