Education molds so many positive changes in human life. It allows an opportunity to know and to comprehend beyond what is in books to real life. It enhances one’s capacities, skills, and intelligence leading to a successful life.
Due to the pandemic, face-to-face classes were restricted in some areas while some were privileged enough to conduct regular class sessions from the last quarter of 2021. Notwithstanding the crisis, a brigada eskwela was still conducted shifting its focus to collaboration and strengthening partnerships with the private sector and other NGOs to implement the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) and to ensure the delivery of quality basic education in the country even in the midst of predicaments.
For M Lhuillier, the pandemic has never been an excuse to reach its beneficiaries since the start of the community lockdowns. As restrictions on gathering engagements are prohibited, extending help is somehow hard to manage. However, amidst the challenges, OPEC chapters made ways to continue its Brigada Eskwela journey.
OPEC groups from different regions, with their initiatives, continued to facilitate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) where they installed multiple health facilities such as hand washing areas, reconstructed comfort rooms, as well as donated some trash bins and hygiene kits to different schools in order to maintain proper sanitation and a healthy learning environment. Commendable groups including OPEC Tuna Generals Sargen Region, OPEC Apo Duwaling, OPEC Orient Valor, OPEC Panay Lontian Gems, OPEC Dagyang, OPEC Kalilintad Agus, and OPEC Sawot have reached their vision and mission to support and extend a meaningful partnership with the different institutions through these projects.
Assessing the current situation of the country due to the pandemic, education has shifted to modular learning and online classes have been conducted by different schools. With this, the teams extended their help by donating computer sets, printers, and other school supplies such as bond papers to the faculties and staff. Bundles of school equipment and supplies including notebooks, pencils, ballpens, primary steps writing booklets, coloring and activity books, pencil cases, and learning posters to be used in the classroom had also been distributed by the OPEC clusters.
On a hilltop with an extremely bumpy and slippery road located in the remote Barangay of Kisulad Malita Davao Occidental, Babak Elementary School is situated where students used to fetch water from the lower grounds. OPEC Apo Duwaling had seen through the struggles from the little dreamers, and intuitively turned over a portable water tank, water pumping materials, and a computer set to the school.
Another set of OPEC delegates from OPEC Centrum, OPEC Cebu Central B, OPEC Leyte Movers, and OPEC Capital in various regions of Visayas and Mindanao, initiate to extend a helping hand to different schools by notably turning over sets of school signages, installing comfort rooms, donating sanitation kits, and sponsoring renovation to improve school facilities such canteen areas where students can enjoy their meals.
As all of these generous donations have been given, one thing stays the same across all beneficiaries - extreme gratitude and appreciation for the help extended by M Lhuillier to their communities and schools. The donations will serve the greatest purpose for all beneficiaries and they will be reminders of the kindness of M Lhuillier.