On July 3, 2023, FundLife and DepEd Tacloban Division signed a new Memorandum of Agreement to implement a three-year Football for Life Academy (FFLA) Program that will commence in July 2023 and expire in July 2026. The presentation and signing of the MOA was held at the DepEd Tacloban Conference Hall and was attended by representatives from nine FundLife Leadership Academy: Reach to Teach (FLA:R2T) partner schools. Five new schools from Downtown Tacloban were also invited.
The signing was led by Ms. Kimberly C. Lopez, Head of Operations of FundLife International; Dr. Judella R. Lumpas, Schools Division Superintendent of DepEd Tacloban Division; Atty. Ma. Socorro Tiu-Pancipanci; DepEd Tacloban Division Legal Officer, and Ms. Jennith V. Sabela-Gabisay, Senior Education Program Specialist for Social Mobilization and Networking DepEd- Tacloban City Division. (from left to right).
The FFLA Program is an innovative experiential, play-based and life-long, learning pathway designed to complement traditional education, nurture youth development, and unlock opportunities for underserved youth so they can achieve their full potential. The three-year project aims to 1) Provide equitable access to quality education in a safe environment to support academically-challenged children; 2) Equip highly vulnerable children and youth with psychosocial life skills to respond to personal and community protection issues through play-based and mentorship sessions; 3) Strengthen the local capacity to provide accessible learning support for vulnerable children and youth; and 4) Provide alternative pathways for graduating senior high school students.
“We used to implement programs for only one year, but this time, we would like to implement a longer program to really see and monitor significant changes in the children we are working with, “explained Ms. Lopez.
Prior to presentation and signing of the new MOA, Ms. Kimberly C. Lopez, The Head of Operations of FundLife International, also shared the accomplishments of the FLA: R2T Project, along with the impact stories, challenges and lessons learned during the project’s implementation last year. The FLA: R2T Project is one of the organization’s flagship projects and is a response to the learning crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. 412 children were reached through the project.
“The play-based approach and learning while having fun are not new to us, teachers. I think FundLife is also reminding us to not forget these things when working with our learners. We need help because DepEd cannot do all deliverables. We need stakeholders, partners to help complement us with what we don’t know. So thank you, FundLife, for being our partner and I really hope we can work together to help our students become more literate.” Ma’am Judella Lumpas said during her Message of Commitment.