Philippines

Joyful learning and play create a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

In the BARMM region, decades of conflict, geographic isolation, and a lack of infrastructure have caused deep gaps in education. Schools were often repurposed for military use. Today, BARMM has the lowest literacy rate in the Philippines. Out of every 100 students who start first grade, only 17 will complete twelfth grade.

BRAC Philippines is working to change that through learning opportunities at every age. Our award-winning Play Labs are vibrant, fun spaces where children of ages 3–5 learn through play. With engaging facilitators and an evidence-based curriculum, children develop physically, emotionally, and socially. In the Philippines, nearly 500 children attend 15 Play Labs.

Through the Abot Kaalaman sa Pamilyang-Bangsamoro (AKAP) project, we improve education in existing schools for school-aged children. Facilitators adapt learning materials to local languages and cultures. Education is inclusive—especially for children from indigenous or marginalised groups. We partner with communities, governments, teachers, and parents to deliver joyful education at every stage.

Ensuring everyone has the tools to recover and rebuild.

The BARMM region is highly prone to droughts, landslides, and flooding. These climate events can cause displacement, crop loss, and a decrease in quality of life. Combined with conflict, this creates complicated emergencies for families and communities.

BRAC Philippines established the Local Emergency Preparedness and Response Programme (LEPRP) in two BARMM provinces. This helps strengthen local governments, organisations, and families in the face of disaster. We offer disaster risk reduction, first aid, search and rescue, and emergency response operations.

Helping girls reach their full potential.

In the BARMM region, child marriage is an urgent issue. About 15% of girls are married before their 18th birthday. Women are less likely to secure jobs due to limited access to education, traditional gender roles, and discrimination. In this region, the workforce is made up of less than 30% women.

Girls and women ages 16 to 30 can participate in our youth empowerment programme. They learn about clean energy, lighting, and solar installation. They’re trained as skilled electricians and lighting technicians—creating job opportunities. Most trainees earn technician certifications. This has expanded access to affordable electrical and solar lighting to 35,000 community members.

BRAC Philippines’ work with young people combines social and economic empowerment with education, ensuring that girls and women reach their full potential.

Through safe, mentor-led clubs, girls gain life skills, learn how to think critically, and build confidence. They also receive vocational training, startup kits, and support to start small businesses of their own. They are also equipped with the skills needed to better navigate the challenges that may affect their lives. Sports and games are also a part of the experience, helping girls strengthen their teamwork skills.

Throughout the process, we also work closely with parents, communities, local partners, and governments, to create solutions to the challenges they face. For over 15 years, this approach has helped girls and young women take charge of their futures.

Scaling a proven pathway out of poverty in partnership with the Government of the Philippines

Nearly 1 in 10 people live in extreme poverty. They face multiple, reinforcing barriers that keep them and their households in a poverty trap. Economic growth alone hasn’t proven sufficient to create economic opportunity to overcome these traps. Traditional longstanding social assistance and other programmes have not adequately addressed the root cause. There is a need for new tools to create opportunity for those furthest behind. The Graduation approach is a proven way to help people graduate out of extreme poverty.

Graduation is a sequenced, two-year investment that helps people build sustainable livelihoods. Each participant gets support to meet basic needs and receives a productive asset. Assets could be livestock or inventory to start a small business. They also get coaching to build confidence, know-how, and hope.

In the Philippines, BRAC has partnered with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to integrate the Graduation approach in its social protection and livelihood programs. BRAC aims to enable the government to deliver evidence-based components of Graduation through existing programs and government systems.

These partnership initiatives build on the success of two Graduation pilots that have been completed with DSWD (from 2021-2023) and DOLE (from 2018-2020), respectively.

The Graduation approach was first developed in Bangladesh in 2002. Today, over 100 organisations in nearly 50 countries use it. Through this initiative, BRAC hopes to help 21 million people escape extreme poverty by 2030—including 4.6 million families by 2026.