The Gratitude Fund – Philippines

(Negros Oriental, Visayas.)

Talaban Elementary School, located in Brgy. Talaban, Himamaylan City, is a medium-sized school with a total enrollment of 744 for the school year 2022-2023. After the pandemic, learning losses were evident based on multiple assessments conducted by the teachers.

Three main causes were identified: (1) learners’ seasonal absences due to their parents’ livelihood (2) parents’ attitude towards learning, (3) and teachers’ lack of skills to address multiple teaching tasks.

KAUPUD, a community engagement project was launched to address these problems. The overall goal was to increase the motivation of different stakeholders, including teachers and community leaders, to improve education outcomes by emphasising the value of care.

As part of this process, Kaupud plans to provide a safe space for the entire community to showcase their care and renewed motivation towards education. Through a refurbished Learning Resources Room to be called “Hilit-Bulilit”, the goal is to provide an additional and conducive learning space that teachers and learners can use during their vacant time.