When was SAS Foundation established?
In 1999, “Sa Aklat, Sisikat!” (loosely translated as “Books Make You Cool”) was launched as a literacy campaign in the City of Manila. Its objective was to promote reading among public school children. Encouraged by the success of the pilot project but tempered with the reality of taking the campaign nationwide, “SA AKLAT SISIKAT” was established as a non-profit professional Philippine organization last January 2001, in partnership with Petron Foundation.

What is the SAS Foundation's vision? mission?
The vision of SAS Foundation is to build a nation of readers. We believe that to read is every child's right. We seek to deepen the Filipino child's love and habit of reading. We advocate the SAS Reading Program which nurtures the children's intellectual, ethical and social development.

What is the current state of Philippine education?
Consider these alarming facts:

	15% of pupils who passed Grade 1 did not show up for Grade 2 during the school
	opening
	10% of those who finished Grade 2 did not return for Grade 3
	One (1) out of every four (4) dropouts in public schools will never learn to read, write
	or count
	Diagnostic tests administered on Grade 4 pupils showed that less than 45% had
	mastery of Grade 3-level competencies in all subjects, therefore not all graduates are functionally literate
	In some schools, three (3) shifts are required because the ratio of teachers to
	students are 1:75 or more students
	The book to student ratio is 1:4

The Philippine public school system is overburdened and under-resourced. Classrooms, desks and chairs, teachers and materials to serve the needs of about 17. 5 million students are lacking. There is just not enough time, space, supervision or even books for children to learn, practice or enjoy reading while in school.

After class, most elementary school children are required to help their families earn a living. Therefore, reading is neither a priority nor a possibility outside of school hours. As a result, the Philippine public school system has become a diploma mill of graduates with extremely simple literacy that is not functional enough to communicate, calculate and much less, earn a living. This situation only guarantees that the Filipino public school children and teachers will remain underserved and uneducated, without a fighting chance to get out of the poverty cycle.

What is the SAS Reading Program?
To deepen the love and habit of reading in Filipino children, SAS runs a 31-day Reading Program for all Grade 4 students in partner public schools.SAS donates 60 of the best Filipino children’s storybooks to every Grade 4 classroom with which it works. Teachers and students then have a daily reading experience centered on these storybooks, throughout the duration of the Reading Program.

These reading times involve engaging, interactive activities—dramatization, creative storytelling sessions, arts and crafts, and games—encouraging children to read as many books as they can. Each student is given his or her own SAS Reading Passport, a small notebook on which short reflections are written about the books read, an exercise designed to expand analytical, critical thinking, and writing skills.

Students love the free access to so many beautifully-written and illustrated books. They derive great satisfaction from being able to track their progress on various creative materials that SAS provides.

At the end of the Reading Program, participating schools receive an SAS Reading Cart for properly housing their SAS storybooks. This also serves as a mobile library that can be wheeled from class to class. Students from all grade levels are now free to enjoy these.

What makes the Reading Program unique?

	It’s the only one of its kind that has been accredited by the Department of
	Education
	It’s sustainable through the years, having been integrated into the curricula of
	partner schools

What about the public school teachers?
Recognizing the role that teachers can take as primary reading advocates in the classroom, SAS conducts two-day Teacher Training Workshops to prepare them for the implementation of the Reading Program in their schools. Leading educators facilitate discussions and generate ideas on best practice, new teaching techniques, creative strategies and reading activities. The Teacher Training Workshop also ensures program sustainability through the years.

Why specifically target Grade 4 students?
Per the Dept. of Education, the fourth grade level is critical in the development of functional literacy. This is the age when the child begins to read comfortably and intervention at this point proves to be more effective in terms of developing the love and habit of reading.

Why run the Read-a-thon for 31 days?
It is based on the scientific study that any activity done consecutively for 21 times develops into a habit. In this case, it is the love and habit of reading that Sa Aklat Sisikat hopes to develop. This is inspired by the fact that the habit of reading is best cultivated in the youth and encouraged by the belief that literacy is all about creating a desire to read.

Can the SAS Reading Program be sustained after initial funding?
One of the best built-in characteristics of the SAS Reading Program is that it can be sustained by the participating schools on their own long after the initial 31 days are over. The schools and their teachers are already equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, technology, storybooks, and project-related materials and motivational tools for running a most successful Reading Program.

To date, all of SAS' partner public schools continue to implement the Reading Program every school year after SAS' intervention. They are challenged to creatively recycle materials to replace the consumable elements of the Reading Program (such as the paper feathers and Reading Passports) and creatively come up with superior and innovative strategies for developing the love and habit of reading amongst their students despite inferior resources.

How does SAS Foundation know if it is making an impact?
The SAS Foundation gives high regard to measurability of its efforts and interventions in every school. An independent research team is commissioned to gather baseline data prior to running the Reading Program. An impact evaluation study is also implemented during and after program implementation. The evaluation and tracking studies set benchmark indicators that later indicate whether or not the students have truly developed the love and habit of reading. Also, comparative assessments of participating students are made before and after undergoing the Program to compare their attitudes toward reading, practices, comprehension skills and proficiency.

What principles guide SAS Foundation in its operations?

	SAS wants to build a nation of readers because with this comes empowerment.
	SAS wants to give the next generation a fighting chance and in the process, create
	a more educated workforce and a more educated consumer.
	The members of the SAS Board and staff bring to SAS business discipline,
	professionalism and an entrepreneurial spirit.
	We strongly advocate the concept of social entrepreneurship. Accountability,
	transparency and bottom lines matter and SAS Foundation strives to do well while doing good.
	SAS believes that reading transforms information into knowledge, and a well-read,
	highly knowledgeable citizenry produces a strong, enlightened nation.