A notebook can hold scribbles and doodles, thoughts and artworks. For kids who do not have access to snazzy gadgets, having a pen and notebook can pave the way to learning and adventure.
Wyeth Nutrition (formerly Pfizer Nutrition) recognizes the need of poor children for basic school supplies. It will give away specially designed notebooks to selected students through the “Nurture.Inspire.Give” campaign, which is supported by Synergeia Foundation, a nongovernment organization.
According to Richard Arboleda, Wyeth Philippines associate director for communications, something as simple as a notebook can benefit a child.
It works this way: one gets a free notebook and scratch card with a Wyeth item. The participating products are Aqiva (900 g); Progress Preschool Gold (900 g and 1.6 kg); Promil Preschool (900 g and 1.6 kg); Bonakid Choco Boost (800 g); Bonakid Preschool (900 g, 1.2 kg, 1.6 kg); Enercal Plus (900 g); and ProMama (900g).
Each scratch card has a promo code. To sponsor a notebook for a child, text the promo code to a given number (instruction is in the card). The registered code also serves as a raffle entry.
One code is equal to one notebook for a child and a raffle entry for the person who registered. Among the prizes to be given away are P20,000 gift certificates for school supplies, and P5,000 worth of educational gift packs.
Young artists
The hardbound, lined notebooks feature pretty paintings on the cover. And in keeping up with the “Nurture.Inspire.Give” theme, Wyeth commissioned young artists to design them.
For “nurture,” Antonio Tordesillas painted three colorful ducks swimming on a pond, with cherry blossoms hovering over them. He explained in the artist’s note that “the family of the
mandarin ducks represents nurturing, love, loyalty and a good family foundation.”
The 14-year-old said he usually paints in oil and acrylic, and likes to sketch landscapes and animals like cows and bulls. He also draws superheroes and is working on pieces inspired by World War II fighter planes.
Allie Arroyo, 9, interpreted “inspire.” She did a still-life drawing featuring a lush potted plant between a pear and a stack of books, all on top of a wooden table.
Her note on the inside cover said, “Just like a fruit that starts as a seed, we need to enrich our God-given talents and gifts. We should make them grow and turn them into something wonderful and inspiring.”
Coming from the artist-friendly region of Angono, Rizal, it is natural for Marco Flores to like art. He went through a workshop with Angono artist Nemiranda and joined exhibits in his school, Regional Lead Schools for the Arts.
The 14-year-old painted a black-and-white portrait of a mother and child. His note read: “Ang pagmamahal ng isang magulang sa kanyang anak ay walang hanggan.” (A parents’ love for a child never ends.)
He draws in pencil, and paints in watercolor and acrylic. His favorite subjects are nature, portraits and cartoons, and he encourages other kids to take up drawing as a hobby.
Their works were recently exhibited in Chateau 1771 restaurant in Greenbelt 5, Makati City.
Feeding program
The notebooks will reach the students through the Synergeia Foundation led by former Finance Undersecretary Dr. Milwida M. Guevara. Since 2011, Wyeth and Synergeia have been collaborating on educational programs that cover 1.5 million schoolchildren in over 200 localities.
Dr. Guevara said the foundation has to address poverty and hunger first, to be able to focus on learning. Arboleda said Wyeth helps solve these problems through feeding programs that provide food to some 1,500 clinically malnourished kids.
By providing nourishment, and now notebooks, he added that Wyeth aims to give sustainable support for the country’s underprivileged kids.
Visit www.wyeth.com.ph.