Philippines – Childhope Philippines, a charity upholding and protecting children’s rights, has partnered with creative advertising agency BBDO Guerrero to launch the ‘KalyEskwela’ or ‘School on the Streets’ initiative programme to help out-of-school youth gain access to quality education through singing lessons.
The ‘KalyEskwela’ initiative programme utilises a mobile van equipped with audio-visual resources to deliver educational sessions approved by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
In this programme, BBDO Guerrero collaborated with the Childhope’s instructors, musicians, and producers to introduce ‘Singing Lessons’, where rhythm-infused rap songs are transformed into engaging educational tools to help the street youth retain learnings more effectively.
Last year, the creative advertising agency tapped Hit Productions to aid with the creation of the tracks for the lessons. The tracks, rolled out at various locations of the programme, covered basic English, multiplication, and gender sensitivity.
For 2024, Childhope has partnered with songwriter Migs Saludes to expand their library of songs, introducing new additions including ‘Bayani’ (Heroes), which delves into the introduction and history of the Philippines’ national heroes, and ‘Karapatan’ (Rights), which educates children about their fundamental rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
BBDO Guerrero has been Childhope’s creative partner for two decades now, and both are still committed to keeping the rhythm going for a brighter future. The agencies are currently in the process of reaching out and collaborating with more artists to develop a more comprehensive curriculum for their street education initiative.
Mylene Lagman, resource mobilisation unit and communications manager at Childhope Philippines, said, “For these kids, the streets serve as their classroom, which is far from conducive to learning. But with ‘Singing Lessons’, we’re able to capture their attention, making the learning process enjoyable and effective.”
Speaking on the campaign, Caleb Casico, creative director at BBDO Guerrero, also shared, “It’s always great to see work that makes a difference in the lives of people that need it the most. We’ve put in a lot of time and effort to make sure these kids get the education they deserve.”
Stephan Domingo, creative director at BBDO Guerrero, further added, “It’s incredibly heartwarming to see kids dancing and singing along while having their lessons. We also want to thank Migs Saludes for lending his talents to help these children learn better.”
Expressing his enthusiasm for the collaboration, Migs Saludes also commented, “I had a great time collaborating with BBDO Guerrero. Writing music for the purpose of education; it’s a refreshing experience. Coming from a place where I’ve seen how important knowledge and learning is, I think that Childhope is taking a huge step towards that.”
