Teach Peace, Build Peace Movement Program Senior Peace Mission Leader Bernadette Fernandez (left) receives the Smart LTE Pocket WiFi units and load cards donation from PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther Santos (right).
It has been more than three years since the tragic incident in Marawi, but the trauma it brought to the children and youth of Marawi still lingers. Three years later, the children and their families continue to live in harsh conditions in temporary shelters and in the homes of other family members. PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) together with Smart Communications recently partnered with the Ten Outstanding Women in Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Foundation to strengthen the digital peace education for the youth of Marawi. To power the education campaign, PSF provided Smart LTE Pocket WiFi with load cards to the Teach Peace, Build Peace Movement (TPBPM) for the use of the youth beneficiaries in Marawi City.
TOWNS Awardee for Education Bai Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman is the Founding Chief Peace Mission Keeper of Teach Peace Build Peace Movement (TPBPM), a non-government organization with a mission to make Every Filipino Child and Youth a Peace Hero. Sumndad-Usman is also one of the Digital Peace Education Project leaders.
PLDT-Smart Foundation and Smart provide Smart LTE Pocket WiFi units and load cards to the Teach Peace, Build Peace Movement.
“The Digital Peace Education Project’s goal is to cultivate the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values of the youth on how to have peace with themselves, peace with others, and peace with the natural environment by integrating Peace Education and Psychosocial Care, which is innate in the learning process of Peace Education. The learning process utilized in peace education is holistic and it addresses the cognitive, affective and active dimensions of the learner, which are important to the social and emotional growth of a child,” Sumndad-Usman said.
According to Sumndad-Usman, the project aims to provide supplemental digital lessons and exercises on peacebuilding and personal well-being in online peace education classes that the students can access on weekends using tablets donated by the TOWNS Foundation. The Digital Peace Education Project also integrates social and emotional learning processes that can help nurture a child’s inner peace and social skills.
“Through our partnership with the PLDT-Smart Foundation, children can have online peace education classes that will be conducted by Teach Peace Build Peace Movement using developed digital modules from Peace Hero Kids TV to supplement formal learning by empowering the children with peacebuilding attitudes and skills as well as exercises for their mental and emotional health, especially at this time of pandemic. It is this partnership’s commitment to help bring peace education and emotional and mental support to the children of Marawi,” Sumndad-Usman said.
"We are happy to be in partnership with PLDT-Smart Foundation for this Peace education project in Marawi. The conflict in that part of our country has dealt not only physical damage but painful scars on the young lives of children caught in the middle. It is the hope of TOWNS that the Peace education program will strengthen their concepts of the true meaning of peace in their young lives,” said Digital Peace Education Project Chair Cecilia Lazaro.
“The devastating impact of the Marawi siege has brought so much loss and grief for the people of Marawi City. But the people’s strength and resilience are far greater than the tragedy that unfolded before them. In PLDT-Smart Foundation, it is with great optimism that our support may bring hope to the children and youth of Marawi as the people continue to rebuild their homes and dream of a better tomorrow,” said PLDT-Smart Foundation President Esther Santos. “We also acknowledge the work of TOWNS, especially as we celebrate Women’s Month.”
For Sumndad-Usman, peace education is the key to transform children to become peace heroes and lead a peace movement in their schools and communities. After the pilot campaign, the TOWNS Foundation and the TPBPM plan to conduct more online peace education lessons to children while developing more digital learning resources to influence others to choose, live and lead the path of a culture of peace.
