Brother Philippines, PBSP mark 7 years of partnership for Inigan Elementary School
“I was in Grade 2 when they first came to help us, and since then, we never really had much problems with school supplies and bags anymore. Brother International Philippines (BICP) also provided us with boots and umbrellas during the rainy season. We are very thankful to them and they are the reason why we are still performing well even if we are in higher grade level now. I hope that our younger batches will also do well because Brother is there to help them,” said Jeanne Valencia, batch 2017-2018 class valedictorian.
Valencia is among the 100 students from Inigan Elementary School in Rodriguez, Rizal who are recipients of the Annual School Improvement Assistance program, a project held in partnership with the Ready for School (RFS) campaign of the Philippine Business for Social Progress.
GRADUATES AND FORMER BENEFICIARIES of Brother Philippines’ School Improvement Assistance Program. In photo (from left) are: Daniella Nicole S. Zonio, Batch 2012-2013 Class Valedictorian; Jeanne Valencia, Batch 2017-2018 Class Valedictorian; Angelika Orbista, Batch 2018 – 2019 Class Valedictorian; and Jaypee Cortez, Batch 2015-2016 Class Valedictorian.
For the last seven years, BICP employees have been going back and forth, trekking few kilometers and riding motor boats to reach the school and implement their program. Just like other schools in the country, Inigan ES holds multi-grade classes in dilapidated classrooms just to cater to the growing number of learners. But aside from the lack of facilities and school supplies for the students, their parents also needed to endure the daily sacrifice of crossing the river to send their kids to school.
In 2012, the company decided to adopt Inigan ES when it first came to the school to join PBSP’s RFS activities. Since then, BICP continued to bring various kinds of assistance that included the provision of equipment, learning materials, school supplies and bags as well as the conduct of educational fieldtrips.
MEANINGFUL CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT
PBSP is the largest business-led NGO committed to poverty reduction and sustainable development through relevant and responsive programs on health, education, environment, and livelihood. It harnesses the strength and resources of the business sector to address societal problems. One of the ways in engaging companies is to promote volunteerism among its employees. The RFS is just one of its various volunteerism platforms which engage employees from its member-companies and partners to do their part in addressing societal problems. The RFS mobilizes employee-volunteers to help in preparing public schools for the opening of classes through school clean-up activities. It also involves company employees in tree-planting initiatives to restore lost forest cover in the Marikina Watershed and the Buhisan Watershed in Cebu.
BROTHER EMPLOYEES PLAY with the pupils of Inigan Elementary School during their School Improvement Assistance Program in Rodriguez, Rizal in partnership with PBSP’s Ready for School campaign.
An example is BICP’s School Improvement Assistance Program, where the company engages employees to serve as “big brothers and sisters” to Inigan ES students by playing fun games and role-playing with them. The company also implemented a program that encourages employees to allot a portion of their salary to support the school needs of select student/s as their chosen beneficiaries.
Since 2012, Brother Philippines has also donated a generator set, a portable audio system, laptop units, solar panels for five classrooms, new blackboards, a mini-library containing 300 story and reading books, kiddie tables and chairs, and just recently, a water system and sanitation facilities.
ROLE PLAYING – BROTHER EMPLOYEES TEACH pupils of Inigan Elementary School, role-playing games as part of their activities during their 7th School Improvement Assistance Program in partnership with PBSP’s Ready for School campaign.
“We are really thankful. Aside from the school supplies, they took us to educational tours. It really motivated me to study harder, knowing that there are good people who are helping us. And one way for us to pay them back is to do well in school. I want to be just like them when I grow up. I also want to help others in need,” said Daniella Nicole Zonio, class valedictorian of batch 2011-2012.
PROMOTING INVOLVEMENT AND INCLUSION
For decades, PBSP and its member-companies and partners have been working together to help address various problems of the country.
To further engage them, PBSP launched “#KasaliAko”, a campaign for involvement and inclusion that aims to bring people together to participate in poverty reduction, and collective impact initiatives of PBSP on Health, Education, Environment, and Livelihood.
The campaign is an avenue for individuals from different sectors to help uplift the lives of the underserved and disadvantaged so that the latter are included in the country’s growth and development.