Widus Foundation Inc. (WFI) in partnership with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Region 3, Widus Hotel and Casino Clark and Clark Marriott together with the Philippine Air Force-Air Defense Command Clark (PAF-CMO), JCI Mabalacat, and Local Government Units (LGUs) gave P1.6 million worth of learning materials and food packs to indigenous communities through its “Para sa Batang Ayta” project.
Para Sa Batang Ayta Project is a unique initiative of WFI designed to support, augment, and provide continuous learning to three–five-year-old day-care children in Ayta communities.
With a focus on empowering local community groups, WFI supports the Early Childhood Care and Development sector by using adaptive learning methods to ensure continuity of education amongst young children particularly the indigenous people, while protecting the learners from the COVID-19 pandemic as well.
A total of 660 beneficiaries from Mabalacat and Angeles City, including those from the municipalities of Porac and Floridablanca, Bamban and Capas Tarlac were served.
Each box consisted of various school items, educational toys, grocery packs, hygiene kits, and vitamins. The donations were repacked, prepared, and distributed by employees of Widus Hotel and Casino, Clark Marriott, and volunteers from PAF and JCI Mabalacat Malasa with the aid of the respective LGUs in Pampanga and Tarlac.
As both public and private sectors join together in the spirit of bayanihan, WFI Executive Director Neki Liwanag heartwarmingly thanked the project partners and volunteers for their continued support in taking part of community relief efforts.
“We are glad to share the same mission of serving the most vulnerable nearby communities in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. Despite the challenges we face, we will persevere to help strengthen in-need communities and we will always be in it for the long haul. Widus won’t cease in working hand in hand with our private and public sectors to deliver help where we are needed,” Liwanag said.
Overwhelmed by the downpour of donations, Rogelio Valencia, one of the tribal chieftains of the recipients, expressed his gratitude to WFI and excitement for the Ayta youth.
““We are forever grateful to WFI because of their tireless support to our community by providing innovative programs to our day care kids that could help them be enthusiastic in their education even during these trying times,” Valencia said.
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Widus Foundation, Inc. (WFI) is a non-stock, non-profit organization established on June 16, 2017 as the corporate social responsibility and social development arm of Widus Hotel and Casino. It was established to have a more committed, efficient and regular way of helping the community through education, health and disaster response.