Business: BLT Expands to 50 More Schools in Province
More students will go to school healthy and not hungry as the BusogLusog Talino (BLT) Program in Negros Occ. expands to 50 more public elementary
schools.
Jollibee Foundation President Grace Tan Caktiong turns over one classroom to
Catabla Elementary School in Talisay City with Talisay City Mayor Eric Saratan.
The project is part of the Build a Class Room project of JF and comes as an
incentive for a very proactive BLT school and LGU Partner.*
The Institute for Negros Development of the University of St. La Salle, the Area Implementing Partner of Jollibee Foundation, has 84 BLT schools including new partner schools in Bacolod, Bago, Kabankalan, Ilog, Silay, EB Magalona, Cadiz, Sagay, Don Salvador Benedicto, San Carlos, Pontevedra, Candoni, and Hinobaan.
"We involve more partners and stakeholders to ensure that no child goes to school hungry and that a safety net against child hunger and malnutrition is institutionalized all over Negros," IND Director Rhoderick Samonte said during the 3rd BLT Negros Summit at the Santuario De La Salle on July 3.
During the summit attended by program partners and stakeholders, IND reported a retention rate of 96.07 percent or 1,368 BLT pupils out of 1,424 students by the end of the yearlong feeding. Also, 90.2 percent of the pupils attained normal BMI level.
Attendance in school, high academic performance of students, and active involvement of parents were also some of the positive results of the daily lunch feeding.
Because of various partnerships with Local Government Units (LGU) in the province, Samonte also said that IND is now granted an NGO accreditation by the provincial government.
Meanwhile, Jollibee Foundation President Grace Tan Caktiong recognized the efforts being exerted by the University to sustain the BLT Program for three years already.
In her keynote speech, she also acknowledged the impressive teamwork of the local government units, parents, teachers, DepEd and other agencies involved.
"We at the Jollibee Foundation are blessed with the opportunity to work with partners like you who have all the inherent desire to give to create happiness for others and for ourselves in the process," Tan Caktiong said.
Active implementing partners and top performing BLT schools were also given the Spark of Change Award during the Summit.*
