WHEN classes open in June, special education (SpEd) students of Malagos Elementary School in Davao stand to benefit from a new classroom recently donated by The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (TCBTL) as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) thrust.
“We want to empower a nation through holistic education,” TCBTL Marketing Manager for Communities and Engagement Nella Lomotan told the BusinessMirror in an interview. “We believe if you enable people, they become leaders. And the more leaders we’re able to create, the more an empowered nation we’re able to make.”
The coffee chain has tied up with social enterprise Generation Hope (GH) for this project.
As per its partnership, TCBTL sells across all its 100 outlets the flagship product of GH—Hope in a Bottle— with 100 percent of proceeds used to build public-school classrooms all over the country.
“For every 500,000 bottles sold, you’re able to build a classroom,” she said of the equivalent value needed, which they achieved in December 2016, four years after they began their collaboration in 2012.
After two months of construction, the classroom was turned over to the school in February, complete with chairs and tables, chalk board and learning materials, for use by the 25 SpEd pupils this coming school year 2017-2018.
What’s also interesting about this initiative, Lomotan said, is they also engaged the participation of their Davaoeno customers—20 out of 245 who expressed interest—to paint the entire classroom with colorful and creative mural paintings that could be pleasing to the eyes, especially for the student-beneficiaries given their special needs.
This initiative is a milestone for TCBTL because it’s the first time the firm built such a facility while there remains a classroom backlog in the country, especially in far-flung areas.
It’s also been a perennial scenario, mostly in remote sites, that thousands of Filipino students have continued to hurdle every day cramped education environments, resultng in lower grades and engagement levels. Since the company is aiming sustainability for its CSR initiatives, this project does not end with the classroom turnover, Lomotan said. In fact, TCBTL, in partnership with Liter of Light, also provided solar lamps to SpEd and regular pupils who have no electricity at home.
Nearby residents experience power outages three times a week, given the repoted shortage of energy supply in Mindanao.
“We want to take care of the entire community surrounding the school and be a driver for change,” she said.
In the coming months, the firm will continue to engage customers to extend assistance by way of building the library or conduct a book drive for the kids.“Of course, we’re still selling the Hope in a Bottle because we want to build more classrooms in other schools that need them most,” the executive said of the program’s continuity.
Another education-related effort the coffee shop constantly does is the scholarship grant program with Real LIFE Foundation. “To sponsor one scholar, it’s P50,000 annually,” Lomotan said, lauding the support of customers for their annual “Giving Journal” campaign that helps them raise funds for this educational assistance initiative.
Since 2010, the company, through this program, has already sent more than 40 scholars to universities for free, giving them the opportunity to graduate, fulfill their dreams, help their families, and ensure their future. “It’s also a continuous partnership, and as we grow our stores, the more we are able to help,” she said. Originated in Brentwood, California in the US, TCBTL is one of the largest privately owned, family-run coffee-and-tea brands globally.
It started operations in the Philippines in 2003 and has since partnered with around 33 private organizations and eganaged thousands of volunteers from among the customers and employees for various initiatives in education, environment, energy, housing and healthcare, among others.
Every month TCBTL holds outreach activities for the community, with its customers giving back and volunteering, extending their time and talents to those in need. “We are spearheading this movement,” Lomotan said. “If we’re able to spark change to the entire TCBTL community base by giving back to others, then, we really feel we’ve done our part in helping society.”