McDonald’s Philippines through its charity of choice, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philippines, Inc. (RMHC), opens its first Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Center in Brgy. Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines.

RMHC Philippines has worked closely with various stakeholders in championing early childhood development of Filipino children kids since it opened its first Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Center in 2002. The local government unit identifies the community and donates the land for RMHC—through McDonald’s—to build the structure of the learning center. Day care teachers are then assigned by LGU and community volunteers engage the children in educational activities where they make use of Ronald McDonald Read to Learn kits which include 34 big illustrated books for storytelling.

In Lapu-Lapu City, RMHC Philippines closely coordinated with Mayor Junard Q. Chan who recommended the site in Brgy. Pajo. The first Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Center to open in Lapu-Lapu City welcomes 70 children from the barangay who will find a safe space where they could learn and play. This marks the third Bahay Bulilit Learning Center in Cebu, with the two others located in Cebu City and Mandaue City.

Making this Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Center extra special is that the Lapu-Lapu City site boasts of two floors with the first serving as the learning center and the second floor dedicated for the parents to learn more about livelihood skills.

“McDonald’s has always supported the communities where we operate through employment generation, environment sustainability & local store initiatives or through RMHC and its programs. This is part of our commitment to make a positive impact in communities as we continue to grow. We are excited for this Bahay Bulilit in Barangay Pajo as it is the first of its kind that will benefit not just children but their parents through the livelihood skills trainings. Through this, we aim to provide a lasting impact in the lives of Filipino children and families here in Lapu Lapu city and across the country,” says Margot B. Torres, RMHC Vice President and McDonald’s Philippines Managing Director.

With the opening of the first learning center in Lapu-Lapu City, RMHC now has a total of 34 Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Centers all over the country. For 2020, RMHC sets its sights to open four more Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Centers as part of its 25th anniversary.

To learn more about Ronald McDonald House Charities and how you can help, visit http://rmhc.org.ph.