Trolley school helps Philippine kids keep studies on track

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"It's important that we do this, especially now that there is a pandemic and the children cannot do face-to-face learning," Shaira Berdin, one of nine volunteers who operate the trolley, said in an interview as kids crouched in the grass by the railway track, thumbing through English books.

"Remote learners in the Philippines have been challenged by a lack of computers, phones and internet, along with uneven education quality. Some children have had to climb onto roofs to get data signals.

Pushing the trolley like a scooter, the volunteers teach math and reading to over 60 children as they go. They started their initiative in November and have collected learning materials from donations to use for their classes.

While stopped, the teachers lift the trolley off the tracks, allowing the use of the whiteboard for spelling lessons, and then move on to counting using flashcards. This also keeps the tracks free for other users.

"Most of these volunteers come from poor backgrounds. They've also experienced hardships in life, which is why they want to help children in need," said 26-year-old teacher Samboy de Leon Niala. "