ASUS Philippines partners with social movements, helps give hope to kids amidst challenges in education due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
To strengthen their commitment of providing better access to digital technologies especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, ASUS Philippines and its partner ASUS Foundation collaborated with social movements to supply Educational Hubs (eHubs) in remote areas with 123 ASUS Chromebook C223NA and 5 ASUS X441NA brand-new laptops.
The EHub Project is an initiative of the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation (YBHF). Now present in 16 locations across the country, these ehubs serve as learning spaces for the students from their adopted communities. Along with their partner, BEAGIVER Ventures, Inc. (BEAGIVER), YBHF reached out to ASUS Philippines for help in providing laptops for this very timely and important project.
Lack of access to digital technology
In a virtual interview with Dr. Anton Mari H. Lim, DVM, the co-founder, president, and the chief hope paddler of the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, he says that “technology plays a key role” in communicating within their organization.
He adds that even with the lockdown, a laptop serves as a basic connectivity tool that allows them “to implement projects even without traveling.”
However, for Josh Mahinay, the founder and CEO of BEAGIVER Ventures, Inc., “it’s really challenging most especially during this time of the pandemic, where schools are disrupted and the parents, students and even teachers were not ready [on] how to engage in the new normal [of] education.”
With schools remaining closed, students and teachers continue to have a hard time with distance learning. “Students don’t have the means to access the internet because they don’t have the laptop” while “we have teachers who need to print modules but they don’t have the laptop to do it,” he added.
Fortunately, these were the challenges that the eHubs addressed. “With the eHubs [and] with the laptop (sic) that we have now, the number of kids that can submit a complete module is sobrang mataas (very high)”, Dr. Lim said.
Partners for social change
YBHF and BEAGIVER started their movements with a mission to provide underprivileged kids the basic access to education and opportunities to succeed.
Each Yellow Boat eHub is provided with six (6) Chromebook C223NA laptops, a modem with 1-year free Wi-Fi and a printer. Dr. Lim chose ASUS as their partner in this project. “ASUS has always been there and they’re known to be producers of quality products,” says Lim.
For Dr. Lim, the ASUS Chromebook was his initial choice, considering that the recipients who are mostly from far-flung communities are first-time laptop users. He also chose the ASUS Chromebook due to its compatibility with their students’ basic needs. “I don’t need a very complicated laptop, I need a laptop that is plug and play and will last long (sic), and the ASUS Chromebook C223NA fits the bill,” he added.
Beagiver Post. ASUS has generously promised to donate more brand-new Chromebooks to the Yellow Boat e-Hub Project.
Meanwhile, the laptops Mahinay chose provided them with the practicality, the “very straightforward design,” and the affordability they require.
BEAGIVER post. Aside from the purchased Chromebook C223NA, ASUS Philippines also donated 5 additional units of ASUS X441NA laptops to BEAGIVER for their communities.
Both BEAGIVER and YBHF have been partners since 2017 and they are successful project collaborators because they are always able to maximize their individual strengths. As a social enterprise, BEAGIVER uses the profit it generates to fund its project partnerships with YBHF, and the latter has been excellently handling the on-the-ground implementation and mobilization of these projects.
The ripple effect
The YBHF and BEAGIVER share the same vision as ASUS —reach out to more people and create a meaningful impact in the community.
BEAGIVER’s Mahinay believes that “if people who are in a far better situation would reach out and give back to the community, I think that is going to be transformative for our society and our country in particular.”
For Dr. Lim, “all it takes to change the world is for one person to care.”
ASUS recognizes that all these initiatives are making great strides in changing the lives of children in the Philippines.
ASUS Chromebook is designed for freedom to study and work anywhere with its practical operating system and long-lasting battery life. Check out the Chromebook series at https://www.asus.com/ph/ or have a look at the solutions guide for more incredible laptop options.