A bright future starts with education. QBE Foundation and Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) led by CNN Hero of the Year, Efren Peñaflorida, opens Ecodemya, a two-story eco-friendly learning facility, aiming to fulfill the promise of education for a generation of disadvantaged Filipino schoolchildren from primary through tertiary levels.
Situated in Cavite, Efren Peñaflorida’s home town, Ecodemya’s classrooms and laboratories are designed to foster active learning in the liberal arts and academics. The vision of residential campus, with their common rooms, dining halls, and sky gardens, encourage the ambitious linkage of living and learning.
“It has been my ambition to help as many children as I can and change their lives for the better. Ecodemya is a step further for me and DTC in fulfilling this purpose, and we’re so lucky that we have partners like the QBE Foundation in making all these a success,” says EfrenPeñaflorida, DTC President.
DTC has been an advocate of providing literacy to disadvantaged Filipino schoolchildren since 1997.Its two major programs (Learners Educational Aid Program (LEAP) and (Kariton Klasrum) were able to successfully reduce the number of out-of-school youth and potential drop-outs in Cavite City. With Ecodemya, a physical facility will now be in place to be the second home of hopefuls and will soon pave the way towards their journey as empowered citizens and community leaders of the future.
QBE, Australia’s largest global insurer, through QBE Foundation, has been supporting DTC’s program since 2016. By funding the construction of EcoDemya, amongst other efforts that QBE Foundation supports, they believe that they are contributing to DTC’s endeavor to have more children rekindle their love for learning in a safe and conducive facility and environment.
“Ecodemya represents progress in Philippine education in its simplest form” says Karen Batungbacal-De Venecia, Executive General Manager of QBE Group Shared Services Centre (GSSC). “We, at QBE Foundation, believe that everyone has a right to a bright future, and this is at the very essence of what Ecodemya is all about. We are able to provide education to those who can’t afford it, and lead them to opportunities for livelihood, employment and sustainability. More than anything, we are very proud to be part of this feat with DTC.”
EcoDemya is already open for applications. The screening process is being scheduled within the three national high schools near the vicinity of the campus – Amadeo National High School, Pangil National High School, and Banay-banay National High School.
Passion for learning is all that it takes to be an Ecodemya scholar. As the facility becomes fully functional, a promising future is upon us. Efren once said, “A better life for the children is a better life for everyone.” And Ecodemya is just the beginning of what has yet to come – a nation full of hope with individuals who believe in the beauty of their dreams.