Send 200 Filipino kids to better daycare centers

In the Payatas Community in Quezon City, life unfolds within narrow streets and crowded homes, where resilience is learned early and hope takes root in unlikely places. Once known as the site of Metro Manila’s largest dumpsite, Payatas remains one of the most economically challenged areas in the city. Despite this, it is also home to children whose curiosity and determination continue to defy the odds.

Through your support to this simple project and GlobalGiving’s partnership with Haligi ng Bata, Inc. (HBI), more children from this community are not only able to stay in school but are discovering the joy of learning, one notebook, one storybook, and one small act of kindness at a time. 

Dereck’s Story: The Little Firefighter with Big Dreams

Five-year-old Dereck has a simple but powerful dream: he wants to become a firefighter. In a neighborhood where homes are tightly packed and fires are a constant fear, it’s a dream born out of both innocence and awareness.

Dereck lives with his parents and siblings in a small, tightly packed home in Payatas. His mother sells food to support the family, while his father takes on occasional carpentry work. Like many children in the community, Dereck’s world takes place and revolves around narrow alleys, shared walls, and daily uncertainty. Still, his love for reading and his eagerness to learn shine through.

Through your GlobalGiving donation, Dereck received additional school supplies and early learning materials that fuel his passion for learning. He loves reading even when school is out, often choosing to stay home with his books rather than play outside. His mother says the support from HBI and its donors has lightened their burden: “The help may seem small to others, but for us, it’s a blessing. It gives my son a chance to learn, and that’s something we can never take for granted.”

One day, he hopes to ride a firetruck not as a passenger but as a protector of his community.

Maica’s Story: Evolving Dreams in the Middle of Payatas

Seven-year-old Maica is a quiet achiever in Grade 2 at Payatas C Elementary School. Her teachers describe her as focused and responsible, someone who listens carefully and always gives her best.

Her father works as a Grab driver (the local equivalent of UberEats), while her mother juggles food vending with being a community volunteer. Their income is unpredictable, but they make it work. Inside their small rented space, Maica studies by the light of a single bulb, sharing the table with her older brother.

She once dreamed of becoming a doctor, but lately, she’s decided she wants to be a teacher because she wants to be someone who helps others learn, just like the teachers who guide her every day. “It will also take lesser time and money,” Maica said softly, revealing the quiet awareness that often comes too soon for children growing up in poverty.

In communities like Payatas, dreams are sometimes shaped not only by hope but by limitation. Children learn early to adjust their aspirations around what feels possible, to measure their goals against what their families can afford. It’s a kind of realism that keeps their feet on the ground but can also dim the boundless wonder that childhood should hold.

That’s why the support from GlobalGiving donors means more than just school supplies - it tells children like Maica that their dreams are not defined by their circumstances. Every notebook, every pencil, every kind message reminds them that the world is bigger than the few streets they grew up in, and that it’s okay to imagine more for themselves.

At home, Maica helps her mother clean. She sings karaoke, dances, and sometimes reads stories aloud to her two cats, Mingming and Miming - both rescues they took in from the streets. In a place where challenges are part of everyday life, Maica’s optimism is both fragile and fierce.

The Power of Support

Through your donations, HBI continues to improve learning environments and provide essential educational support for children in Payatas. These include:

• Customized learning kits for children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 struggling with literacy and numeracy.
• School supplies for 280 early learners, easing the burden on families struggling with daily expenses.
• Instructional materials and educational toys for Payatas C Elementary School classrooms.
• Audio-video equipment and improved ventilation for better teaching and learning conditions.
• Together, these small interventions create big change - allowing children to focus on learning rather than the limitations around them.

Project Update: Expanding Support in Payatas

Originally, the project aimed to provide school supplies and learning materials for 140 primary learners at Dampalit Integrated School in Malabon. However, after coordination with the local government and school officials, it was determined that Dampalit had already received similar assistance from the city government, resulting in service duplication.

To ensure that your donations reach the children who need them most, HBI redirected its planned support to another nearby community school - Lupang Pangako Elementary School, located in the upper area of Payatas. This school serves hundreds of children from low-income families living in informal settlements surrounding the former dumpsite.

Beginning in the last quarter of 2025, the project will focus on Lupang Pangako’s Kindergarten and Grade 1 learners, providing them with school supplies, instructional materials, and educational toys that enhance classroom learning and literacy. Many of these children are first-time learners - young students who enter school without access to books or writing tools. This new phase ensures that your contributions continue to reach those with the least access to educational support.

Looking Ahead

Beyond Payatas, HBI is preparing to send additional learning toys and instructional materials to public daycare centers in La Union, ensuring that early learners across multiple regions benefit from the same opportunities for growth and development. Despite delays caused by flooding in some communities, including Dampalit, our teams remain steadfast in their commitment to reach every child safely and effectively.

Thank You

To our GlobalGiving donors - thank you for standing with us. Because of your generosity, Dereck can keep reading about heroes, Maica can keep dreaming of becoming a teacher, and soon, new learners in Lupang Pangako will start their school journey with the same spark of hope that has already been kindled in the daycare centers of La Union, the schools of Navotas and Pampanga, and the growing classrooms of Payatas.

Your support reminds every child in Payatas and beyond that their dreams matter - and that someone, somewhere, believes they can come true.

Over the past months, Haligi ng Bata, Inc. (HBI) has continued its mission to help children build a strong educational foundation. Thanks to your generosity and the support of GlobalGiving, more learners in underserved rural and urban communities have received the resources and guidance they need to succeed in early childhood and primary schooling. Your contributions have made a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families who face daily challenges yet remain determined to pursue a better future.

Home-Based and Additional Tutorials During School Break

As mentioned in our last report,  HBI with your support carried out a targeted home-based tutorial program for 100 children from Kindergarten to Grade 3 from March 2025 to June 2025. These students, who attend  last-mile schools in Pampanga Province (San Pedro Elementary School and Bulac Elementary School), were identified by their teachers as academically at risk. Each child received customized learning materials designed to help them strengthen their reading, writing, and arithmetic skills over the school summer break. Unlike generic activity sheets, the materials were adapted to each child’s specific needs to ensure more effective learning.

Volunteer teachers provided guided support to help children work through the lessons. Parents were also oriented on how to assist with home-based learning activities. By the time classes resumed on June 16, 2025, many of these young learners had developed more confidence in their skills and were better prepared to keep up with their classmates in the new school year.

School Supplies for Primary School Learners in Payatas C Elementary School

In May 2025, GlobalGiving support and donations enabled HBI to distribute school supplies to 280 children in Kindergarten to Grade 3. These distributions focused on areas where many families experience severe economic hardship, such as Payatas in Quezon City, Metro Manila. In communities like this, parents often struggle to meet daily needs, and purchasing school supplies can feel impossible.

The materials—ranging from notebooks and pencils to crayons and paper—help ease some of the financial burden. Families shared that your support means their children can attend school with dignity, equipped with the tools they need to learn and participate. For children who have never had brand new supplies of their own, these simple items bring a sense of excitement and hope.

Supporting Payatas C Elementary School

Your help also made it possible for HBI to provide needed instructional materials and educational toys for primary school classrooms at Payatas C Elementary School. These resources included big books, story cards, puzzle mats, and other hands-on tools that make learning more engaging. Teachers reported that having these materials allows them to create more interactive lessons and to reach children with different learning styles.

In addition, your support enabled the installation of audio-video equipment and improved ventilation in several classrooms. With the addition of electric fans, classrooms are now cooler and more comfortable—an important improvement in crowded settings, especially during the hottest and most humid months.

Future Plans and Remaining Challenges

Looking ahead, HBI is preparing to deliver additional instructional materials and educational toys for public daycare centers in La Union. These resources will continue to enrich early learning environments, helping young children develop the skills and curiosity that will serve them well as they grow.

We are also organizing the provision of school supplies, instructional materials, and educational toys for 140 primary learners at Dampalit Integrated School. However, our planned distribution in June 2025 had to be postponed. Heavy rains caused the floodwall protecting the school and nearby community to break, leading to knee-high flooding in classrooms and surrounding homes. The school is currently closed as clean-up and repairs continue, with the children starting school via distance learning.

While this delay is disappointing, we remain committed to reaching Dampalit’s students as soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, we are coordinating with school officials and local leaders to monitor conditions and prepare for distribution once classes can safely resume.

Our Heartfelt Thanks to You

To all our GlobalGiving donors and supporters, thank you for standing with us. Your generosity has ensured that even in times of hardship—whether economic difficulties or natural disasters—children can continue to learn, dream, and build the foundations of a brighter future. Your support not only provides materials and resources but also gives families hope and strength to keep going.

We are deeply grateful for your partnership and look forward to sharing more stories of progress and impact in the months ahead. Thank you for making this work possible.