ABSTRACT
The study analyzed the impact of Villar Foundation Visayas Chair (VFVC) donations to the learning centers and community as bases for policy formulation in the Province of Iloilo. It was found out that the impact of chair donations to learning centers as assessed by the internal stakeholders are improvement of attendance in school, provision of comfort to learners, benevolent act, appreciation of the importance of waste management, promotion of a wholesome learning environment, development of motivation and passion to teach well, inspiration, motivation, and development of confidence of learners, solution to the shortage of chairs in schools, and provision of motivation and happiness to stakeholders. It was also found out that the impact of chair donations to the community as assessed by the external stakeholders are learning to be appreciative, giving hope to learners, providing solution to the shortage of chairs, promoting proper plastic waste disposal, providing comfort to stakeholders, providing motivation to stakeholders, and developing partnership.
Keywords: Villar Foundation Visayas Chair (VFVC), Donation, Impact, Learning Centers, Community, Policy Formulation
INTRODUCTION
According to WWF-Philippines (2018), the Philippines was regarded as one of the world's top polluters of plastic. Two of the most prevalent issues facing schools today are the accumulation of plastic garbage and a shortage of chairs.
Given the demands of school life, schools—where kids spend the majority of their waking hours—can generate a lot of plastic waste. Stationary, plastic drinking cups and cutlery, wipes with plastic particles, and cleaning gloves for classrooms are among the wasteful products (Sustainable Merton, 2022).
Plastic containers, bags, and food packaging are frequently utilized in educational settings. Many school districts are trying to figure out how to cut back on, recycle, and reuse single-use plastics in their cafeterias and classrooms.
There are numerous strategies for reducing plastic use in schools. Educators, students, and administrators can all exercise creativity while creating reduction initiatives. Recycling bins provide a standard method for recycling plastics, but staff and students can further the reduction practice by reusing and minimizing the quantity of plastics in the school system (Hart, 2024).
Schools can reduce plastic waste by supporting companies that produce recyclable or compostable packaging (Sustainable Merton, 2022). If possible, plastic waste converted into chairs also solve problems on lack and standardized chairs.
Given that students spend the majority of their time in classrooms, schools need to provide the most pleasant and finest atmosphere possible. Students should have interesting experiences in school. There are so many aspects that can help schools achieve this goal. It's interesting to note how classroom seats and furniture alter the atmosphere. It is standard knowledge that students who are seated comfortably will concentrate better. Exploration and education require a great deal of focus. It is difficult for a student to concentrate for six or seven hours at a time. Students will lose interest and become bored easily (Inspace, 2023).
The problems on plastic waste and lack of chairs in schools could not easily be addressed by the school authorities alone. It requires a lot of money, effort, and time which the school could not relatively afford.
These problems could probably minimize if not totally solved by the help of other sectors especially the external stakeholders of the school.
One best member of the external stakeholders of the school is educational philanthropists.
Educational philanthropy plays a crucial role in bridging this gap by providing much-needed resources and support to learners and educational institutions.
Furthermore, educational philanthropy plays a critical role in bridging the gap between the demand for quality education and its accessibility, particularly in resource-constrained environments. In the Philippines, the Villar Foundation Visayas Chair (VFVC) has emerged as a significant contributor to educational development, particularly in the province of Iloilo. This study aimed to analyze the impact of VFVC's donation on learning centers and community, providing valuable insights for policy formulations, and future philanthropic initiatives.
Despite the growing recognition of VFVC's contributions, a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted impact of its donations in a form of chairs to schools to be used by learners in Iloilo is lacking and no specific guidelines were made as to the management in the distribution of chairs is being done. Hence, this study was conducted.
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