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Education

While access to basic education in the Philippines is high, UNICEF has reported that the country is experiencing a “learning crisis” that prevents children in the Philippines from achieving their full potential. Compared to countries at the same economic level, the Philippines is behind by five to six years’ worth of schooling (PISA, 2022). Recent measurements show a lack of functional literacy — the ability to understand text they are reading — in 90 percent of 10-year-old students (SEA-PLM, 2019).

Hands on Manila has chosen to highlight the crisis through our volunteer efforts, bringing volunteers into schools to spend time in the spaces and with the communities affected: teachers, students, and school leadership. As volunteers learn about the crisis at hand, they do their part to improve school infrastructure, provide supplemental learning through original HOM curricular materials, and support overworked staff through wellness days.

HOM has also created more robust financial literacy programs with our volunteers and partners for both adults and children. Volunteers run programs that assist with basic financial tracking and best practices to livelihood and small business support.

Education remains a key focus for our volunteer efforts as the country works on improving conditions for families and communities.

Livelihood

Hands On Manila partners its volunteers with livelihood programs that support the reduction of poverty through sustainable business models. Our volunteers stand side by side with small business owners and NGOs to help to build capacity and provide materials that can contribute to financial sustainability.

Our programs include small business support and education and product production and development. Hands on Manila’s programs are community-driven and are developed using the bottom-up approach. Simply put, we do not create programs that our NGO and community partners do not need.

Health & Wellness

At Hands On Manila, we believe that access to basic nutrition is a human right. Currently, the Philippines is suffering from the burden of malnutrition on multiple fronts: childhood stunting and wasting, micronutrient insufficiencies, and rising rates of obesity. Persistent food insecurity and lack of awareness and available education on nutrition have exacerbated these issues.

Hands On Manila has shifted its health and wellness volunteer programs to highlight preventative health measures in childhood nutrition and maternal health. Our volunteer programs focus on supplementing school-based feeding programs with packed meals and longer commitments from our partners. HOM food kits are designed to educate recipients with healthy and affordable snack choices for children and maternal health kits that include education and materials to support nursing and post-natal health in mother and child. We remain committed to thoughtful, intentional and impactful volunteer programs that can last beyond the program.

Finally, because nutrition and health are a holistic endeavor, our volunteer programming continues to innovate to work with the ‘whole person’. From wellness days with seniors to building DIY mosquito traps to prevent disease, we continue to design programs where volunteers connect with one another facing some of the most pressing issues for Filipinos.

See a list below of some of our health & wellness partner beneficiaries and programs.

Environment

The Philippines has been named one of the world’s largest contributors to ocean plastic in 2025. The use of single-use plastic combined with insufficient waste management has left our waterways clogged and our wildlife suffering. Along with the challenges of deforestation, our contribution to the global climate crisis is high while Filipinos are among the most vulnerable to the effects of these very changes.

Hands On Manila gears its environmental volunteer programming towards connecting people to the issues while also giving them an opportunity to contribute to combatting them. For example, our signature Mabuhay Balls are created by Filipino engineering students and are designed to naturally oxygenate waterways. Volunteers can spend time making these balls and then distribute them in our partner communities, where HOM has relationships with residents and leadership. This helps us to understand the impact of the work and also to create the most meaningful program for volunteers.

This is the spirit with which all HOM Volunteer programming is developed. Creating lasting connections between volunteers, beneficiary communities, and the issues at hand. Our planting, ocean clean-ups, and other targeted activities are done hand-in-hand with the people in the communities that we serve.

See a list below of some of our environment partner beneficiaries and programs.

PayPal Impact Day 2025

Turning volunteer action into community impact

Volunteerism can be more than a one-day activity when it is designed around real community needs.

For PayPal Impact Day 2025, PayPal Philippines partnered with Hands On Manila for two days of hands-on service, with Villamor Air Base Elementary School (VABES) in Pasay City serving as the host school and main beneficiary. The initiative also extended support to eight other public schools and five grassroots community organizations across Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Pangasinan, and Quezon — focused on practical solutions in education, livelihood, hygiene, sustainability, and disaster preparedness.

At VABES, the Brigada Eskwela component brought volunteers together to clean, paint, and refurbish classrooms in preparation for the school year. Across the participating schools, 40 classrooms were improved and 800 armchairs were painted, benefiting almost 2,000 students.

Volunteers took part in six activities: doormat weaving, liquid dishwashing soap production, shampoo making, learner's kit assembly, disaster go-bag kit assembly, and Brigada Eskwela. Volunteers learned doormat weaving, while women-led livelihood groups and cooperatives received the remaining materials, tools, and packaging needed to continue production in their own communities.

“We are very grateful to PayPal and Hands On Manila for bringing this initiative to our school and community. Napakalaking bagay na isang buong building ang narefurbish ng mga volunteers before the school opening. It helped us save a lot of time and fund. More than the materials and improvements, we value the time, effort, and genuine concern that the volunteers shared with us.”

Impact does not always end when the volunteer activity does. When some production targets could not be completed during the event, HOM turned over the remaining raw materials, tools, and packaging to community partners so they could continue the work themselves — keeping communities active participants in the process.

The reach extended beyond the volunteer venue, supporting nine public schools and five community-based organizations across Pasay, Mandaluyong, Taguig, Pateros, Laguna, Rizal, Pangasinan, and Quezon — women-led groups, fisherfolk organizations, environmental groups, and youth leaders.

Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals on poverty reduction, health and well-being, quality education, decent work, reduced inequalities, sustainable communities, responsible consumption, and partnerships.

HOM x Teekay

Empowering mothers through livelihood skills

For International Women's Day 2024, Hands On Manila partnered with Teekay — a global marine energy transportation and services company — to create a volunteer activity focused on women's empowerment and livelihood. On March 8, 35 Teekay employee volunteers worked alongside 28 mothers from Barangays 803 and 807 in San Andres Bukid, Manila, at the Asian Social Institute to learn and produce dishwashing liquid together.

Instead of simply providing products to the community, HOM's approach involved the mothers directly in the production process, allowing them to learn the skills themselves and take part in creating something useful for their community.

“Hindi lang po namin natutunan ang mga bagong kaalaman, nararamdaman din namin na may mga taong naniniwala sa aming kakayahan bilang mga nanay. Sa simpleng pagtutulungan at pagbabahagi, nabigyan kami ng dagdag na kumpiyansa at inspirasyon na kaya rin naming umunlad at magkaroon ng mas magandang oportunidad para sa aming pamilya.”

By working side by side, the volunteers shared their time and effort while seeing firsthand how a simple, skills-based activity can create opportunities for community members to participate and learn. For the participating mothers, it was an opportunity to gain practical knowledge, build confidence, and see how new skills could open up possibilities for themselves and their families.

Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality and decent work and economic growth.

Project Baon

A year of nourishing young learners through volunteer action

Good nutrition takes consistency, and so does volunteerism.

To help address child undernutrition in public schools, Hands On Manila and Manulife Business Processing Services (MBPS) launched Project Baon, a 120-day feeding program in partnership with President Corazon C. Aquino Elementary School in Quezon City and Guadalupe Elementary School in Cebu City. The initiative supported the Department of Education's School-Based Feeding Program, combining nutritious meals with sustained employee volunteer engagement.

MBPS employee volunteers prepared and served meals, interacted with the children, and created a positive environment where students felt encouraged to learn. To complement the feeding program, volunteers joined a year-round calendar: sports clinics, nursing cover painting, arts and crafts sessions, hygiene and liquid hand soap production, medicine donation drives, and culminating school activities.

Every child who completed the program gained weight — an average of 2 kilograms in Quezon City and 4.36 kilograms in Cebu. Healthier children were better equipped to participate in class and engage in school activities, contributing to a more supportive learning environment.

Working side by side over several months strengthened teamwork among MBPS volunteers, deepened their understanding of the challenges faced by many Filipino families, and reinforced the value of consistent community involvement.

Contributing to SDG 2 Zero Hunger, SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being, SDG 4 Quality Education, and SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals.

Estero de Santi Banez

Reviving an urban waterway through volunteer action

Restoring a waterway takes more than clean-up efforts. It takes sustained action, community participation, and a shared commitment to protect the environment.

One of Hands On Manila's continuing environmental initiatives is the rehabilitation of Estero de Santi Banez in Paco, Manila, led by the Asian Social Institute (ASI) in partnership with HOM, NGOs, LGUs, and other community stakeholders. The estero helps manage water flow and drainage while serving as a shared environmental resource for nearby residents. Keeping it clean and healthy reduces waste and pollution, lessens the risk of flooding and foul odors, and creates a safer, healthier environment for the people living around it.

Wells Fargo, a global financial services company with a strong commitment to community engagement, has been a continuing partner in this effort — providing much-needed manpower through employee volunteerism while bringing greater awareness to the importance of restoring and protecting the estero.

HOM engages Wells Fargo volunteers in the production of Bokashi Mabuhay Balls — organic materials enriched with beneficial microorganisms. Introduced into waterways, the balls help break down organic matter and pollutants in the water and sediment, supporting the natural recovery of the waterway and creating healthier conditions for aquatic life.

With its clear and meaningful purpose, the initiative has continued to attract Wells Fargo volunteers not only as manpower, but as advocates who reinforce an important message to nearly 2,000 community members: restoring and protecting the estero is a shared responsibility. From August 2024 to July 2026, HOM mobilized 1,122 volunteers across eight engagements, generating a collective 8,976 volunteer hours.

The work goes beyond the production of Bokashi Mabuhay Balls. By bringing together volunteers, community members, local government, NGOs, and other stakeholders, the initiative supports the long-term restoration of a shared waterway and builds a stronger sense of responsibility for the environment — showing how corporate volunteerism can contribute to environmental restoration while inspiring communities to take part in protecting their shared waterways.

Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals on cleaner waterways, sustainable communities, and partnerships for lasting environmental impact.

Everyone has something to give — and something to gain

In February 2025, international affiliate Hands On Manila had the privilege of hosting the Global Points of Light Gathering in Manila, bringing together leaders from 37 organizations around the world to explore “Bayanihan & Corporate Impact: Promoting Volunteerism for Better Business.” At the heart of our conversations was a simple but powerful idea: bayanihan — our Filipino tradition of coming together for the common good — is not only part of our heritage. It can become a global model for volunteerism and a catalyst for innovation, employee engagement, and stronger brands.

Today, that idea feels more relevant than ever. Points of Light is launching its National Volunteer Strategy to double the number of volunteers in America over the next decade, recognizing that service is no longer simply a “nice to have” — it is necessary. In a world where people are increasingly isolated and trust is harder to build, volunteerism brings us together around a shared purpose. It strengthens connections and is ultimately a measure of the health and resilience of our communities.

This intentional approach to volunteerism is deeply aligned with what Hands On Manila has believed and practiced for 25 years. We believe everyone has something to give and something to gain from service. We help companies and organizations turn their values and advocacies into action through customized volunteer programs in education, the environment, livelihood, and health and wellness.

But meaningful volunteerism begins with listening. We start not with what we want to give, but with what communities need most. Through our promise, “YOUR HELP, YOUR WAY,” we seek to make every act of service relevant, purposeful, and lasting.

We have seen the power of this firsthand. At Servathon 2025, 1,000 volunteers came together to support children and address malnutrition and food security through community projects. At Good Deeds Day 2026, volunteers strengthened our Library for All initiative, helping 200 young learners develop a love of reading while nurturing their comprehension and imagination.

Over 25 years, Hands On Manila has mobilized more than 77,000 volunteers, contributing over 540,000 hours of service through partnerships with more than 50 companies. These numbers tell a story — but they are not the measure of our impact. The true measure lies in the connections made, the lives touched, and the belief that each of us can make a difference.

As we look to the years ahead, our challenge is to go beyond creating volunteer opportunities. We want to create deeper connections — to one another, to our communities, and to the causes we care about. We want service to be a space where people share not only their skills, but also their experiences, their perspectives, and their humanity.

Because volunteerism, at its best, is about more than giving back. It is about recognizing our shared responsibility for the world we live in.

And this is where we believe bayanihan has something profound to teach us. When we come together, we do more than solve problems. We build trust. We bridge differences. We discover our common humanity. And we create communities that are not only stronger, but more connected, empowered, and resilient.

After 25 years, our commitment remains the same: to bring people together through service and to make every act of giving count. The need is greater, the opportunity is greater — and together, so is our capacity to create change.

25 years of showing up and making a difference

When Hands On Manila was established in 2001, we could not have known how far it would come, how many people would become part of its journey, or how many communities we would have the opportunity to serve. Today, I am filled with gratitude for everyone who has been part of that journey.

Over the years, thousands of volunteers have given their time, energy, skills, and even their weekends to help others. They have shown up, rolled up their sleeves, and turned their willingness to help into meaningful action. They continue to be at the heart of Hands On Manila and the reason we do what we do.

Our work has grown and changed over the years. We started with a simple calendar of volunteer activities for individuals who wanted to give their time. As more companies and organizations came to us looking for ways to involve their employees in causes that mattered to them, we began developing more tailored programs around different advocacies and community needs.

Along the way, we learned that volunteerism is not just about giving people an opportunity to help. It is also about understanding what communities need and finding meaningful ways for people to contribute. That has shaped how we design our programs and how we look at the impact of volunteerism.

There are numbers; volunteers mobilized, hours served, communities reached, classrooms improved, meals prepared, trees planted. But behind each one is a person who showed up, learned to engage and collaborate, solved problems, built relationships, and helped strengthen trust within their community.

We are also grateful for the companies, schools, local governments, community organizations, and fellow nonprofits that have worked alongside us. Their support has allowed us to reach more communities, create more opportunities for service, and turn good intentions into projects that people can actually see and experience.

As community needs continue to change, so must volunteering. We will continue to learn, adapt, and find better ways to make volunteer action meaningful and relevant.

And we move forward with the same spirit that has guided us from the beginning: show up, lend a hand, and make a difference, to others and within yourself.

The 25th Anniversary Initiative

One project across all four pillars

For our 25th Anniversary, Hands On Manila collaborated with two of our community partners to create a unique initiative that addresses all four of our HOM pillars: Environment, Livelihood, Health and Wellness, and Education.

We commissioned Filipino artist Ria Agousti to design commemorative eggshell trays to be handcrafted by artisans from Negrense Volunteers for Change (NVC) Foundation, one of our long-term livelihood beneficiaries. This work helps create additional income for the artisans, as they directly benefit from each item they make.

As part of the same initiative, HOM turned to ARK Foundation, another community partner, to create a volunteer program promoting the development of sustainable fruit and vegetable gardens in Rizal. Each participant is given a start-up grow kit and 16 weeks of education and mentorship on how to maintain their crops and eventually start their own fruit and vegetable exchanges for additional income.

Hands On Manila then provides volunteers through our network to act as mentors and accountability partners to participants in the new urban farming community. Volunteers check in weekly via Zoom to ensure the crops are growing, and attend fruit and vegetable exchanges to provide expertise and resources.

It is one of our most ambitious projects yet, and displays the unique platform HOM provides by connecting volunteers, private donors, and beneficiaries in a lasting way.

Corporate ‘Bayanihan’: from nice to necessary

Writing for the Philippine Daily Inquirer's MAPping the Future column, HOM president and co-founder Gianna R. Montinola argues that corporate volunteerism has crossed from optional to essential — drawing on the Points of Light Global Gathering 2025 that Hands On Manila hosted in Manila, where 50 executive leaders from 37 organizations across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East convened around “Bayanihan & Corporate Impact.”

The piece makes the business case plainly: service builds stronger teams, sharper brands, and better-engaged people — and the shift underway is from one-day outreach to long-term, skills-based engagement measured in real change, not headcount.

business.inquirer.net

Corporate ‘Bayanihan’: From nice to necessary

Gianna R. Montinola · Philippine Daily Inquirer · July 21, 2025

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