Children of Marawi to benefit from a new ‘Bahay Bulilit’ learning center

One year after its liberation, war-torn Marawi has yet to see its people return to their normal lives. Rehabilitation may already be ongoing, but the city remains to be in great need of assistance.

Among the most affected in the city are children, with over 100,000 of them still displaced after the conflict, according to the May 2018 report of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund or UNICEF. Apart from their limited access to basic needs, most of them may have already missed school because of the conflict.

As education in the city is put on hold, Marawi City has received a Bahay Bulilit Learning Center, where children can learn basic skills to help them get back to formal schooling. Bahay Bulilit is one of the flagship programs of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), which provides learning centers to areas in the Philippines where they are most needed, among its many advocacies.

Marawi’s Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Center is the organization’s biggest one to date. It is also the first Bahay Bulilit to have a playground, as the charity aims to make this center a safe place where kids can enjoy both learning and playing.

Children came to celebrate the opening of the Bahay Bulilit in Marawi where they were able to meet and play with McDonald’s Philippines Chief Happiness Officer Ronald McDonald. PHOTO COURTESY OF RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES.

Like the rest of its 28 active Bahay Bulilit centers across the Philippines, RMHC works with the local government of Marawi and the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the center to get accredited social workers and community volunteers who will dedicate their time to the children. Ronald McDonald Read to Learn kits are also available in Marawi’s Bahay Bulilit—tools such as storytelling and activity books that may help children practice their reading and writing skills.

McDonald’s Philippines and Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) turns over the Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit to the local government unit of Marawi. (From left) McDonald's Philippines Senior Market Manager Eloisa Dayrit, McDonald's Philippines AVP for Franchising and Field Service Rebecca Roselada, RMHC Executive Director Marie A. Angeles, McDonald's Philippines Corporate Communications Head and RMHC Board Member Adi Hernandez, McDonald’s Philippines Chief Happiness Officer Ronald McDonald, McDonald’s Philippines Vice President for Finance Robert Ramos, Marawi City Mayor Majul Usman Gandamra, Engr. Sirad Daligdig, and Marawi City Senior Consultant on Health and Social Services Dr. Emelda Gandamra-Taib. PHOTO COURTESY OF RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES.

Know more about the efforts of Ronald McDonald House Charities and how you can lend a helping hand here: https://www.rmhc.org.ph.