TELUS Digital volunteers refurbish Manila school before classes

Insider Spotlight

• More than 1,300 TELUS Digital Philippines volunteers joined Brigada Eskwela efforts at a 105-year-old public school in Manila
• The initiative included repainting 71 classrooms and refurbishing over 1,120 student chairs ahead of the new school year
• The company has logged more than 100,000 volunteer hours across 15 public schools over 12 years of participation in the program
  
  
  

TELUS Digital Philippines mobilized more than 1,300 volunteers to help refurbish Jacinto Zamora Elementary School in Manila’s Pandacan district, supporting preparations for the opening of the new academic year. 

The effort, conducted under the company’s global TELUS Days of Giving program, focused on improving facilities at the 105-year-old public school that serves more than 2,000 students.

Volunteers repainted 71 classrooms, nine hallways, and eight staircases across three school buildings. 

They also refurbished more than 1,120 student chairs, completed a mural project, and carried out preparatory repairs involving roofing, windows, and classroom fixtures to improve the overall learning environment.

Why it matters

The initiative supports the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela program, which encourages community participation in preparing public schools for the start of classes. 

It also comes as the Philippines continues to face infrastructure challenges in the education sector, including a shortage of classrooms nationwide.

“Many schools across the country continue to face infrastructure and classroom challenges, with a current shortage of an estimated 165,000 classrooms nationwide. Our teams are excited to play a part in creating better learning environments for the next generation,” TELUS Digital Philippines country vice president Anne Muñoz said in a press statement.

By the numbers

This year marks TELUS Digital Philippines’ 12th year participating in Brigada Eskwela. Over that period, more than 21,000 team members have contributed upwards of 100,000 volunteer hours to refurbish and improve 15 public schools across the country.

“This year is especially meaningful as we celebrate the International Year of Volunteers, a recognition of something we see firsthand in days like this: that volunteerism is not just service, but bayanihan,” TELUS Digital leader of global CX and trust & safety operations Rajiv M. Dhand said.

TELUS Digital Philippines said it is preparing another TELUS Days of Giving activity later this year in Iloilo City, where the company operates two sites. 

The company said the latest school improvement project highlights how collaboration between businesses, government agencies, and local communities can help create better learning environments for students and educators. —Vanessa Hidalgo | Ed:Corrie S. Narisma