2013 Grants Roundtable yields best practices on education for targeted sectors

MANILA, Philippines - In its commitment to engage its development partners through sharing of experiences and best practices, Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) conducted the annual Grants Roundtable Discussion held recently at the Metrobank Plaza with the theme, “Grow the Nation. Educate.”

This year’s development partners are organizations whose projects focus on extending educational assistance to disadvantaged sectors as well as groups working with rural and vocational schools.  They are eight of the 50 development partners which were provided with a total of  P10 million financial assistance during the Annual Grants turnover held in September 2012 as part of the anniversary celebration of Metrobank’s 50th year.  The participating organizations are: Philippine Business for Education (PBEd); Fr. Al’s Children Foundation, Inc. (FACFI); Philippine Jesuit Prison Service Foundation (PJPS); Don Bosco Training Center (DBTC); Philippine Federation of Family Farm/Rural Schools (PHILFEFFARS); Lifeline Foundation Support Team, Inc.; Tahanan Outreach Projects and Services (TOPS); and Kythe, Inc.

“When a parent of a child in incarcerated, it is not just the incarcerated parent who had to deal with the stigma of being a convict or a prisoner. Children suffer the pain and humiliation of having a parent in prison. In addition, they also lose someone who will guide them and provide for them,“ Fr. Eli Lumbo, executive director of PJPS shared during the Grants Roundtable. “Through the PJPS scholarship program being supported by MBFI, the dreams of the children of the inmates are made reachable. We believe that through the education and formation we provide in PJPS we help stop the cycle of poverty and criminality,” added Fr. Eli.

“The Grants Roundtable is Metrobank Foundation’s way of engaging stakeholders through sharing of experiences in development work. While we are a philanthropic organization, we are also a development-oriented organization. Therefore we believe in networking and alliances. Through partnerships, we can embark on greater endeavors since we can adapt best practices from one another,” said Metrobank Foundation president Aniceto Sobrepeña.

Metrobank Foundation’s Grants Program actively forms partnerships among institutions and organizations whose social development programs are aligned with the Foundation’s main thrusts − education, health care, and the visual arts. It also supports institutions working to help achieve the country’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), specifically that of MDGs 1 (Eradication of Extreme Poverty and Hunger); 2 (Achievement of Universal Primary Education); 4 (Reduction of Child Mortality); and 5 (Improvement of Maternal Health).