Educational Assistance Program

ERDA Foundation makes ten thousand children smile every school year by giving them a bag full of school supplies and a set of uniforms plus electronic load during emergencies like the Covid-19 pandemic.

Giving school supplies has been a source of hope for children from disadvantaged communities. The school supplies mean that they can go to school or continue their studies.

ERDA launched its campaign to give school supplies to children who dropped out of school in 1974 through the Oplan Balik Paaralan. The Foundation intends to continue sending children to school this year, ERDA’s 50th founding anniversary, and beyond.

Catch Up Program

These Ate’s and Kuya’s help keep the grade-schoolers from dropping out of school. ERDA has trained these Ate’s and Kuya’s to give basic tutorials in Reading and Math.

ERDA proudly calls these Ate’s and Kuya’s the ERDA Junior Educators or JEs. They are its child beneficiaries.

During emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the parents of the ERDA school children have asked the ERDA JEs to help their kids understand their modules.

ERDA Livelihood Assistance Program

ERDA has realized that it is possible to organize Community Managed Savings and Credit Associations (CoMSCAs) not only in the rural communities but also in the urban poor communities.

As of 2023, the ERDA Parents have organized themselves into 143 CoMSCAs. Their total Saving is Php 37,233,581.50; and the total Social Fund is Php 1,011,358.

CoMSCA has a maximum number of 25 members each savings group. Majority of the members are women or mothers of the ERDA beneficiaries.

CoMSCA has allowed the ERDA parents to save and make a loan for their livelihood and other needs of the family. The savings and loans helped them survive the Covid-19 pandemic. Their social fund also made it possible for them to help others through food pantries and other outreach activities.

The ERDA children are also being taught to save through the Community Managed Savings Association (CoMSA).

Aside from CoMSCA, ERDA has also collaborated with partners that can facilitate livelihood trainings for the parents and youth as well.

ERDA Community Support Program

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the ERDA Child Leaders have been doing child rights advocacy through written, visual and performing arts. In the pandemic, ERDA began organizing the youth, too.

The ERDA Parent Leaders have served as Frontliners especially in food relief distribution during the pandemic. They also continue to support the ERDA Social Workers in monitoring the education of the children; learning about children’s concerns and issues; and mobilizing the communities for child-friendly advocacy activities.

ERDA Social Protection Facilitation

ERDA has always believed that for children to absorb their school lessons well, they should have eaten well, too.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, ERDA gathered the children in a common venue and have them take their lunch. For the children with afternoon classes, they had their lunch before going to school. For those with morning classes, they had their lunch after coming from school.

During the pandemic lockdowns, the ERDA Parent Volunteers still prepared the lunch for the children. But it was the parents of the feeding beneficiaries who went to the venue, received the packed lunches, and brought them home for their children.

In any given time, ERDA has families that experience hunger. That is why ERDA has continued to partner with organizations that provide food relief for our families.

ERDA also coordinates with government and non-government agencies for other social protection assistance like medical mission and insurance for disadvantaged communities.