Help kids back on the path to education

During the pandemic, many parents were concerned about how to keep the kids safe, how the young ones would be affected, and how to keep them protected. Most reached out and listened to experts who looked to their years of education to shed light on a crisis we all had yet to understand. Thankfully, their years of study have brought us through the tunnel and back into the light.

Now that we are transitioning back to our normal way of life, helping our kids get back to learning has become one of the greatest concerns in the country. For nearly two years, schools have been closed. Many had to convert to online learning and teaching methods overnight. Both students and teachers were not prepared for the change, infrastructure and devices for online learning were accessible only to a very few, and many families with lost livelihoods led to the children stopping school altogether.

Help curb the learning crisis
Before the pandemic, the world was already faced with a learning crisis. According to UNICEF, nearly 6 out of 10 ten year olds from low and middle-income countries suffered from learning poverty, or being unable to read and understand simple text by age 10. The pandemic has only made this worse. With more than 200 full days of school lost during the pandemic, ineffective remote learning methods, and the effect of mental health on learning, many have fallen far behind.

Making up for the learning deficit is now the priority, and UNICEF’s education programs are important steps to closing the gaps widened by the pandemic. In cooperation with the Philippine government, some of their programs like providing digital classroom packages to remote communities to support distance learning and the Alternative Learning System for providing basic education have looked promising.

While there are still so many challenges, the investment being made to have skilled teachers and access to proper materials and facilities are worthwhile if it means fulfilling every child’s right to education. In supporting these programs, maybe one day the children we help will receive the education that helps them become the experts we turn to in dark times to lead us through the tunnel again.

Support for every child
We can help education programs for every child in our own little way:

• Volunteers are accepted on occasion for different tasks in local government units, non-government organizations, and international initiatives. Find the advocacy that  you wish to champion and do some research on which organization is a good fit for you and your skills.
• Donating equipment or learning materials to schools and teaching organizations can help provide these to students and teachers who cannot afford them.
• Help raise funds for advocacies and organizations that have good systems in place for helping alleviate the learning crisis in the country.

Buying your household and personal needs online can also help in the cause for alleviating the learning crisis in the country. Unilever’s Shop2Give annual sale, now on its 5th year, will be supporting UNICEF’s education programs for every child. Stock up on your essentials from your trusted brands on Lazada official stores and help students get back on track to learning. Get discounts, free shipping, and giveaways for your purchases on July 18 when you can checkout to help out!

Last year’s Shop2GiveCare sale provided funds for 102,000 children through the education programs of UNICEF Philippines. The sale also gave support to 3,000 families under the Gawad Kalinga Bgy. Walang Iwanan Program.

This year, your support again benefits UNICEF’s programs to give out of school youths access to education and a better quality of life.

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product, or service.

Add to cart early through official stores on Lazada:
Unilever Beauty Store
Unilever Home Store
Unilever Food Store
Bring hope to others by simply shopping online when you #Shop2GiveTogether this July 18.