P&G's 3-Pid Handog helps thousands stay in school

MANILA, Philippines - Having helped more than 30,000 needy students stay in school this year, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines and the GMA Kapuso Foundation marked the conclusion of this year’s 3-Pid Handog Edukasyon Program through an intimate gathering with the people who contributed to the program’s success. GMA and P&G are planning to launch the program again in the Christmas Season 2009.

The 3-Pid Handog Edukasyon Program is a joint project of P&G and GMA that aims to encourage children to stay in school through a gift of school supplies. In the program, every purchase of specially marked Joy, Downy and Safeguard 3-Pid value packs, bigger packs of that are sold at a discount, helped send a child to school by providing them with a complete set of school supplies. It not only gave better value to consumers, it also helped send children to school.

At the conclusion of the 3-Pid Handog Edukasyon Program, 34,247 first graders from 575 schools all over the country were the happy recipients of a bag filled with new school supplies that helped them get a healthy start to their primary education.  

Though it may seem like a small thing, parents and educators don’t discount the help a gift of school supplies can bring. Recent studies show that one out of four children drop out of elementary school, with poverty and the high cost of education being the primary reasons for kids leaving school. Providing school supplies is one way for P&G, its consumers, and the GMA Kapuso Foundation to help alleviate this problem.   

“Napakahalaga niyan sapagkat diyan sinusulat yung kailangan nilang matutunan sa pagbabalik-aral, para sa pagsusulit ay tiyak na mataas pa rin ang kanilang makukuha. (These items are really essential so they can take down notes for review and get good scores in their exams),” said Mrs. Leonara Guevara, Principal of Dampalit Elementary School, one of the recipient schools in Malabon.

“Kaya kahit na hirap na hirap (ang mga magulang) sa pamimili, ika nga, pipilitin para lang magkaroon ng kinabukasan ang kanilang anak. (Even though they can barely afford it, they will really do their best to buy so that their kids can have a future.)”

To express their appreciation to those who have helped make the program successful, P&G donated a computer set to the chosen school of each participant, also further demonstrating their commitment of helping children get a great start in life through education.

P&G plans to continue the 3-Pid Handog Edukasyon Program as the project was able to help fulfill the company’s corporate social responsibility goals.

“For P&G, our goal is to help children Live, Learn and Thrive. This is something we try to do here in the Philippines as well as other parts of the world. As much as possible we try to develop programs that help children get off to a great start by helping them learn and equipping them with skills to help them be successful in life. With 3-Pid Handog Edukasyon, we give Filipinos products with improved value; at the same time we all are able to help needy school children, “said James Lafferty, president and general manager of P&G Philippines.

Lafferty, hopes that the 3-Pid Program will be able to reach even more children the second time around.

“We are planning to launch the second ‘wave’ soon so we’d like to invite everyone once again to support this program and help a new batch of needy first graders stay in school by simply buying your favorite 3-Pid pack,” enjoined Lafferty.