Quota International of Cebu, The Philippines
Sawang Calero and Guba Day Care Centers

Last year, Quota International of Cebu's Club-to-Club project transformed the lives of nearly 200 children from poor communities, and by virtue of its excellence, indirectly touched hundreds more. Their day care centers in Sawang Calero and Guba provided food, health care, and schooling to three- to six-year-olds at a crucial developmental stage in life. Awarded Most Outstanding Community Service project by the city government and Department of Social Welfare and Services, the centers were promoted as exemplary models, and health workers from numerous cities and provinces visited the day care centers to develop and refine their own programs.

The children, who are normally left to scavenge for food while their parents work to earn a meager income, enjoyed healthy morning and afternoon meals, quarterly deworming, regular medical check-ups, and preparation for entry into Grade 1 as they learned the basics of reading, writing, and math. These basic services were the core of the centers' services, but Cebu Quotarians went the extra mile to ensure that the lessons learned carried over into their homes, educating parents in nutrition and sanitation. They also instilled in the children a joy of learning with additional lessons in physical education, art, and craft-making…and frequent festivities! The centers held Nutrition and Speech & Language Months, and they celebrated Christmas. The annual graduation was the biggest event of all, recognizing the children's tremendous progress. Thanks to Cebu Quotarians and support through the Club-to-Club program, bright futures lay before the graduates, who were healthy, well-prepared academically, and excited to learn.

• To read about the Cebu club's 2007-2009 Club-to-Club project, click here.

• If you wish to donate to this project, please click here.
  
  
• To learn more about the Philippines, click here.
  
  
• To return to the Club-to-Club World Service page,
  click here.