Australia Aid says built school buildings



Iligan City East 1 Central School
after Typhoon Sendong.
Photo by PBSP.

AUSTRALIAN AID CONSTRUCTS NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS IN CAGAYAN AND ILIGAN

The monsoon season has begun and floods and landslides are once again making headlines. For many schools in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, the after-effects of the devastation caused by Tropical storm Sendong are still evident.

In support of DepEd’s goal to restore normal operations in the affected schools, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) funded a A$ 1.5 Million project - “Catching Up: School Building Construction for Sendong-affected schools in Cagayan and Iligan Cities” in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), the country’s largest nonprofit as the grant recipient for the construction of the new school buildings.

The project provides for the construction of two-storey disaster-resilient school buildings with six classrooms complete with furniture, toilet facilities, and water system, and resupply damaged school materials with learning guides for teachers specifically those developed by the Basic Education Assistance in Mindanao (BEAM) which were lost during the calamity. More than 6,000 school children and almost 200 teachers from Bonbon Elementary School in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City East 1 Central School and Northeast 1-A Central School both in Iligan City stand to benefit from this initiative by AusAID.

Teachers conduct classes in the gymnasium of a school
in Iligan City. Photo by PBSP.

AusAID’s standards on environment and safety such as safe water systems, facilities for persons with disabilities, and complete furniture and appliance for classrooms shall also be considered in the building design.

 

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Queries may be addressed to:

Philippine Business for Social Progress

Communications Unit
PSDC Building, Magallanes corner Real Streets
Intramuros 1002 Manila
Tel:  527-3741 to 48 loc 313 or 101
Telefax: 527-3741   Email:  pbsp@pbsp.org.ph
Please visit our website www.pbsp.org.ph

About the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP)

The Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) was founded in 1970 by 50 captains of industry who shared a common vision of reducing poverty through various social development programs. Today, the PBSP has evolved into the largest corporate-led social development foundation in the Philippines. It also has the distinction of being the first of its kind in Asia advancing initiatives and best practices of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

More than 230 large, medium-scale and small business companies comprise the PBSP. United in a common cause, PBSP members uplift the lives of Filipinos through social development projects and green agendas. Since its founding in 1970, PBSP has efficiently managed PhP 5.5 billion in grants. The United Nations (UN) has tapped PBSP to encourage business sector support in meeting the challenges of the Millennium Development Goals Program (MDG). PBSP also manages the multi-billion Peso - Global Fund in support of the National TB program of the Department of Health.

Leading the way in the theory and practice of good corporate citizenship, PBSP has been influencing the Filipino business community to integrate CSR into their core businesses and advocating the strategy that collective engagements can lead to more sustainable impact. PBSP’s Platforms for Collective Engagements (PlaCEs) scales up individual initiatives through collective impact strategies focused on four clusters: Health, Education, Environment, and Livelihood Development.

About Australian AID

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) is the Australian Government agency responsible for managing Australia's overseas aid program. The fundamental purpose of Australian aid is to help people overcome poverty. The Australian Government aid program in the Philippines focuses on: basic education, local service delivery, disaster risk reduction and climate change, peace and development in Mindanao, and governance.