In time for the opening of classes, Pru Life UK has once again called its employees into action to help with the maintenance and beautification of Upper Bicutan Elementary School in Taguig. This is in support of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) 2017 Brigada Eskwela.
Already on its sixth straight year, Pru Life UK initiated half-day volunteer activities for four days, which involved the general cleaning of classrooms, as well as the sanding and varnishing of students’ armchairs. Considered as the bayanihan for schools, Brigada Eskwela is a yearly program that fosters volunteerism among government agencies and non-government organizations to clean and prepare public schools across the country.
In addition to the cleaning efforts of its employee-volunteers, the company also donated cleaning and repair materials to four schools Bagong Silang Elementary School in Quezon City, Marikina Elementary School in Marikina City, Philippine Normal University Institute of Teaching and Learning in Manila as well as Upper Bicutan Elementary School.
Of these four schools, Upper Bicutan Elementary School, Marikina Elementary School, and Philippine Normal University Institute of Teaching and Learning are existing partners under the Cha-Ching Financial Literacy for the Youth Program, Pru Life UK’s flagship corporate social responsibility initiative.
Cha-Ching is the first multi-country, multi-platform program that teaches children about the four key concepts of money management – Earn, Save, Spend, and Donate – and uses an integrated learning approach, featuring a Cha-Ching music videos, discussions on the concepts, in-class activities, and take home materials in each session. It was launched in Hong Kong in 2011 by Prudential Corporation Asia, the regional headquarters of Pru Life UK.
The Philippines became the first country to integrate Cha-Ching in grade school following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the DepEd in April 2012 for the integration of the Cha-Ching Financial Literacy for the Youth Program in the curriculum of public elementary schools. .
Now on its fifth year, Cha-Ching hits a milestone as it marks a total reach of 114,000 students in 64 public schools and 36 private educational institutions nationwide. It has likewise mobilized and trained a total of 1,640 teachers to date.
The Brigada Eskwela activity was made possible through PRU It Forward, Pru Life UK’s employee-volunteerism and outreach program.