MANILA, Philippines – Early grade reading materials worth P23 million were donated by the United States (US) government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), its embassy in the Philippines said on Tuesday.
The US Embassy in the Philippines said USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) LeAnna Marr led the handover of the reading materials to the Department of Education in Bicol as part of her visit to the country, strengthening the partnership between the US and the Philippines in the education sector.
It added that more than 8,000 educators have been trained by USAID and around 6.62 million early-grade reading materials have been given in the Bicol Region since 2019.
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USAID DAA Marr also met with the beneficiaries of the USAID-sponsored programs which focus on youth development and out-of-school youth education and employment as the Acting Senior Coordinator of United States International Basic Education Assistance.
Aside from Bicol, she also visited Sorsogon and Manila, where enhancing the quality of Filipino children’s education was supported by the U.S. government programs.
Marr also visited the USAID-supported inclusive education community resource center in Sorsogon, which supported inclusive education for children of all abilities.
She joined DepEd officials for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Manila, formalizing the agency’s new education partnership.
“We at USAID recognize that we can only fully and successfully advance inclusive and resilient growth if we work together with local actors and like-minded partners,” Washburn said in a statement.
“By collaborating and leveraging each other’s unique resources, assets, and skill set, we are able to strengthen our support to the Philippine government as it addresses challenges in the education sector,” he added.
Since 1961, USAID has invested more than $5.25 Billion to support the Philippines, working with the Philippine government and local organizations to accomplish shared development goals.–Alyssa Joy Quevedo, INQUIRER.net trainee