Send 200 Filipino kids to better daycare centers

In Payatas, Quezon City, many families live each day carefully stretching what little they have. For parents, sending a child to school does not only mean encouraging them to study - it also means finding money for notebooks, pencils, paper, uniforms, transportation, food, and other daily needs. For families already struggling with unstable income, even basic school supplies can become a heavy burden.

Through your support to this project and GlobalGiving’s partnership with Haligi ng Bata, Inc. (HBI), children in communities like Payatas have received school supplies and learning materials that help them stay in school with dignity and confidence. One of the children reached through this support is Charlene, a quiet but bright Grade 1 learner with a gentle spirit and big dreams.

Charlene’s Story: A Little Girl Who Dreams of Healing Others

Charlene studies at Lupang Pangako Elementary School in Payatas, Quezon City. She lives in a small and crowded home with eight family members: her parents, grandmother, younger sibling, and three cousins. Their home may be full, but it is also filled with care, effort, and love.

Her father, Cyrel, works as a garbage collector, earning around Php 300 to Php 400 a day (roughly 5 to 7 US Dollars a day). As the family’s sole provider, he stretches every peso to cover food, household needs, and the children’s schooling. At home, Charlene’s mother, Ana, cares for the children, cooks, cleans, and does her best to keep everyone safe and looked after.

Some months ago, the family faced a serious challenge when Charlene’s grandmother suffered a stroke and had to be rushed to the hospital. The emergency brought overwhelming expenses that the family was not prepared for. Even now, they are still trying to recover from the financial strain.

Despite these difficulties, Charlene continues to go to school. She brings with her the notebooks, pencils, paper, and other supplies she received through HBI’s GlobalGiving-supported activities. These may seem like simple items, but for Charlene and her parents, they mean relief.

“It’s a big help,” her mother shares. “Now we don’t have to worry about where to get money for her school needs. At least that burden is lifted.”

For families like Charlene’s, school supplies are not small things. They help make school possible. They allow children to participate in class, complete activities, and feel prepared alongside their classmates. They also ease the worry of parents who are already carrying so many other responsibilities.

Outside of school, Charlene finds joy in simple things. Her favorite color is pink, and during her free time, she enjoys playing pogs, a classic Filipino street game where children collect and flip small cardboard discs decorated with cartoon characters. She plays with her cousins and neighborhood friends, and like many children her age, she also enjoys learning dances from TikTok.

In school, Charlene enjoys learning how to write and is working hard to improve. She is a little shy, especially around new people, and sometimes keeps to herself in class. But she is observant, kind, polite, and eager to learn in her own quiet way.

More than anything, Charlene has a dream: she wants to become a doctor. Seeing her grandmother suffer from illness left a deep impression on her young heart. She wants to help people who are sick, just like her grandmother. Her mother also dreams for her future, hoping that Charlene may one day become a lawyer—someone who can stand up for others and fight for what is right.

Whatever path Charlene chooses, her family hopes she will have the opportunity to continue her education and build a life with more choices than they have had.

The Power of Simple Support

Charlene’s story reminds us that school support does not always have to be complicated to be meaningful. For many children, a notebook, a pencil, a school bag, or a set of learning materials can make the difference between feeling left behind and feeling ready to learn.

Through your GlobalGiving donation, HBI continues to provide educational support to children in underserved communities, including school supplies and other learning materials that help families reduce the cost of sending children to school. These interventions are simple, but their effect is deeply felt by parents and children alike.

For children like Charlene, receiving school supplies means she can continue practicing her writing, completing her schoolwork, and participating in class without the added worry of lacking basic materials. For her parents, it means one less urgent expense in a household already stretched by daily needs and unexpected medical costs.

Recognized by Lupang Pangako Elementary School

This support has also been deeply appreciated by Lupang Pangako Elementary School. The school recently gave recognition to HBI for the assistance provided to its learners and classrooms, especially the support that reached more than 500 students from Kindergarten to Grade 2.

This recognition belongs not only to HBI, but also to every GlobalGiving donor who made the assistance possible. Through your generosity, children received school supplies, classrooms received learning materials, and teachers were given additional tools to make lessons more engaging for young learners.

For the school, this support helped ease the needs of both students and teachers. For families, it reduced the burden of buying school materials. And for children like Charlene, it made school feel more complete, more welcoming, and more possible.

Looking Ahead: Reaching More Children, Earlier

In the coming months, HBI, through your support via GlobalGiving, will continue identifying new communities in need of daycare support and student support. These activities will include direct assistance such as daycare materials, school supplies, hygiene kits, instructional tools, and educational toys for classrooms, including additional materials for public daycare centers in La Union.

But the project’s work does not stop at giving materials. HBI will also continue supporting student development programs, including tutorial sessions that help children improve their reading, writing, and arithmetic skills.

This is especially important in the Philippines, where learning gaps remain a serious concern. National education reports continue to show that many Filipino learners struggle with basic literacy and numeracy, with some children reaching higher grade levels still unable to read and understand texts at the expected level. These challenges remind us that support must begin early, while children are still building the foundations of learning.

For young learners, early help matters. A child who learns to read with confidence is more prepared to understand lessons in every subject. A child who can write, count, and solve basic problems is more likely to keep up in class. A child who receives support before falling too far behind has a better chance of staying in school and completing their education.

Our simple project always strives to combine school supplies, hygiene kits, daycare materials, classroom tools, and tutorial support - aiming to address both the visible and hidden barriers to learning. It hopes to help children come to school prepared, keep classrooms more engaging, and give struggling learners the extra guidance they need.

Each activity is part of the same goal: to give children from underserved communities a better chance to learn, grow, and imagine a future beyond the limits of their present circumstances.

Thank You

To our GlobalGiving donors—thank you for helping children like Charlene stay in school with confidence and hope. Your support eases the burden on families, strengthens classrooms, and reminds children that someone believes in their future.

Because of your generosity, Charlene can continue learning how to write, continue dreaming of becoming a doctor, and continue moving forward one school day at a time. In 2025 alone, more than 500 young learners at Lupang Pangako Elementary School have also felt the same support through the school supplies, classroom materials, and learning tools made possible by your kindness.

Your support is not only providing school supplies. It is helping children hold on to their dreams, even in the most difficult seasons of life.