A non-government organization (NGO) is giving underprivileged students gadgets they can use for online learning to give them a fighting chance at education amid the pandemic.
On Saturday, Malasakit Movement launched the "Letter of Hope" program to give students educational gadgets to help them cope with the challenges posed by the pandemic in the field of education.
Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson and Malasakit Movement founder Assistant Secretary Celine Pialago said, to apply for the program, students must send them a letter addressed to the Malasakit Movement's official Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/malasakitmovement/).
"They should write a letter sent to the Malasakit Movement's official Facebook page. They should justify why they should receive the free gadgets we are giving away," Pialago said.
Teachers of underprivileged students may also write to the NGO on behalf of their students who really need the gadgets the most, Pialago added.
"Teachers or concerned individuals may also ask on behalf of the underprivileged students whose families have no capability to purchase a gadget for their education under the new normal," she said.
The MMDA spokesperson underscored the importance of education amid the pandemic, saying learning must never stop that is why they are exhausting all efforts to provide educational gadgets to students incapable of purchasing one.
Many well-meaning persons, according to Pialago, approached their NGO and donated gadgets for the underprivileged students.
Malasakit Movement will give a total of 50 smart phones and 10 tablets to deserving students, she said.
Pialago is donating 20 smartphones and five tablets to add to their "Letter of Hope" program.
"I took it from my salary. I strongly believe in education that is why we started the 'Letter of Hope program,'" she said.
She thanked all the generous donors of the program for donating educational gadgets.
"I am very grateful to entrepreneurs Arniel Cosinal, Zebaida Tang, Amy Yao, Elizabeth Abello for donating 10 cellphones. Also, I'm very grateful to Jonathan Kher for giving 20 cellphones and five tablets to us," Pialago said.
The letters sent to the Malasakit Movement, she said, will be thoroughly screened to verify if the students really deserve to receive the educational gadgets.