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September 25, 2009
MAKATI, Philippines, September 25, 2009 –Chevron Philippines Incorporated (CPI) recently launched its Energy for Learning (EFL) campaign that will target groups who do not have access to mainstream education.
Energy for Learning is a long-term initiative by Chevron and its retail brand, Caltex, to support learning-based programs, which help people acquire new knowledge, gain news skills or be exposed to different ways of thinking.
More than just providing the world with the energy it needs, Chevron also believes that fuelling minds is important if societies and communities are to continue to prosper. Through learning, Chevron believes that individuals will acquire the tools they need to succeed in life, provide for their families and contribute to their communities.
Jim Meynink, CPI Country Chairman said, “Education and training fall within one of the three focus areas of Chevron’s community engagement programs. Chevron believes that learning is important to the social and economic vitality of communities. Whether through formal education, skills development or livelihood training, Chevron believes that with learning, individuals will acquire the tools they need to succeed in life, provide for their families and contribute to their communities.”
CPI, through Caltex, will continue to partner with the local communities, governments and non-profit groups to make learning opportunities possible for many.
One of the projects under EFL is the KAPATID program in General Santos City where out-of-school youths (OSYs) and children-in-conflict-with-law (CICLs) are given free integrated technical skills training and values education, plus help in landing jobs after graduation. Kapatid has so far graduated 337 graduates, 60% of whom already have jobs.
KAPATID’s success prompted Chevron to open a similar training center in Sasa, Davao City called TOOLS (or Training Out of Love for Sasa), also under EFL. TOOLS will celebrate its first year this December and has recently churned out its first batch of graduates.
Another program under the EFL is the Loaves and Fishes (L&F) bakery training, which is also in General Santos City. L&F also focuses on molding OSYs and CICLs into better citizens. It has already opened three bakeshops since its inception.
L&F’s predecessor, the Pugad Pandesal project in Makati, advocates the same goals and has achieved considerable success over the years. Known for its scrumptious Pandesal produced by former street kids, the bakeshop now earns up to P70,000 weekly or 10 times more than it used to earn during its initial stages in 2003.
“Our best response to Chevron’s generosity is our effort to uplift the lives of the youth under our care and guidance,” said Fr. Dave Buenaventura, SDB, Don Bosco Pugad Director.
Several schools nationwide will also be recipients of EFL’s other endeavors like the Caltex Mentor Program (CMP), which provides four weekends of extensive and personalized training for non-readers or slow learners. To date, CMP has helped more than 1,600 grade 1& 2 pupils become readers, boasting an average success rate of 80%.
Chevron’s annual participation in the Brigada Eskwela activities will also be a part of the EFL campaign. For five straight years, Chevron has been lending a helping hand to public schools in its host communities for the upkeep of their facilities. “What made Chevron’s involvement truly outstanding is that they went beyond the usual donation,” said San Antonio Elementary School principal, Trinidad Agbay. “They advocated and practiced strict safety procedures during their volunteer days. They brought their own medical staff to handle any emergency while we were painting and doing repairs. We even had Chevron electricians who inspected our wirings and then submitted to us a safety assessment report which was very helpful in elevating the school’s safety awareness standards for our children.”
“Kapatid, TOOLS, Fishes & Loaves, CMP, Brigada Eswela and Pugad Pandesal are just six of the 30 learning programs Chevron has in Asia alone since 2004. These projects have brought long lasting benefits to nearly 80,000 people so far. These are just individuals who have directly benefitted and do not include the far-reaching positive impact the programs have had also on the recipients’ families and communities,” added Meynink.
About Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company’s success is driven by the ingenuity and commitment of approximately 62,000 employees who operate across the energy spectrum. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels and other renewables. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at http://www.chevron.com/.
Caltex™ is Chevron’s marketing brand in Asia Pacific and parts of the Middle East and Africa. Caltex products and associated brands are sold in approximately 60 countries across these regions. More information on Caltex is available at http://www.caltex.com/.