In the Philippines, nearly a quarter of the population lives below the national poverty line. For children, these very precarious conditions are major obstacles to their social and educational development. To carry out our work on the ground, we regularly collaborate with student associations to allow volunteer students to undertake missions on-site.

Last May, 12 student volunteers from the Solidari’Terre association at EM Lyon School of Management carried out a three-week mission to support children in the slums of Cebu Island in the Philippines.

Their mission was carried out in three parts:

• First at the Training Center, our training facility that supports young people in their studies and professional integration
• Then by supporting the educational programs offered by Enfants d’Asie
• And finally, at DICE, our day center for children from the Ermita slums

The student volunteers worked closely with the Enfants d’Asie team in the Philippines. Their goal was to create and organize creative, sports, and educational activities, as well as assist with and take part in the programs offered by Enfants d’Asie.

At the Training Center, the volunteers specifically supported the skill-building activities offered to the individually assisted young people. They shared their expertise and guided the youth in their extracurricular training.

They also organized two camping days for the young people supported in Alegria. During this beach camp, group activities and games were offered to the teenagers to raise their awareness of environmental, social, and cultural issues.

In addition, the volunteer students took part in river and beach clean-up activities with children and young people from underprivileged communities in the Ermita and Minglanilla neighborhoods, and they supported social workers in organizing and ensuring the smooth running of monthly meetings with the families of the young people receiving assistance. During these meetings, they emphasized the importance of protecting children’s rights and addressed issues of mental health and self-confidence.

Finally, the volunteers from Lyon spent two weeks at the DICE center, offering activities to teach children English and assist the local teams with the center’s operations. During this period, the student volunteers created a mural at the Ermita elementary school with the DICE children while organizing an awareness session on access to education and children’s rights. They also ran a cooking activity in which the children and their parents learned to prepare various French dishes. To conclude, they organized a “fair day” with the 150 children at DICE.

In addition to supporting the local teams, this mission gave the EM Lyon student volunteers the opportunity to share memorable moments of camaraderie and joy with the children they assist!