MANILA: With Quality Education as one of its targets, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4), Forest Interactive strengthens its commitment to corporate sustainability through a books and school supplies donation to privately-run, volunteer-driven organization Library Hub Philippines.
Co-founded in 2019 by Oliver Chan Pe following the aftermath of the Marawi Siege, a five-month-long conflict between government forces and terrorists displacing 98 percent of the city population, the organization received contributions from private individuals and corporations for distribution to Geographically-Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA).
Originally a free-play library concept (toy library), Library Hub Philippines expanded its scope after seeing libraries around Marawi destroyed. Inspired by the spirit of volunteerism stemming from experiences during his university days, Pe met with people on the ground to assess the damage and extend help.
“We take our commitment to education seriously and our initiative with Library Hub Philippines will achieve one the goals of SDG-4 for 2023: building and upgrading education facilities,” shared Nen Lin Soo, Group Communications Manager at Forest Interactive.
“As a passion project born in a conflict zone, we hope our donation become part of a safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environment for all.”
Johary Mustapha, Founder & CEO of Forest Interactive, added:
“According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the percentage of out-of-school youth aged 15-24 in the country reached a record high of 17 in 2020. As a tech company with a mission to nurture future innovators, we cannot turn a blind eye to improving education in GIDA. The books and school supplies fill the needs gap and our company’s own advocacy of inclusion for all.”
A Heartfelt Commitment to Education
Library Hub Philippines founder Pe also mentioned the experimental school established in Marawi, and how the school’s principal latched on to him, asking for help with a second library.
“When we got there, you realize that being a volunteer, once you commit to something, you start to be drawn into a different world already,” Pe shares. “When I got into volunteering, beyond donating, I learned a lot based on the interactions in Marawi alone.”
“Based off our meeting with the librarian in Marawi, we decided to manage and run the second Library Hub basing it off the very first Library Hub that we created. It’s basically the second library, and after we successfully launched it, other friends started to suggest to help other areas, and that’s how we got the official Library Hub program,” Pe added.
Library Hub Philippines focuses on donations centered around education, distributed to rural schools, communities that are disadvantaged and isolated, indigenous tribes and groups, communities with challenges, and areas with internal and external conflicts.
In line with Forest Interactive’s commitment to SDG 4 – Quality Education, batches of books and school materials were dispatched to the Library Hub Philippines headquarters, to donate to communities with difficulties accessing educational materials. Among the school libraries supported are the Luzon-based Palumbanes Integrated School and San Andres Vocational School, located on Catanduanes Island and Anangi Elementary School in Lipa, Batangas. A library in Mindanao, specifically Siargao, is also rebuilt after the devastation of superstorm Odette.
Forest Interactive proactively responds to the needs of its Southeast Asian offices. When powerful and deadly Category 4-equivalent Typhoon Vamco struck the Philippines in December 2020, Forest Interactive talents worldwide raised funds from November 25 – December 15, 2020, to provide housing materials for the victims of Sta. Elena, Camarines Norte. Named #ForestforPhilippines, the initiative raised 19,632.40 Philippine pesos and donated to the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership.
About Forest Interactive
Founded in 2006, Forest Interactive develops scalable mobile platforms to connect mobile operators, content providers, and game publishers with their subscribers. With over 15 years of industry experience, Forest Interactive has expanded to include a diverse workforce of 20+ nationalities in 16 regional offices.
Delivering content subscription services, digital voucher and e-commerce platforms, and mobile apps for all ages, Forest Interactive operates in more than 30 countries, servicing 90+ mobile operators and 100+ content partners with the capacity to reach over one billion subscribers worldwide. To learn more, visit forest-interactive.com.
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