News and Activities

“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.

Amidst the deteriorating quality of education in the Philippines, Educo continues to reinforce a quality and transformative one for the children. Mark Jay Sedan, a former child representative, was one of the recipients of this, which impacted his life by healing his previous inadequacy regarding child rights. Now, he is a living example that such a goal truly transforms a life.

We follow the experiences of Jillian, Samson, Ariel, and Virgie. With similar goals and aspirations, they were positive in bringing a change in their communities.

As part of the Anticipatory Action Humanitarian Response Committee of Catanduanes, Educo Philippines recently attended the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Summit in Virac, last July 2 to 4, 2024.

In line with Educo Philippines’ commitment to empowering communities through child-led initiatives, the organization recently held a “Training of Trainers for the Use of Child-led Advocacy and Project Management Toolkits” at Hotel Venezia in Legazpi, Albay. This project was divided into two parts, the Child-led Advocacy Training (CLAT) conducted last July 16 to 18, 2024, and the Child-led Project Management Training (CLPMT) implemented last July 24 to 26, 2024, respectively.

To ensure preparedness of community volunteers (CVs) for disasters, Educo Philippines recently conducted a two-day Child-centered Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Training last July 16 to 17, 2024 at E-Crown Hotel and Resorts in Virac, Catanduanes. This activity was attended by a total of 49 CVs coming from 30 communities covered by the SAFE II program of Educo Philippines in the said municipality.

Due to the lack of resources necessary to sustain their daily living, Nina allowed her child to undergo abaca stripping from daylight to dawn. She initially thought that this would help her in supporting their family. Unbeknownst to her, this work is considered as a form of child labor. This continued until the day a rescue came at her doors. Will she accept this opportunity of changing their lives? Or will she continuously support the job of her child?

Despite the challenging realities of her childhood brought on by poverty, Charina Lombreza, a thirty-nine-year-old community volunteer from Sabangan, Caramoran, Catanduanes, continues to persevere with her passion for teaching and has found a new path through the transformative power of community involvement.

“We have learned that proper discipline for children is not achieved through physical punishment,” shares one parent, reflecting the transformative impact of the roll-out sessions on Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP) implemented by Educo Philippines in 11 out of 15 target barangays in Catanduanes last June 19 to 28, 2024.