Smart helps youth group help communities

MANILA, Philippines - Smart Communications has tapped I CAN Make A Difference, Inc. to supply some 2,000 raincoat bags, which form part of the learning kits that the telco turned over to the Department of Education last month. 

 Smart was among those that heeded the call of the DepEd to help children affected by calamities so they can go back to their normal school routine by giving them learning kits to replace those damaged by the recent floods. 

 I CAN Make A Difference was a finalist in the 2012 Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards.  It used “fusion” technology to provide differently-abled young Zamboanguenos a way to earn a living like using recycled materials in making bags.

 The backpacks are covered with used and discarded plastic bags used in wet markets for vegetables, fruits and even meat, protecting them from water in cases of rain. It also has an attached raincoat to protect the kid from getting wet in the rain.

 These bags are being sewn and handcrafted by persons with disabilities in Zamboanga. 

In June, Smart turned over 200 pieces of the same raincoat bags to the kids of Munting Sapa Elementary School in Ipo Dam in Bulacan when the telco had its Brigada Eskwela initiative, which involves repainting and cleaning of the schools and classrooms to make the environment more conducive for learning of the students.