The months of March and April bring a common sense of optimism in the US and the Philippines. In the US, we usher in the season of Spring; in the Philippines, summer officially begins in March. We experience warmer weather, more natural light, and celebrate many hopeful religious holidays.

And while the COVID-19 vaccination rates are reaching new promising heights in the US, in the Philippines, contagion is reaching alarming new heights, without any clear path to a government vaccination plan. It could very well be that the students in the Philippines will not see the inside of their classrooms till the end of 2021.

In the US and the Philippines, UNLAD has sustained its role to provide critical learning support as students, teachers and families continue to find ways to make learning a regular part of a student’s day.

In the Philippines… We launched the UNLAD scholarship at the Baruyan Elementary School.

The scholarships were awarded to six students, one each from grades 1 through 6 and covers the cost of school supplies and other necessary items that are not provided by the public school system, including fees to activities that will contribute to the student’s development and growth, like the Boy and Girl Scouts.

Based on financial need, the students’ academic performance, and the parents’ support, the home room teachers are responsible for administering the scholarships, including the delivery of the necessary supplies to the students’ homes. The teachers will also provide UNLAD with progress reports for each of these scholars at the end of the school year. We plan to expand the scholarship to more students in the 2021-2022 school year.

In the USA… An UNLAD’s scholar, a 9th grader first-generation Latina, reported that she “was accepted into field hockey and enjoying all of it!!!”

Small acts matter…

In the US and the Philippines, we are expanding scholarship funding to improve our underserved youth’s access to educational opportunities, creating the deep impact we aspire for.

Research has proven that developmental stimulation is necessary for children ages 0-4 and is a critical determinant to a child’s success later in life. Most children in underserved communities do not have any access to these necessary developmental stimuli, stimuli that we tend to take for granted: educational toys, books, music, and other visual, tactile and other stimuli.

In partnership with Save the Children Philippines, we are looking to initiate programs to support Early Childhood Learning in the village of Baruyan, Calapan City, the province of Oriental Mindoro.

While the government has mandated early childhood programs, the programs are sorely under-resourced. UNLAD’s goal is to provide the lacking resources needed to reach as many children ages 0-4 and improve their chances for success.

We look forward to keeping you informed of more developments in our regular newsletters!

We are grateful…

Your support enables us to sustain our mission and inspires us to remain hopeful. Admittedly, the breadth of our work has been limited due to COVID-19. Still, we continue to press on, seeking and mining opportunities to deliver direct, impactful ways to provide our underserved youth with access to education and a brighter future.

Thank you, maraming salamat po!