An update on the Feed the Future campaign

6/25/2010 | Ayala Foundation

"Excellence in education promotes equal opportunities."

This is the guiding principle of the Center of Excellence in Public Elementary Education (CENTEX) as they educate bright young minds from poor families. By giving these disadvantaged children a CENTEX education, they are given the opportunity to break free from the cycle of poverty. Moreover, CENTEX education hopes to hone them to become successful professionals and leaders in their fields, thus improving their lives, and contributing to the development of their communities and the nation as a whole.

Improving Student Learning Outcomes of Disadvantaged but Bright Children

With the increasing prices of commodities, poor families do not have enough resources to buy basic necessities, which include food. As a result, their children go to school with empty stomachs, which in turn make them listless, inattentive, and unfocused in school. Studies conducted internationally and locally on feeding programs came up with varied conclusions due to differences inherent in having different study samples, but there are also studies that (Taras, 2005; Breaksfast Research Institute, 2009; and Politt, 2003) support the potentially positive effects of feeding programs in decreasing absenteeism and tardiness, as well as improving learning outcomes of students.

It is for this reason that the Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI) came up with Feed the Future, a campaign to raise funds for a feeding program in CENTEX schools, public elementary schools designated as AFI-managed laboratory schools. The two CENTEX schools in Tondo, Manila and Bauan, Batangas, have approximately 900 students and over 70 dedicated teachers who help create a conducive learning environment for the students.

Feed the Future Nourishes the Body and Mind

After its first year of implementation, promising positive effects on decreasing absenteeism and tardiness in school-children recipients of the feeding program were noted. Students and parents responded positively to the program. Clyde Owen Manalo, a pupil from CENTEX-Batangas has this to say: "Lagi po kaming pinapakain ng karne, kanin, at gulay. Masusustansyang pagkain po ang binibigay sa amin kaya po kami nagiging matalino." (They regularly feed us with meat, rice and vegetables. These are nutritious meals they provide us and these help us improve our learning abilities.)

Families of CENTEX pupils acknowledged the big help that the feeding program provided to their families. In CENTEX-Batangas, Aileen Joy's mother, Mrs. Victoria Salenga, mentioned how the feeding program helped augment her husband's meager salary as a company driver. As Aileen received nutritious meals through the program, her parents were able to budget for the other needs of the family. Mrs. Olive Cruz, Paul Oliver's mother, shared that aside from the program helping them lessen their household expenses, it also made her son healthier and look forward to school because of the delicious and nutritious meals served. This sentiment was shared by another parent from CENTEX-Manila, Mrs. Ortega. She related that her son Hiro was very sickly before joining the feeding program. Today, Hiro has gained weight and is taller. He also gets sick less often now.

Aside from the indirect financial assistance to the school children's family, the feeding program also helped changed mindsets and practices toward a more nutrition-conscious family. A parent from CENTEX-Manila, Mrs. Magbitang shared how the food subsidy encouraged her to cook and add more vegetables to their meals to make sure that Elwince's height and weight gains could be sustained.

Teacher Lyn de Quina of CENTEX-Batangas, who is in-charge of the feeding program, shared how the program also served as an opportunity for her to teach children about serving sizes, and the right amount and kinds of food needed by school-aged kids.

Passing It Forward: A Model for Personalized Resource Mobilization

True to its commitment to corporate social responsibility and leadership by example, the Feed the Future campaign began with text and email messages forwarded by AFI employees to their friends: for Php300, a CENTEX child gets a hot meal every day for a month. What started as a small initiative among its employees reached individuals outside their networks that by December of 2009, Php 713,833.70 was raised. This amount funded the feeding program conducted from June 2009 to March 2010. It benefited 200 kindergarten to grade 3 pupils from CENTEX-Manila and CENTEX-Batangas.

Lester Lampano, one of the students from the first batch of CENTEX, is now in college. Let his words serve as inspiration for us: "My journey as a student started with a dream that with education, I can improve our lives. There is a possibility that I would just have been another Tondo boy fighting for his life, if not for CENTEX. CENTEX gave me the chance to change my life."

With the beginning of another school year, a new batch of hungry, young minds will be joining Aileen, Paul, and Hiro. They will be given the same opportunities, which Lester enjoyed. There is still much we can do to ensure that these children get the most out of their CENTEX education so that they would someday become the leaders our nation needs. All it takes is to share this story and forward the same message to our families and friends: For Php300, a CENTEX child gets a hot meal every day for a month. P3000 is needed to feed a child for an entire school year. Feed the Future, Nurture Bright Young Minds.

Visit http://www.ayalafoundation.org for more information.


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