“I
experienced what it’s like for my own education to be threatened, and I think
that’s a feeling that no child should ever go through.” - Lynn Pinugu
She
is Eleanor Pinugu to the world - a multi-awarded Filipina and a hard working
social entrepreneur. She was a recipient of the prestigious The Outstanding
Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) award for social enterprise and education
in 2013. She was also hailed as a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum
(WEF) and was handpicked to represent the country in the WEF 2012 Annual Meeting
in Davos.
To the Mano Amiga family, she is either Lynn, Ms.
Lynn or Ms. Pinugu – the young Co-founder and Executive Director of the school
who is constantly looking for innovative solutions to make quality education
more accessible to the poor, and bring positive change in the Philippines. Her
goal is to lead to sustainable scale-up of Mano Amiga in 15 new locations
nationwide by 2025.
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It was in her junior year in college at the Ateneo
de Manila University when Eleanor Rosa Pinugu was faced with an uncertain
future. Suddenly, her privileged life and all the luxuries that came with it
were threatened when her mother lost her job and their business has almost gone
bankrupt.
Pinugu, then a regular paying student taking up AB
Interdisciplinary Studies, major in Journalism and Sociology, had to face
reality and think of ways to be able to continue her studies. Luckily, there
was an essay competition where the prize was a scholarship. Wasting no time,
she submitted her piece and won, making her a scholar until she finished her college
degree. But that turning point in her life proved to be more than just an
awakening; the experience led her to make a personal vow – that is to be
involved in education projects that would help less fortunate people gain
access to quality education.
Years
after graduation, Pinugu found herself in Mexico working as a missionary and
promoting volunteerism in schools. During that time, she encountered bright and
confident students from the Mano Amiga Academy who didn’t let poverty hinder
their development in school. She was so impressed with the students that she
made a joke to the principal, telling her to give her a call in case she wants
to bring the school and its system to the Philippines. Little did she know that
the call would actually come in 2008 and the joke would become a reality.
Going against the wishes of her parents, Pinugu
decided to leave her well-paying job in the corporate world to serve as one of
the co-founders of the Mano Amiga Academy in FTI, Taguig. As early as 2008, the
school has been providing underprivileged Filipino children an advanced and
globally competitive K to 12 curriculum as well as other opportunities to
uplift the lives of their families.
Students fondly call her “Teacher Lynn,” as she
personally handles their Saturday enrichment activities, giving them lessons on
leadership, teamwork, and helping them develop their communication skills.
“We don’t baby them in the school. If you didn’t do
your assignment, you suffer the consequences,” says the 29-year-old Pinugu.
But unlike other schools for the less fortunate,
Mano Amiga Academy is helping parents to stand on their own and become more
involved in the lives of their children by providing them livelihood and
enlisting them as teacher assistants in the school.
“The parents volunteering for the school, for us,
are the best way to get to know them. Whenever the parents volunteer as teacher
assistants, they see how you run the school. You also form a personal
relationship because you work with them,” she relates.
Six years into her chosen mission, Pinugu’s
sacrifices are already starting to bear fruit. Slowly, she is gaining
recognition for her work. Last year, she was one of the recipients of The
Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) for social enterprise and
education. In 2012, she was hailed as a Global Shaper by the World Economic
Forum (WEF) and was handpicked to represent the country in the WEF 2012 Annual
Meeting in Davos, Switzerland along with fellow Global Shapers Anna Oposa and
San Vicente, Palawan Mayor Pie Alvarez. Pinugu also received the Social
Entrepreneurship Star Award at the 2012 Asian Social Enterprise Summit in
Korea, and represented the Philippines in the first Microsoft Asia Pacific
Conference on Youth Innovation in Singapore.
Taking things one step at a time, Pinugu is working
on her dream of building a country where every child has access to quality
education by expanding the Mano Amiga Academy system to 15 schools in Metro
Manila and rural areas by 2025. She’s also starting to create a model
curriculum which includes meetings with the parents and house visits to
establish connection with the families.
In this 60 Minutes interview, the education
advocate shares how one experience led her to change the way she sees
education, and how easily a privileged person like her can give up everything
for a life of selfless service and devotion to poor Filipino children. (Sara
Grace C. Fojas)
View full article here:
http://www.mb.com.ph/education-hero/
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