Big Bad Wolf Books and the Davao Bloggers Society Support SOS Childrens Village Davao with a Book Donation Drive | #BenchPaylaBlog

At least 116 million people live in the Philippines, a huge archipelago. Regretfully, almost 1% of this population—roughly 2 million people—are orphaned and abandoned children. This startling figure is a result of several factors, including poverty, natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to family breakdown and child abandonment. These kids deal with many difficulties, like limited access to healthcare and education as well as financial difficulty.

Despite the pressing needs of neglected children, support for them is inefficient. The Philippines’ social welfare system is overwhelmed, and the resources allocated to it are limited. Due to this demand, the Davao Bloggers Society (DBS) is committed to helping unprivileged children and children’s communities. This time, the blogging organization decided to do an outreach at SOS Children’s Village Davao (SOS Davao).

SOS Davao provides social help, healthcare, and education to displaced children. Instead of leaving kids aimless or exposed to hazardous situations, it provides a secure environment for them to go. However, it depends on its customers to support its more than 100 youngsters and 14-family homes.

A Move to Improve the Philippine Literacy Rate

According to a World Bank assessment from 2022, 91% of Filipino children are unable to read simple texts. Last November 2024, DBS was initially informed of these numbers at the Big Bad Wolf Books (BBW) Sale Davao leg.

As a result, DBS has expanded BBW's goal of giving more books to more Filipino kids, especially to underprivileged kids who have little to no access to literature.

“DBS feels at its core that beyond providing basic aid, books can make a powerful impact on these children’s lives. Our belief in helping empower those with limited access to resources aligns with BBW’s mission to increase readership and literacy. With this partnership and the generosity of BBW founder Andrew Yap, DBS was able to donate 300 books to SOS Children’s Village—far exceeding the initial goal,” Pauline Balayon-Ruta, DBS Board of Trustees member, shared.

Since the DBS library needed a significant makeover, the SOS Davao was ideal for the book donation campaign.

Thanks to the kind donation of paint and equipment from Pacific Paint (BOYSEN) Philippines, DBS volunteers and a few SOS Davao employees gave the SOS library a makeover a week before the community drive. The SOS Davao kids and even their house moms would be more inclined to read after seeing their newly painted library and the number of books they were given.

A Short but Fun Outreach Day

On March 8, 2025, the DBS volunteers set out to SOS Davao to turn over the books and other donations to them. DBS prepared a short program for the children for a more memorable outreach day.

The day’s host, DBS VP for External Affairs Jexx Hinggo, ensured the children were engaged throughout the mini-program. The icebreaker game “Hep-Hep Hooray” enthralled them so much that they asked to play again. DBS then introduced two more games, “Bring Me,” and a dance contest between every program segment.

The inclusion of a narrative portion in the presentation was fitting, given that SOS Davao was getting 300 books from the drive. Olivia Limos, a DBS member, captivated the kids with one of their favorite stories as she told them the traditional Filipino fable known as "Ibong Adarna."

In an effort to better the lives of these underprivileged people, the event sponsors also offered brief talks to the kids in an effort to uplift, support, and counsel them.

An Overwhelming Generosity

The DBS officers collected extra funds prior to the event day from kind sponsors such as Home Credit and DM&A Co., who donated toys and groceries. By making sure that each household in the SOS Children's Village Davao brought home a bag of rice, the DBS members also helped with this. Additionally, Hop Inn Hotels supplied the space where the officers kept all of the donations and carried out their duties on the big day.

Foodpanda, the event's official food provider, served a delicious lunch made by Mamastill. Red Ribbon donated 150 different cake slices for the children to eat, and SM Supermalls supplied 10 boxes of water bottles. International Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IPI) immediately agreed to provide the community with bioderm soaps since they recognized how important hygiene is.

“As a blogging organization, DBS always yearns for its influence to reach beyond its usual networks. This CSR activity was a success and brought positive change to another community in need. We are deeply grateful for the love and generosity of our sponsors and members who donated and volunteered for this endeavor. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in this project,” DBS President Gem Tadefa said.

The Davao Bloggers Society is dedicated to supporting communities in need and positively impacting every person’s life.

Thanks for reading and see you in the next one!

-BENCH

Sources:

Worldometer (2025, March 11)

Philippines Population

https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/philippines-population/

Baclig, C. (2022)

Orphan crisis in PH: “A situation worth crying over”

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1556177/orphan-crisis-in-ph-a-situation-worth-crying-over/amp

Note: The recent number of abandoned children in the Ph was last recorded in 2022.

Inquirer Research (2025, February 11)