The Little Red Schoolhouses are located in 53 towns and cities across the country, made possible by partnerships between Coca-Cola Philippines and public and private entities, namely the Department of Education, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), and Aklat Gabay Aruga tungo sa Pag-Angat at Pag-Asa (AGAPP). In the photo (from left) Senator Kiko Pangilinan, President Benigno S. Aquino III, Coca-Cola Philippines President and General Manager Guillermo Aponte, and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines President Cecile Alcantara.
Coca-Cola Philippines announced today that it has accomplished its centennial sustainability commitments and commits to accelerate its key partnership programs on education, well-being, women’s economic empowerment, and water stewardship.
To date, Coca-Cola Philippines has built more than 100 Little Red Schoolhouses (LRS), enrolled over 200,000 school students to its NutriJuice Program, empowered 10,000 women sari-sari store (SSS) owners and operators through its 5by20 S3TAR Program, and began providing 100 water-poor communities with access to water through the Agos Ram Pump Project.
“For 100 years now, Coca-Cola Philippines has been on a journey to refresh and benefit Filipinos, striving to make a difference in our own small way as a partner in achieving the social development goals of our country. We are inspired and humbled to be able to touch the lives of thousands of Filipinos through our signature sustainability programs,” said Cecile Alcantara, President of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines.
The sustainability programs of Coca-Cola are built around a holistic global framework referred to as “Me, We, World”. “Our global sustainability framework gives us flexibility to focus on the most critical business and societal issues in each of our markets, while maintaining a consistent and shared global approach to sustainability across the Coca-Cola system. In the case of the Philippines, access to education, nutrition, livelihood and water are highly relevant to our social and economic development. So we are working to positively help address these societal issues relevant to our market. These issues push us to innovate and create shared value for our business and for communities across the country. After all, our business can only be as strong, sustainable and healthy as the communities we proudly serve,” said Adel Tamano, Vice President for Public Affairs and Communication, Coca-Cola Philippines.
ME: Personal Wellbeing through the NutriJuice Program
Coca-Cola Philippines developed NutriJuice with the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology. It was developed to help address Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) among school children ages 6 to 12 years through a beverage which children can truly enjoy.
Since its launch in 2008, Coca-Cola Philippines has provided NutriJuice to more than 200,000 school children around the country. This school year Coca-Cola Philippines will continue to help address IDA by enrolling 35,000 school children to its 120-day NutriJuice program administered in public elementary schools.
WE: Community Wellbeing through the Little Red Schoolhouse
In 1997, Coca-Cola Philippines launched the Little Red Schoolhouse Program to help improve access to primary education for disadvantaged children in remote areas across the Philippines.
The partnership with the Department of Education and the Philippine Business for Social Progress has thus far touched nearly 60,000 schoolchildren and more than 3100 teachers in over 284 classrooms at 100 schools nationwide.
Coca-Cola Philippines turned over to the Department of Education its 100th Little Red Schoolhouse in November 2012 and has committed to build 10 more Little Red Schoolhouses in 2013. Just recently, Coca-Cola Philippines inaugurated its 101st LRS in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
WE: Community Wellbeing through 5by20 STAR Program
Coca-Cola recognizes the significant role of women as potential engines of economic and social development. In September 2010, Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent made a commitment to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs across the Coca-Cola global value chain by 2020. They call this program 5by20. In the Philippines, the initiative is known as the S3TAR Program or the Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources Program.
In partnership with TESDA, various women NGOs, LGUs and micro-finance firms, the S3TAR Program provides women sari-sari store owners and operators with basic entrepreneurship training, access to capital and merchandising, peer mentoring and nurturing until their business becomes stable.
The goal of the S3TAR Program is to economically empower 100,000 women sari-sari store owners and operators by year 2020. To date Coca-Cola Philippines has touched the lives of 10,000 women sari-sari store owners and operations.
WORLD: Environmental Wellbeing through Agos Ram Pump
Water is absolutely essential to the Coca-Cola business. But, as importantly, it is life-sustaining for people and communities. Safe water access and healthy hydration are critical to achieving a quality life.
According to Cecile Alcantara, President of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, the goal of Coca-Cola is to return to nature and to communities the amount of water equal to what they use in their finished beverages and in their production.
“In the Philippines, we have made significant progress in reducing water usage in our manufacturing operations by 50% compared to 5 years ago. We are also helping communities sustainably access water through our Agos Ram Pump Project,” added Alcantara.
The Agos Ram Pump Project leverages a 200 year old technology which utilizes the natural kinetic energy contained in free flowing water to transport large volume of water to upland communities.
In 2011, Coca-Cola Philippines launched this Project in partnership with Earth Day Network and the Alternative Indigenous Foundation Incorporated. Ram pump systems are capable of providing 100,000 liters of water per day to communities provided that there are sources of water from the lowlands.
To date, Coca-Cola Philippines has provided 4,000 families access to clean water through the ram pump system installed in 25 water poor communities all over the Philippines. By 2014, Coca-Cola Philippines will complete its commitment to install 100 Ram Pumps.
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