Helping needy first graders get off to a great start

In the Philippines, statistics show that an alarming one in four children entering first grade eventually drops out early in the school year due to poverty. Unable to bring to class the most basic school supplies — notebooks, pencils, writing pads and crayons — a child eventually loses his enthusiasm to remain in school and is forced to quit.

It is in this context that consumer products giant Procter & Gamble Philippines, guided by its global corporate philanthropy objectives, launched its 3-Pid Handog Edukasyon Program to help these needy kids keep up with their studies.

P&G Philippines president Jim Lafferty explains: “The program is part of our global strategy themed around the ‘Live, Learn and Thrive’ concept which, in turn, is focused on helping children get off to a great start in life through education, guiding them in their learning stages and equipping them with skills necessary for them to be successful and be productive members of society.”

He says their primary focus are the first-timers in mainstream studies — the Grade I students — since it is in this critical stage that the company’s program can immediately make an impact on a child’s pursuit of education.

“With the gift of a complete set of school supplies, first graders are now properly equipped for class work and projects, encouraging them to stay in school and complete their grade,” he stresses.

But instead of outright donations in cash or in kind from the company, Lafferty points out P&G has chosen to involve the public in the program. He says for every purchase of specially-marked 3-Pid value packs of brand best-sellers Safeguard soap, Joy dishwashing liquid, Downy fabric conditioner and Tide and Ariel laundry powder, a portion goes towards a complete set of school supplies for one first grader.

“The 3-Pid program is P&G’s way to help Filipinos during tough economic times,” notes Lafferty, adding that consumers not only save as much as P12 for the purchase but also contribute in aiding poor children complete the first step in formal education.

The 3-Pid program is in partnership with GMA Kapuso Foundation — the social arm of media firm GMA Network — which already has a long-running school supply donation program called “Unang Hakbang sa Edukas-yon.”

As one 3-Pid pack can help send one child to school for a day, the program targets that by the end of this month, about 571 schools with 34,000 of the most needy first graders will be provided with school supplies to last for a year.

A basic set consists of five notebooks, two writing pads, two pencils, one sharpener, one eraser and 16 crayons.

“So far, we’re happy with the results,” says Lafferty, noting the warm and enthusiastic response they always get from the intended beneficiaries, on top of the brisk sales of the 3-Pid product lines.

“Whenever you buy a 3-Pid pack, you don’t just save money and protect the environment (the package uses less plastic than three individually-packed sachets), you also help send a kid to school,” he points out.

Brand manager Anama Dimapilis adds that even P&G employees, family members and agency partners exhibited strong commitment and support to the project, as they volunteered to pack over 3,000 bags of school supplies for nationwide distribution, which started last November.