Happiness is a schoolhouse

Manila, Philippines -  A little red schoolhouse is making a big difference in the lives of the children in Bukidnon.

Reaffirming its commitment to create a positive impact on communities, the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Inc. (CCFPI) together with its program partners recently inaugurated the Quezon National High School-Apyao Annex, the first high school under CCFPI’s Little Red Schoolhouse Program. 

The construction of this four-classroom school building is part of CCFPI’s efforts to address child labor in sugarcane producing communities in the country.

In September 2010, Coca-Cola joined the International Labor Organization-International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor, the government of Bukidnon and the Sugar Industry Foundation Inc. to launch a four-year program to eliminate child labor in Bukidnon.

Recent ILO statistics showed that Bukidnon was among the four provinces in the country with a high number of child laborers, among them more than 2,500 children and youths between 9 and 17 years of age. These young people are engaged in laborious work within the sugarcane plantations, rice fields, and other agricultural industries.

A study conducted by Xavier University revealed that these children, who are mostly of high-school age, choose to work to help their families, rather than attend secondary education. Extreme poverty and lack of school facilities force youngsters to drop out of school.

“This Little Red Schoolhouse is a milestone for us, not only because it is the very first high school facility constructed under the Little Red Schoolhouse program but, more importantly, because it addresses two pressing issues concerning our youth: child labor and the limited access to high school education. We hope that this new schoolhouse will draw the young people of Barangay Butong away from working in the fields and keep them in school, aiming and working for a brighter future,” said Cecile Alcantara, president of the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines. 

Guillermo Aponte, president and general manager of Coca-Cola Philippines, said respect for human rights that includes addressing the issue of child labor is fundamental to the culture of Coca-Cola.

“Across the world, we work to make sure all people are treated with dignity and respect. We take proactive approach to secure these rights in every work place, in our bottling system, in our supply chain and in communities where we operate. With respect to child labor, The Coca-Cola Company proactively participates in mitigating child labor, particularly in its agricultural supply chain in more than 20 countries including El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and the Philippines,” Aponte said.

“We set policy, convene experts, and engage with governments, NGOs and other companies around the world. At the same time, we collaborate with suppliers, industry groups and local stakeholders to address the issue with farmers at the local level,” he added.

Aponte also thanked its local program partners the Sugar Industry Foundation, Inc., Bukidnon Sugar Company, DepEd, the local government of Quezon, Bukidnon; and the Quezon Manobo Tribal Association for allowing Coca-Cola to participate in this very important program for the youth of Quezon, Bukidnon.

During the turn-over ceremony, Certificates of Scholarship on Associate of Sugarcane Production and Management were awarded to 20 beneficiaries.

The District Tripartite Council of the Sugar Industry also presented the Code of Conduct on the Elimination of Child Labor in the Sugar Industry in Bukidnon.

Manobo chieftain Carlito Anglao, Coca-Cola Phils. president Guillermo Aponte, Sugar Industry Foundation president Edith Villanueva, Rep. Jose Maria Zubiri III, DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro, ILO country director Lawrence Jeff Johnson at the turnover of the Quezon National High School-Apyao Annex in Quezon, Bukidnon.

The Little Red Schoolhouse project was launched in 1997 to help improve primary education for disadvantaged children in remote areas across the country. The partnership between the DepEd and the Philippine Business for Social Progress has thus far touched the lives of nearly 60,000 schoolchildren and more than 3,100 teachers in over 240 classrooms at 90 schools nationwide.

Once the construction is completed, each Little Red School House is outfitted with electricity, water, furniture and other essentials. The project also includes training for teachers and parents on how to educate their children.

Through the Little Red Read-A-Thon Program, which is conducted in partnership with the Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation, teachers receive ongoing assistance on the special skills needed for multi-grade classroom settings. Parent-teacher community associations, meanwhile, conduct workshops to maintain the schools and reinforce capacity building.

By the end of 2012, Coca-Cola will construct its 100th Little Red Schoolhouse.