Every child has the right to quality education and a positive and supportive environment. This is the belief of the child-focused humanitarian organization World Vision, as it recently launched its annual “Back-to-School” campaign with the aim of ensuring children’s joyful return to school and empowering them to fulfill their potential through education.
With the theme “#OTW: A Journey for Hope”, this year’s Back-to-School campaign aims to help children get back on track with renewed hope by providing new sets of learning kits to approximately 24,000 vulnerable children in the Philippines. One kit contains a new school bag with sets of paper and notebooks, writing and coloring materials, scissors, and an eraser. Depending on the area, other kits may include raincoats and umbrellas.
“The Back-to-School campaign is all about helping children make a joyful and hopeful return to their classrooms. New learning kits are simple yet impactful tools that may help children to be more excited to go back to school while fostering a positive attitude toward learning. The campaign also brings together like-minded members of our communities to support children’s education. Together with our partners, we look forward to our children reaching their full potential,” said World Vision’s executive director Rommel V. Fuerte.
Fuerte was also joined by their resource development director Jun Godernes, program manager for education Geomel Jetonzo and World Vision ambassador and actor Enzo Pineda.
“I know the value of education because I am still a student myself. For me, it is very important if we want progress for our nation to empower our children with education. We can help not just children but also their community and it takes only P1000 to make that difference,” says Pineda.
Having new learning materials will not only ease the financial burden for the parents but will also give students the motivation they need as they return to school. This way, children no longer have to feel insecure due to a lack of school supplies. Instead, they can joyfully make their way back to their journey toward fulfilling their dreams for themselves, their families, their communities, and the nation.
“As children go back to school, we have a greater chance of not just improving their knowledge but also their values and relationships with peers and friends through education,” adds Fuerte.
For only P1000, two vulnerable children will receive new sets of learning materials through World Vision’s Back-to-School Campaign. For those who wish to go the extra mile and do more for a child, one can sign up to be a child sponsor for only P750/month.
Studies show that the Philippines was among the countries with the longest school closure during the pandemic, resulting in an even larger education gap, with more than 90% of students unable to read and comprehend simple texts by age 10. While public schools have no tuition fees, parents still find it difficult to keep up with miscellaneous costs like school kits.
World Vision firmly believes in the right of every child to quality education and encourages everyone to become part of a collective effort to make going back to school a joyful experience, ensuring that every child, regardless of their circumstances, has access to quality education and the tools to pursue their dreams with hope and determination.
You can help make going to school a joyful journey for children by donating school kits today.