At least 16 schools and colleges in Cebu received around 6,000 books from the Moneygram Foundation during a recent turn-over ceremony attended by its celebrity endorser Robin Padilla.
The book donation exemplifies MoneyGram International’s core values and corporate social responsibility thrust, which have been geared towards education in the past few years, said its country manager Alex Chan Lim.
“MoneyGram believes early education is at the heart of a better life through economic opportunities, healthier families, and individual freedom and empowerment. That inspiration drives the focus of the MoneyGram Foundation’s work to improve education around the world,” he added.
Book distribution
In Cebu, which continues to slowly recover from the damage to school buildings and educational materials wrought by super typhoon Haiyan in 2013, the book distribution was spearheded by Lim as well as The Asia Foundation country representative Dr. Steven Rood and Books for Asia program coordinator Reynald Ocampo.
“The foundation continues to improve and restore educational access in the wake of the typhoon devastation and we are excited to celebrate this book donation in Cebu,” Lim added.
Padilla, whose first major campaign for MoneyGram involved overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), said it is important to instill the importance of reading and learning in children, citing their many distractions in the form of tv and digital gadgets like mobile phones and tablets.
Recipient schools
The Cebu schools that received the books include Cebu Eastern College, Childlink Training Center, Paraclete Learning Institute, Cubacub Elementary School, Cebu Cherish School, Pakna-an Elementary School, Labangon Elementary School, Cadulawan Elementary School, Lapu-Lapu Airbase school, Cebu City National Science High School, University of San Jose-Recoletos, Velez College, University of Southern Philippines Foundation, Inc., University of Cebu-Main, and St. Paul College Foundation.
The books and other educational materials donated by MoneyGram aim to develop the children’s English language skills, enhance their knowledge of the busienss, legal, and science professions, as well as infuse them with an early love of reading, which is critical to literacy.
Books for Asia
MoneyGram (NASDAQ: MGI), a leading global money transfer company, made the donation possible through a grant by the MoneyGram Foundation to The Asia Foundation, a non-profit international development organization.
Both foundations have worked together over the past year to donate more than 28,000 books to more than 30 schools throughout the country through the Books for Asia program.
The MoneyGram Foundation focuses on improving education by providing children around the world access to educational facilities and learning resources. The grant to the Books for Asia program to fund book distribution in the Philippines is just one of the many grants awarded in Asia through the foundation.
