by Daniella Y. Villanueva, 2024 Intern from Communication and Advocacy
“Educo Philippines and DepEd’s partnership has been 18 years already and there’s so much more that we can do together,” says Gemma Castillo-Goliat, Country Director of Educo Philippines, in her opening message for the annual Brigada Eskwela held in Iriga City in Camarines Sur and in the municipality of Irosin in Sorsogon, last July 19 and July 22, 2024, respectively.
As the new academic year starts, Educo Philippines joins the annual Brigada Eskwela, themed “Bayanihan para sa Matatag na Paaralan” (community spirit for a stronger school) spearheaded by the Department of Education (DepEd). The annual Brigada Eskwela was attended by the teachers, parents, and the Educo staff as their partner NGO.
Educo Philippines donated tablets equipped with the “Learn App”2 to their partner schools. The said app was launched in the year 2021 and aims to provide and contribute to Level-2 literacy and will be utilized for teaching reading to pupils; this is a very special project of Educo Philippines and DepEd that they co-developed.
In terms of education, Educo Philippines also provided educational supplies, storybooks and other learning materials that were distributed to the teachers who attended the said solidarity activity. The said donation is designated for this specific event but they will provide support to their partner schools.
In her closing remarks, Goliat highlighted how significant education is for every child and also stressed the importance of collaboration between DepEd and Educo PH to ensure that every child receives quality education.
“DepEd, thank you for believing in us. As we always say, it takes a village to raise a child, and because Education Heals, we need each other,” she said.
Through this activity, Educo PH remains dedicated to advancing quality and equal education in order to empower children and adolescents to create more just and equal societies.
