Eleven organizations have joined Globe Telecom’s nationwide volunteering program in an effort to harness the altruistic spirit of Filipinos.
The program aims to make volunteer opportunities more accessible to anyone who wishes to share acts of kindness as well as encourage various organizations to contribute to social development.
Early sign-ups include Aral Pinoy, Mano Amiga, The Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, The Yellow Warrior Society Philippines Inc., Project Pearls, Visions of Hope, Progressive Assistance Canada, Dream Big Pilipinas, Haribon Foundation, HAPI and Fostering Education & Environment for Development, Inc.(FEED). These organizations mainly focus on education, health, environmental sustainability, and poverty alleviation.
Yoly Crisanto, Senior Vice President for Corporate Communication and Chief Sustainability Officer of Globe, expressed her excitement towards the growing number of organizations, companies and volunteers who are joining the initiative.
“We are delighted to welcome our new partner volunteer organizations to Globe Telecom’s National Volunteering Program. This marks a step towards our goal for an inclusive and sustainable community and extends our purpose beyond that of a telco company that provides service to connect every Filipino to a company that shares a Globe of Good,” she said.
Among the first to heed Globe Telecom’s call for volunteer partners is Aral Pinoy, an NGO that focuses on helping the rural poor—the youth, elderly, persons with disabilities and informal sector—through education centered on four specific directions and values: Maka-Diyos (Pro God); Maka-Kalikasan (Pro Nature / Creation); Maka-Bansa (Pro Country and) and Maka-Tao (Pro People).
Similar to Aral Pinoy, international social enterprise Mano Amiga Philippines creates education opportunities and community development activities for low-income communities. Its programs include affordable high quality K-12 education, skills training and culinary social enterprise for disadvantaged women, values formation for families, and advocacy campaigns for social change. Likewise, Project Pearls aims to break the cycle of poverty by empowering children through education, health, and nutrition.
Visions of Hope also has a mission to reach poverty-stricken children and youth all over the Philippines by operating schools, boarding homes, community-based student centers, and health clinics, all geared towards raising Christ-centered generations of Christian leaders and nation-builders while HAPI is made of Filipino secular humanists from different sectors who volunteer services for the good of humanity
The Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation helps build classrooms, dormitories and bridges as well as provides school supplies, medical/dental missions, scholarship, and various livelihood programs for a wholistic approach in its mission of ensuring that no Filipino is left behind. It started by helping school children who used to swim to school in the mangrove village of Layag-Layag, Zamboanga City get to school safe and dry by giving them yellow school boats as means of transportation. There are now over 4,400 boats in over 126 communities nationwide.
Dream Big Pilipinas, on the other hand, focuses on underprivileged youth, ages 7-17. The organization delivers a holistic program covering academic assistance, values formation, and football development with the aim of creating well-rounded individuals with the ability to fulfill their big dreams.
Progressive Assistance Canada (PAC), a Canadian-based NGO also helps empower vulnerable and disenfranchised barangays through sustainable development to alleviate hunger and poverty, enhance educational opportunities, and promote a healthier lifestyle.
Meanwhile, The Yellow Warriors Society Philippines, Inc. is a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization that helps in the prevention of Hepatitis B and C which is considered to be a major health problem in the Philippines. They want to help communities eradicate viral hepatitis by 2030 through advocacy, research, education and service.
For environment, The Haribon Foundation, the country’s pioneer environmental organization has promoted the integrity of Philippine ecosystems through community empowerment, scientific excellence, and policy advocacy for over four decades while Fostering Education & Environment for Development, Inc. (FEED) supports sustainable education and tree-planting, aiming to inclusively grow, preserve and protect Philippine biodiversity.
Filipinos have a commendable sense of volunteering, placing 7th out of 139 countries which lead in volunteer activities according to the 2016 Charities Aid Foundation World Giving Index, thus, the participation of the 11 organizations is expected to attract more people to join such worthwhile undertakings.
Anyone interested may start volunteering at the organizations mentioned or other groups through the volunteer matching portal www.timeplease.ph developed with Globe Future Maker iVolunteer Philippines and the volunteer portal of Gawad Kalinga. Volunteer groups composed of two to four volunteers may also create and register their own advocacy and join the activities by registering online.
Furthermore, companies with existing volunteer programs may also register to get their volunteer hours counted for a chance to win exciting prizes. They can e-mail [email protected] to enroll as a partner organization. Under the Globe Volunteer Program, the number of hours clocked in by individuals and groups in their volunteer work will have an equivalent incentive from Globe.