OVER 300 students from Abdulazis Elementary School in Marawi City benefited from SM's “Donate a Book” project as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Soccsksargen distributed children's books and school supplies on Thursday, October 4.
According to MJ Abrio, the vice president for operations handling Visayas SM Stores, the intervention is a project of the SM management to share their blessings to the less fortunate and to the places under calamity through accepting donations from the customers of SM Stores.
“The management would like our customers to also share their extras or their blessings to the less fortunate, areas or places, provinces that are under calamity. So this is one way of SM sharing their blessings to other customers,” Abrio said.
“For this year, naka focus kami sa Marawi City kasi nga dahil dun sa damage na nangyari sa Marawi and up to now, nasa survival level pa rin sila. So, kailangan naming i-focus lahat ng donations this year for Marawi hanggang December,” she added.
DSWD-Soccsksargen was able to accumulate 2,800 boxes of children's books, 534 boxes of notebooks, and 316 boxes of school supplies such as ballpen, pad paper, envelop, crayons, etc., donated by more than 60 SM department stores nationwide.
According to Noraidah Busran, regional project coordinator of DSWD's Sustainable Livelihood Program, aside from Abdulazis Elementary School, two more schools will benefit from the donated items they received from SM.
“Hahati-hatiin kasi namin kasi kung titingnan mo yung population ng mga pupils sa Marawi, they are more than 17,000. So, hindi sya lahat maka accomodate but we need to priority yung sa looban na hindi nakaabot sa kanila yung mga interventions,” Busran said.
“Actually, ‘yung target namin yung doon sa mga sulok talaga na hindi ma reach ng mga agency para bigyan ng intervention,” she added.
Apart from the books and school supplies, SM also donated 36,000 bundles of soap under their “Gift of Wellness” project with Watsons.
“Nagpapasalamat kami sa SM kasi part sila na nagbibigay sa Marawi ng mga interventions. Last time yung sa hygiene kit natin, tuwang-tuwa yung mga program participants kasi ang daming binibigay nang SM,” Busran said.
“Talagang parati nilang sinasabi na 'sana mayron pang kasunod,' kasi nakakatulong sya, hindi lang doon sa mga bata kundi meron ding mga hygiene na para sa parents,” she added.
Busran also hoped that the interventions initiated by the SM Stores for the people affected by the Marawi siege will continue.