In the remote village of Sitio Macatabo, Barangay Carmen in Baguio District, Davao City, something extraordinary is growing. It’s not just the trees that sway in the wind or the crops tended by the community, but something far more meaningful — dreams. Small, growing, and hopeful dreams. They belong to the children of the Obu Manuvu tribe, one of the indigenous peoples in the area who, for years, have lived on the margins of geography and opportunity.
Making New Dreamers
At the heart of this change is Hanna Maj Piccio, Mutya ng Dabaw 2024, who chose to do more than wear a crown. She founded Making New Dreamers (MND), a community-based initiative that helped build a learning hub for the children of this remote area. More than a structure, the hub stands as a promise, a bridge to learning, creativity, and dignity.
This learning hub is not a handout. It wasn’t built for convenience or recognition. It was created from the ground up, through listening, collaboration, and care.
According to the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (Flemms) by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Davao City led the Davao Region in literacy, with 93.5% basic literacy and 69.6% functional literacy — both above the national average.
While this reflects a positive outcome for the city, the survey also exposed disparities across the region, with Davao Occidental posting the lowest rates at 74.2% and 46.6%, respectively. Nationally, about 18 million Filipinos remain functionally illiterate, despite having completed formal education, as the revised Flemms now measures not just reading and writing, but also comprehension and critical thinking.
For Hanna, the results are encouraging but also a reminder that more work is needed to ensure quality education reaches everyone.
“Without proper education, people can’t reach their full potential. It’s the foundation for solving poverty, crime, and corruption,” she said.
Piccio stressed the importance of government action, especially in far-flung areas, and called for stronger partnerships with advocates and community efforts to close the education gap and uplift more lives across the country.
Creating MND
When Piccio first conceptualized Making New Dreamers, her goal wasn’t to push a charity model. She believed meaningful change starts with understanding. Together with a small team, she made her first visit to Sitio Macatabo not to deliver a plan, but to ask questions.
"I realized that not all kids have access to things like that, and it honestly made me feel sad. I felt that the world would be a better place if we gave children—especially those in far-flung areas—more avenues to learn and grow. It’s not just about developing their skills; it’s also about giving them the chance to dream. Their exposure to the real world is so limited, and I wanted to help widen their horizons. That’s one of the reasons I started Making New Dreamers. Because for some kids, dreaming is a luxury—when in an ideal world, childhood should be about dreaming and having fun. Sadly, that’s not always the case, so we’re doing what we can to help and reach as many kids as possible," Piccio shared.
What they heard was simple but powerful: the children needed a space where they could read, learn, draw, play, and simply be children — free from the weight of poverty and isolation. Some had never owned a book. Most had never touched art materials. And yet, they were bright, curious, and eager to learn.
That honest feedback became the foundation of the learning hub.
Making New Dreamers didn’t outsource the work. They partnered with local volunteers, educators, and members of the Obu Manubo community to turn an idea into reality.
What began as a bamboo-framed space slowly became a vibrant learning center filled with books, mats, art materials, puzzles, and traditional musical instruments.
The supplies were donated, sourced locally, or purchased with personal funds. There was no grand campaign, just quiet determination and a shared goal: to give these children a space of their own.
Inside the hub, books are carefully chosen and available in Bisaya, Filipino, and English. There are storybooks, alphabet charts, coloring materials, and folk tales. Reading corners sit beside art walls. Children sit barefoot on woven mats, eager for every storytelling session.
As of today, Making New Dreamers has built a total of three learning hubs—in Sitio Sicao, Sitio Macatabo, and at the Padre Pio Orphanage.
Special learning hub
What makes the hub truly special is its emphasis on culture-based learning. It isn’t just about teaching letters or numbers. It’s about nurturing identity and imagination.
In some sessions, elders are invited to share stories passed down through generations. At other times, children sing indigenous songs or draw what they see in the mountains and forests. These moments help them see that their roots matter, that their language, traditions, and stories are worth celebrating.
“The hub became a bridge between tradition and learning. We’re not taking the children away from their culture, we’re helping them deepen their love for it,” said one teacher-volunteer from the community.
And the results are already visible.
Hanna shared some children who visit the hub regularly now read faster, participate more in class, and ask more questions. Parents have started to notice changes, too. Some now walk their children to the hub and stay to observe or even join the sessions.
The learning hub may not solve the country’s educational challenges entirely, but it serves as a meaningful step. Through initiative and volunteerism, it helps bridge gaps and brings learning closer to those who need it most.
For 13-year-old Rajah, the learning hub means more than just books. It means having a safe space to explore, express, and belong.
"Malipayon kay daghan sila'g itudlo sa amoa. Makatuon man sad mi," Rajah shared, noting how she learned to read, listen, and even watch educational shows with friends.
"Para makatuon mi. Para padung sa eskwelahan, dili mi magkara-kara'g unsay ipangutana sa maestra," she added. For her, the learning hub doesn’t just prepare them for school, it makes school something they look forward to.
For volunteer Cris Ian Guigayoma, also known as Kuya Caloy, the project is personal. "Mga butang nga wala nako nabuhat tong bata pako, such as i-boost ang confidence, pwede nako siya ma-teach sa mga bata karon," he said. His work as a student leader and workshop facilitator found new meaning here, realizing that his training was not just for personal growth but for serving others.
"Abi nako'g gina-pray nako akong self para sa akong self. Pero looking at everything, nga mga smile sa mga bata, na-realize nako nga, ‘I am training not for myself but for others diay in the future,’" he reflected.
Joshua Donato, project coordinator from Euro Generics International Philippines (EGIP) Foundation, shared how Hanna came to them as a participant in Mutya ng Dabaw and asked to work with the community.
"Timing kaayo, pag-ingon ni Mutya nga willing mu-teach sa mga bata... nakita nako nga sustainable kay every month or twice a month naga-anhi man gyud si Mutya." he shared.
He described the changes in the children, from being shy and quiet to now excited and engaged. "Pag-abot sa balay magdrawing. So, naa gyuy learning. Na-ignite ang ilang learning," he said.
The place where the Making New Dreamers learning hub now stands was originally meant for a livelihood program, equipped with sewing machines. But after the partner agency backed out due to the death of its head, the project was left unfinished and unused.
Later, the idea came to turn the idle space into a learning hub for children. With support from the EGIP Foundation, the community took ownership of the space, with the initiative led in partnership with the Rotary Club of Davao.
Tribal sipting (elder) Bae Nilda Aggas Landim also observed the hub’s effect, saying the children have become more attentive and quick to understand because of Hanna’s efforts. She noted that the project has made a significant impact in their community.
From helping children rediscover forgotten subjects, to planting fruit-bearing trees for the future, Hanna’s project has become deeply interwoven into the community.
Locals shared that Hanna Maj Piccio did not visit just to fulfill her role as Mutya ng Dabaw — she actively contributed to the community, helping in ways that made a lasting impact, including the creation of the learning hub in Sitio Macatabo.
Built on values
Though it was launched by a pageant titleholder, Making New Dreamers is not built on glamor. It runs on values: literacy, creativity, community, and cultural respect. Hanna is clear about that.
“The crown may have opened a few doors, but this project was born from a real need, and it's been built through the community’s effort. Every book, every smile, none of it is about me. It’s about them,” she said.
What drives this work is the belief that education, especially one rooted in creativity and culture, can help even the most isolated children imagine a different future. And for communities like Sitio Macatabo, that future is already taking shape.
Making New Dreamers hopes to bring similar hubs to other remote areas where schools and libraries remain out of reach. The model is simple: listen first, work with the community, and build something that reflects the children’s world and hopes.
It’s a vision that will take time and continued effort.
But in Sitio Macatabo, the learning hub has already become part of daily life. A place of joy. A place of belonging. A place the children now call “ilang kaugalingong espasyo” —their very own space.
And in that space, dreams are quietly, steadily taking root.
About Making New Dreamers
Founded in 2024 by Hanna Maj Piccio, Making New Dreamers is a literacy and creative empowerment initiative that aims to reach underserved and geographically isolated communities across Davao City.
Its core mission is to inspire children to dream and to nurture their skills and talents, so they grow up with a strong sense of self-worth—enough to believe in and pursue their dreams. Through workshops, school-to-school caravans, and learning hubs, Making New Dreamers aims to provide children with both the chance and the avenue to improve themselves and turn their dreams into reality. This program emphasizes skills development workshops, creative activities.
The program emphasizes local partnerships, culture-based activities, and community consultation to ensure every hub truly reflects the needs and voices of the children it serves.
To anyone who wishes to help, donate, or support future efforts, you may message the Facebook page of Making New Dreamers. AJA