PSC officers and a Mancom member attended the launch of the Adopt-A-School project (Brigada Eskwela) by the Philippine Department of Education at Pinagbuhatan High School.
Pasig City, Philippines, 21 May 2012 – Philippine Social Club officers in QI took the initiative to translate one of RYTHM Foundation’s pillars (education) into a feasible CSR plan: the Adopt-A-School Program 2012 is a government project, in which QI employees can participate to make a difference to the nation’s public schools. In partnership with RF, staff worked alongside the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) to enable the “adoption” of public schools, a project in line with government’s Brigada Eskwela (School Brigade) programme. Volunteers from NGOs, private corporations, students themselves and their parents can help to clean and rehabilitate schools in preparation for the new school term. On May 21, both Social Club officers and members of the Management Committee attended the first outing. They were divided into two groups: the first joined the DepEd at Justo Lukban Elementary School in Manila for the formal launch of Brigada Eskwela, while the second team headed to the Pinagbuhatan High School.
After the launch at Justo Lukban, the first group worked with the volunteers to clean up the school grounds and tend to the plants, before joining the second group at Pinagbuhatan for more cleaning up. The high school is the first school to be “adopted” by QI Philippines.
On May 26, almost 30 employees of QI Philippines attended the Adopt-A-School activity at Pinagbuhatan High School, where they clean all 19 classrooms on the third floor of the building. More than 800 chairs were distributed across the third-floor classrooms; 200 of which were repaired and repainted by the kind volunteers. What’s more, they also repainted a dozen blackboards!
Yes, it was a herculean task, but the QI staff worked hard to finish the job, knowing that their efforts would go toward ensuring the high school students have a conducive environment for learning and excelling.
Seeing what a success the first few initiatives were, you’ll be pleased to know that Brigada Eskwela will be carried out every quarter of the year. QI employees look forward to helping out through RYTHM Foundation and making a difference in any way they can.
The smiles of these high school students say it all: thank you, QI Philippines and RYTHM Foundation!
More about Adopt-A-School Often budding engineers, mathematicians and artists in the Philippines may not have a chance to pursue their dreams due to financial difficulties. Although the government dedicates a large share of the national budget to education, it is not enough to sustain the increasing student population. As such, the Adopt-A-School act was enacted in 1988 to provide a way for corporations to invest in the future of Philippine children. The rewards will take shape in well-educated generations to come, who will in turn build the nation.
