Rey Bufi, a father of two and the founder of nonprofit organization, The Storytelling Project believes exposing children to reading helps instill the right set of values in them.
Growing up, Bufi admits that he was not much of a reader.
“As a child, I always loved history and though I was not entirely a reader, I was fond of listening to stories of hope and inspiration about great, compassionate leaders,” he shared. “It was in college when I was having a hard time, and reading helped me cope. I realized, had I been a reader earlier, I wouldn’t have had a hard time. And that is how my passion for stories and service came together.”
In 2012, he established a volunteer organization that aims to raise a nation of readers.
Today, Bufi continues with his passion for sharing stories. He recently participated as a host and storyteller in Enfagrow A+ Four’s Tales of Kindness from the #HealthySmartKidWithAHeart campaign, which featured stories of kindness to inspire parents to teach their children about compassion.
Reading stories to Filipino children has opened the eyes of Bufi to many realities. Just as he read them stories, he also learned meaningful life lessons from the stories of people he encountered on his journey.
“The tales they tell make a huge impact on their overall development. It helps them communicate and make sense of the world they are in and what is happening inside themselves,” said Rey.
His wife, Grace, on the other hand, believes storytelling does not only develop listening skills, “it also teaches kids the values of empathy and patience as they sit for long periods of time. It helps them string new words together and ignite a passion for discovering new things.”
