R.O.W. Initiative Inc. and the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) Ltd. formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on July 29, 2026, to launch a one-year pilot project aimed at strengthening Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) among early childhood educators in Talisay City.
The partnership marks an important milestone in disaster resilience. While emergency response often focuses on food, shelter, and infrastructure, the initiative recognizes that children also need emotional support to recover and thrive after crises.
The project will train Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) teachers to integrate social-emotional learning into their classrooms, helping preschool children develop resilience, self-awareness, empathy and healthy relationships.
The pilot project also includes a baseline assessment, localization of the SEL toolkit, workshops for parents and caregivers, an endline assessment, and recommendations for future expansion.
The MOU was signed by Kimberley Therese Burden-Gothong, president and chair of the board of R.O.W. Initiative Inc., and Evelyn D. Santiago, executive director of ARNEC Ltd., in the presence of Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony "Samsam" Gullas Jr., who expressed the city's support for the initiative.
The collaboration brings together local leadership and regional expertise. ARNEC, a Singapore-based network advancing early childhood development across the Asia-Pacific region, co-developed the Asia-Pacific ECCE Teacher Training Handbook for Social and Emotional Learning (APETT-SEL) with UNESCO Bangkok.
R.O.W. Initiative was founded following Typhoon Tino in November 2025 to help communities recover through volunteerism, partnerships and sustainable resilience programs. For the organization, the partnership represents its evolution from emergency response to long-term community resilience.
"In the aftermath of that disaster, we saw that recovery was not only about rebuilding what was damaged. It was also about restoring stability, dignity, and hope in the lives of families and communities," Gothong said.
Named after the late Cebuano physician and humanitarian Dr. Rowena Burden, R.O.W. stands for Respond, Organize, and Work. The organization was established to help communities recover from disasters through volunteerism, partnerships, and sustainable programs that strengthen lives beyond immediate relief.
The Talisay pilot project is envisioned as a model that can be adapted by other local government units across the Philippines, demonstrating how investing in early childhood can become an essential part of disaster preparedness and community resilience.