Save the Children Philippines welcomes the donation of OPPO’s 100 brand new units of the latest A12e plus 100 brand new units of Rock Space Torch Bluetooth Earphones to benefit children in the national capital region whose families may not be able to support their needs for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The donation is part of OPPO’s #eSchoolwithOPPO Back-To-School campaign to help students continue to learn through the best-selling OPPO smartphones made more affordable for students.
Atty. Alberto Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines, lauded the initiative of OPPO to donate mobile phones that will boost the implementation of Project ARAL (Access to Resources for Alternative Learning) to help children from low income families and those with disabilities to access online learning modalities.
“We sincerely thank OPPO Philippines for being responsive to the needs of the most deprived and marginalized children who are at risk of being left out when classes resume using the new online/ distance learning methods and platforms,” said Muyot.
Project ARAL will initially be implemented until August 2020 to the children in the cities of Navotas, Caloocan, and Malabon to teach them about early literacy and numeracy, as well as reading and comprehension. All the materials have child-sensitive content and integrated lessons on health and nutrition, including psychosocial support, to help mitigate the effects of COVID-19.
Muyot said business groups are now becoming mindful of their duty to respect and support children’s rights as part of their corporate social responsibility.
Save the Children together with the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Global Compact launched in March 2012 the Children’s Rights and Business Principles to guide companies on what they can do to uphold children’s rights.
It states that "all business should meet their responsibility to respect children's rights and commit to supporting the human rights of children."
Save the Children Philippines aims to expand the implementation of Project ARAL to support the learning needs of children from other underserved communities including those with disabilities, living in shanties, conflict-affected and hazard-prone areas.
Project ARAL complements the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BELCP) of the Department of Education (DepEd) that only covers 48 per cent of public schools with access to internet connection.
“Every child has the right to get access to quality education even in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Save the Children Philippines will continue to work hand in hand with and be the most reliable partner of the business sector to fulfill children’s rights,” said Muyot.
OPPO also expressed commitment to support Save the Children Philippines’ fundraising efforts for Project ARAL by posting donation calls and encouraging its customers and followers to help provide more children with access to education during this pandemic by donating any amount through the website: https://bit.ly/saveandoppo