GAT Foundation Blog – June 2025
At the GAT Foundation, one of the most rewarding parts of our work is seeing the joy on students’ faces when books finally arrive. But behind every successful delivery, there are still dozens of schools patiently waiting, hopeful, eager, and ready to give their students better learning opportunities.
📍 Remote but Resilient
Many of the schools on our waitlist are located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas across the Philippines, where access to books, libraries, and learning resources remains a daily challenge. Despite these obstacles, their passion for education is inspiring.
One principal from a mountain school in Northern Luzon shared:
“Our students are hungry to learn. Even old books are treasures here. We are ready to receive anything that can help us teach them better.”
📘 Why Books Matter in Philippine Schools
In many public schools across the Philippines, especially in rural areas, books are more than just learning tools, they are symbols of hope. While online education is growing in many parts of the world, these communities still rely heavily on printed materials due to limited or no access to the internet, electricity, or digital devices.
Books help:
– Boost literacy and comprehension among children who may never have owned a book before.
– Support teachers, many of whom lack sufficient teaching materials and rely on donated resources.
– Encourage a love of learning, helping students dream beyond their surroundings.
– Bridge educational gaps by exposing students to new ideas, cultures, and languages.
For students who walk long distances just to attend school, even a single book can be a spark of motivation.
✉️ Dozens of Requests, One Shared Hope
Since the start of 2025, we’ve received formal requests from schools in provinces like Samar, Bukidnon and Negros Occidental. These schools are not just asking for books, they are building mini-libraries, encouraging reading programs, and creating study spaces, often with very limited resources.
Each school tells a story of determination:
– A classroom turned reading corner using old rice sacks for mats.
– A teacher using her own money to photocopy reading materials.
– Students borrowing the same book in rotating shifts just to have a turn.
💡 How You Can Help
We currently have a growing waitlist of schools, all verified, all ready, but held back only by limited funding and shipping resources. Here’s how you can make a difference:
- Sponsor a shipment: Help cover the cost of sending books to one or more schools.
- Corporate Partnerships: If your business operates in Australia or the Philippines, let’s work together to deliver impact through your CSR program.
- Host a Book Drive or Fundraiser: Your school, workplace, or local café can be a collection or awareness hub.
✨ Help us say yes to more schools.
No school should have to wait months or years for books. Let’s turn “waiting” into “receiving.”
To support or learn more about the waiting schools list, email us at info@gatfoundation.org.au or visit www.gatfoundation.org.au.
