The Donate A Book collection brings together 150,000 books for 130 schools

It is often said that acts of kindness go a long way. Indeed, for The SM Store’s “Donate A Book” program this year, donations have gone very far – to remote communities in Mindanao such as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of the Muslim Province of Mindanao (BARMM) of Lanao. del Norte, Cagayan De Oro, Zamboanga, Butuan and General Santos.

SM Store’s annual “Donate A Book” campaign brought together approximately 150,000 quality, age-appropriate books in 2021, bringing the joy of reading to 130 schools and communities across the country.

Reading and learning materials offered through The SM Store CDO Uptown were offered to schoolchildren in three of BARMM’s most remote communities: Pindolonan Primary School in Tugaya, Gacap Primary School in Kapai, and Primary School Udalo in Piagapo. Thanks to a collaboration with the Department of Education division of Lanao Del Sur-1 and Arkat Lawanen, the award ceremonies with storytelling sessions took place during National Book Week 2021.

SM Store CDO Downtown also partnered with the Marawi Ground Zero school network to reach the National High School in the city of Marawi, while SM Store Mindpro brought in vlogger Zamboanga Guide to distribute Spanish books to 12 schools and a community library across the Chavacano-speaking town of Zamboanga. .

This year’s “Donate A Book” program was made even more special because, despite the health crisis, the store has always been able to share the pleasure of reading with boys and girls in hard-to-reach areas, a feat that cannot be reached. would not have been the case. possible without the generosity of the institutions with which he has partnered for the program. These include the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations in the Philippines; Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities; Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines; and learning is fun.

Grade 3 students at 23 private elementary schools across the country also learned the importance of taking care of their books and sharing them with other children during a virtual book drive and storytelling event. . The online initiative brought together around 3,000 books from participating students and schools.

Women empower women and girls through reading

Also among The SM Store’s book fundraising partners were the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and its main NGO partner, the National Council of Women of the Philippines (NCWP), which has donated over 60,000 books. to promote the love of reading. girls and women in remote communities.

“Transformation starts with reading. Reading is essential for empowering children and adults and opening their minds to the world of knowledge and personal empowerment,” said PCW President Sandra Montano.

This advocacy was particularly reflected in communities such as the Davao City Muslim Women’s Cooperative, a women’s group created to train Muslim women to become seamstresses in order to generate income. Led by The SM Store Lanang, Donate A Book reading materials were given to cooperative members and their daughters to encourage them to study well and become empowered women.

Since its inception in 2015, The SM Store’s Donate A Book program has collected nearly one million reading and learning materials to benefit public schools, youth organizations and communities across the country.

To learn more about this initiative, visit The SM Store’s website.

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