SM Foundation's Donate-A-Book to distribute books to schools affected by Ondoy

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education’s partnership with various private sector organizations like SM Foundation, Inc. has contributed to the improvement of the learning environment. This translates to higher achievement levels especially in the provinces as shown by the results of the National Achievement Test (NAT), an annual examination given to public school students nationwide to determine their achievement levels, strengths and weaknesses.

Among the intervention efforts of DepEd geared towards improvement of key performance indicators in basic education, the Every Child A Reader program and the provision of one book each for every student in core subjects, are the programs that benefit most from SM Foundation’s book donation program aptly called “Donate-A-Book”, a mall-based project.

The devastation wrought by recent typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng did not spare public schools and libraries whose reading resources were drenched and rendered unusable. Thus, SM Foundation will distribute the more than 8,500 assorted books, magazines and references that comprise SM Foundation’s warehouse inventory of Donate-A-Book project collection as of Oct. 6 to schools to be determined by the DepEd in Marikina; Sta. Rosa, Laguna; Pasig and Quezon City that were affected by Ondoy.

This year’s Donate-A-Book project collected 172,400 reading and reference materials including sets of encyclopedias and dictionaries from SM mall shoppers, donors and project partners. Project proponent SM Foundation also purchased books to augment those collected during the book campaign.

Earlier this schoolyear the Foundation distributed 164,459 assorted books, 14 sets of encyclopedias and 14 dictionaries to 1,452 day care centers, public elementary and high schools. Ondoy and Pepeng destroyed these books so the Foundation will have to replace them.

Of the 1,452 beneficiaries, 384 are day care centers, 734 are elementary schools and 334 are high schools. The day care centers and schools are located in Tondo, Manila; Rizal; Cebu; Bacolod; Iloilo; Cagayan de Oro; Baguio/La Trinidad; La Union; Cavite; Quezon Province; Batangas; Bulacan; Nueva Ecija; Davao; Pampanga; Pangasinan; Naga; and Kalinga. Irisan National High School, Pinsao National High School, Alanginlan National High School, Mabalacat High School, Sapalibutad Elementary School, and Vista Alegre Granda Relocation Elementary School are among the public schools that benefited from the project. Nara Club Organization, Orchids Day Care Center and Al Goshen Book also received books.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development, Bato Balani Foundation, OMF Literature, Adarna Publishing, Amos Publishing and Anvil Publishing are major partners.