It has been a year since the Philippines began community quarantines in favor of public health and safety due to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the months, the pandemic proved to be not only a health issue but an economic one as well. Many Filipinos became jobless since, including the parents of our beneficiaries who relied on on-call laundry services and construction work on a contractual basis.
With the desire to help out, Bukas Palad began distributing financial assistance to support families for their basic needs. In the months that followed, assistance came in the form of grocery packs including a sack of rice and other necessities. More items were included when Bukas Palad distributed Christmas gift packs last December 2019.
Parents who received the assistance were quick to thank Bukas Palad and the benefactors for the help in the time of great need. Initially, the students were told that classes in schools are to be suspended only for a week which turned to months. Little did everyone know at that time it would be the last that students would be physically going to school.
With the threat of the pandemic, schools remained closed for those who attempt to enter but virtually re-opened last August for our Senior High and College students and last October for the rest.
Sometime before the re-opening of classes, when the government announced that it would do so through online classes, the Foundation was already preparing to raise funds so that the student-beneficiaries will have the required equipment to continue pursuing their education.
A few months after classes re-opened through online modality, Bukas Palad was able to distribute tablets for Grade 1 to Grade 10 students and Chromebook for Senior High and College students, after the parents and scholars signed the Agreement on the Gadgets. Now, the student-beneficiaries can follow their online classes through synchronous and asynchronous sessions.
Parents assist their children in their homework and school projects. With the gadgets, Bukas Palad is also about to resume its human development sessions both for the parents and the student-beneficiaries by next month. Surely, they would be excited to also see and talk with one another, even virtually, after months of not being able to do so.
With the parents renewing their partnership with the Foundation after the signing of the annual Memorandum of Agreement, we continue our commitment to be at their service, especially in this time.
With the desire to help out, Bukas Palad began distributing financial assistance to support families for their basic needs.
In the months that followed, assistance came in the form of grocery packs including a sack of rice and other necessities.
More items were included when Bukas Palad distributed Christmas gift packs last December 2020.
A few months after classes re-opened through online modality, Bukas Palad was able to distribute tablets for Grade 1 to Grade 10 students and Chromebook for Senior High and College students
Chromebooks
Parents and scholars signing the Agreement on the Gadgets
