Teach 15,000 rural kids to save and invest

Tagum Cooperative, one of the active partners of NATCCO in bringing social and financial education to the children and youth in Davao del Norte, opens its Aflateen doors to learners enrolled in the Alternative Learning System (ALS), a non-formal education program mainly for school dropouts, out-of-school-youth, non-readers, and working Filipinos,
who opt to attend school-based and community-based classes according to their preferred schedules. ALS students go through two levels (elementary and high school) which cover all general academic subjects. The program also provides a nurturing environment for gathering and discussion on economic and social issues relevant to the participants, the Cooperative, and to the city in general.

A number of 35 ALS teachers and instructional managers from Tagum City participated in the Aflateen Trainers’ Training held last October 29-30, 2013 at the Conference Hall of the Tagum Cooperative Office in Davao Del Norte. The sessions focused on ways to help teachers cater to the needs of their learners, to adapt and maximize their resources according to the style of non-formal education, and to prepare themselves for another chapter in their Aflateen book. Most of the learners under the ALS program are already working in farms and local markets as micro-entrepreneurs . Training participants see the Aflateen program as an opportunity to help explore and develop their concepts of financial management and entrepreneurship. "This is a timely program for us because we want also to equip our out-of-school youth learners the financial knowledge and skills necessary for their advancement," Leila I. Ibita, ALS supervisor in Tagum City, said during the training.  She highly encourages the participating teachers to stay active in promoting financial literacy in all of their activities. The teachers have prepared a re-entry plan for the program’s implementation in their respective areas. It was agreed that learning sessions will only be held once a week and that focus will be especially given to shaping the learners’ perspective and attitude about money.