Starbucks, Teach for the Philippines collaborate on renovating classrooms

FOR MANY Filipinos, education plays a vital role in improving the quality of life. Despite this, many children struggle with their studies as they find themselves in tightly-packed, poorly-ventilated classrooms with dilapidated tables and chairs.

Teach for the Philippines (TFP), a nonprofit organization that provides Filipino children with access to quality education by providing teacher support and development, has been helping address classroom shortage and inadequacy through its Renovate to Educate (rED) program. This enables TFP to connect education champions with public schools that need help in classroom and facility rehabilitation.

“Helping improve their learning environment is just one of the ways in which we hope students will be excited to go to school and learn,” said Clarissa Delgado, TFP co-founder and CEO. “Quality education is what will propel our children to succeed in life, and it’s when we work with like-minded partners like Starbucks that we can make this possible.”

Starbucks Philippines, a TFP corporate partner, recently helped refurbish the facilities of Pateros National High School in Metro Manila and Col. E. De Leon Elementary School in Parañaque City. The volunteer Starbucks partners (employees) were tasked with rebuilding classroom chairs and tables, repairing classroom doors, repainting comfort rooms and even fabricating blackboards and bookshelves.

“We recognize the importance of education in our country and we see an opportunity to support this through Teach for the Philippines,” said Noey Lopez, Starbucks Philippines president.

For the past four years, Starbucks Philippines has been supporting TFP through various initiatives, including the yearly Starbucks Planner promotion. Through their partnership, 14 public schools from Manila, Laguna, Baguio, Cebu, Davao and Cagayan de Oro City have been renovated and rehabilitated, with the help of more than 800 Starbucks partners (employees).

“It has always been a passion of mine to help people especially those who are in need... Through each build activity, I feel that I have made a difference by creating a better environment for the future generation,” said Ana Mendoza, store manager, Starbucks Reserve 14 Jupiter.