Schooling in the Philippines is very different to here in England. Virtually nothing is free. Money for everything from school supplies, to your lunch, has to be provided by your parents or a sponsor. Even getting to school is down to you. Children walk miles to and from school each day. There are scholarships available as you get older but when you are just starting out, you need all the help you can get to make the most of your education. The family pressures to earn money to live can make this seem like an impossible dream for some. Yet if there is something I have learnt about Filipinos it is that their determination and ingenuity knows no bounds!
Why have we chosen to support Tigbauan Road and Celda Elementary Schools?
On my first visit to The Philippines my partner introduced me to Tigbauan Road Elementary School. Their family donated part of the land, on which it stands. The first thing that struck me was the atmosphere; it
is warm and welcoming with as many facilities as affordable to encourage the children to learn. It also has some extremely enthusiastic supporters living on site! However, there is an issue, Tigbauan Road is located
in a rural community where most livings are earned from agriculture. There simply aren’t enough local businesses to support or sponsor the school. When the children educated here move on to High School in the bigger
cities, they can be at a disadvantage to those educated in better-funded urban Elementary Schools.
What did we decide to do?
One of the more obvious deficiencies is in the area of Information Technology, so initially we committed to providing some additional computers so more children could learn IT skills sooner, to make it easier for
them to transition to high school. We have also committed to providing school supplies and backpacks for the first graders every new school year. In addition we have agreed to fund an incentive scheme for grades 1-6
every year rewarding the three best scholars in each year for their efforts. We are also looking to provide air conditioning for the computer room as a future project. Celda Elementary School is adjacent to a family
farm, this year we supplied the first graders with art supplies and there may be more we can do in the future.
So what of the future?
We have committed ourselves, on a personal and company level, to supporting the schools for as long as we are able. Future projects will be discussed with the relevant head teacher and arrangements made accordingly.
A lot of good can come from the things we throw away, old computers can be given a new lease of life in these schools. Whilst other projects will require materials etc. What we don’t do is give money; that way we know
that 100% of what we donate goes to where we want it to go. We have a very ‘hands on’ approach and that way we can target our support.
If you would like to become involved, and it can be a simple thing as donating an old, working, computer or other ‘tech’ items just let us know. If you would like us to advise you of future projects, when we know
about them, please drop us an email and we will let you know. We won’t sell your data on or pester you for donations.
By working with Frances Norman Ltd you are already helping and we thank you on behalf of Tigbauan Road and Celda Elementary Schools.