SOLVEKART

Illiteracy in the Philippines is a major problem, especially in poor communities with limited access to education. This problem has given rise to various poverty-related problems such as child labor, prostitution, drug addiction and civil rights abuse. Children in these communities do not have the opportunity to attend school regularly due to economic constraints, which can lead to lack of education and diminished opportunities in adulthood. Without proper education, individuals may not have the necessary skills and knowledge to secure employment, resulting in high unemployment rate and abject poverty. 

Lack of employment opportunities and low income levels can limit access to basic needs such as food, housing and health care, leading to malnutrition and poor sanitation. Moreover, poor living conditions in these communities, such as malnutrition and inadequate sanitation, can lead to serious health problems. These health problems can limit an individual's ability to work and earn a living, thus exacerbating the vicious cycle of poverty.

Poverty and unemployment can have significant psychological impacts on individuals, leading to feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and social isolation. This can further reduce the social engagement and participation that is essential for community development and cohesion.

Lack of understanding and awareness of an individual's civil and political rights can lead to abuse and manipulation in the community. People who don't know their rights are more likely to be exploited by those who do. This can manifest itself in many forms of violence, including violence against women and children. Lack of awareness of individual rights can also lead to discrimination and marginalization of particular groups in society.

Lack of awareness and understanding about the consequences of climate change can lead to unsustainable and destructive practices that harm the environment. 

The SOLVEKART (Solutions-Oriented Learning and Vocational Education for Key Action, Readiness, and Technology) will provide variety of learning and skills training to the community, empowering the underprivileged and enabling them to be active members of society.

The SOLVEKART:

• Facilitates Knowledge and learning activities in the communities to serve  the Out of School Youth and Adults and the community to encourage participation and attendance during Alternative Learning System intervention.
• Offers straightforward Access to learning intervention in the communities. ALS learners will have classes in their own communities near their homes with the same technology offered by privileged learning institution. This will minimize transportation expenses going to ALS Community Learning Centers.
• Provides Resource to ALS learners and those unemployed high school graduates to explore computer skills like MsOffice applications and learn basic digital correspondence to make them more competitive in the job market.
• Caters to Training livelihood skills to encourage small scale business ideas to develop autonomy and have a decent earning to support self and family.

The functionality of the SOLVEKART can be expanded and is flexible to address the civic learning and psychosocial interventions of the community. Trainings and other livelihood skills equipment will be made available at their doorstep.

The SOLVEKART will cater to the Out of School Youth and Adults (OSYA) who are interested to continue education through the Alternative Learning System and members of the marginalized community to empower and train them to become active members of the society.

Providing Out of School Youth and Adults (OSYA) with better learning intervention through the use of multimedia tools such as PowerPoint presentations embedded with video documentaries and other resource materials making the learning process more engaging and interactive, helping learners to better understand and retain the information being taught.

Training the community in livelihood skills and small scale entrepreneurship through actual workshops by providing hands-on training, individuals can gain the skills and confidence they need to become self-sufficient and improve their economic standing. This approach to poverty reduction recognizes that traditional charity or aid programs may not provide a sustainable solution to poverty in the long term. Instead, by empowering individuals to create their own businesses, they can generate income and create employment opportunities for others in their community, leading to more sustainable economic growth.

The SOLVEKART also provides knowledge and awareness of an individual's civil and political rights, promoting civic responsibility and fostering a sense of civic identity. With this information, Out of School Youth and Adults can become more active and engaged members of their communities, reducing the risk of abuse, manipulation, and violence.

We are with the Alternative Learning System of the Department of Education in the Philippines catering to the Out of School Youth and Adults (OSYA) in the Division of Lapu-Lapu City. We are dealing with learners who are mostly working as house helpers, market laborers, construction workers, drug dependents , persons deprived of liberty and other interested individuals who wants to continue their education despite their age.

We partnered with different community leaders, Local Government Unit (LGU) offices, NGOs and other professionals who can help us out with the deliverables on topics about psychosocial concerns, civic knowledge and climate change issues.

We need to scale up and provide SOLVE KART facility for each community learning centers managed by our ALS Teachers. Pilot implementation aims to engage in community-based activities that focuses on digital literacy trainings, civic learning, climate change advocacy and poverty alleviation workshops.

SOLVEKART will be a platform to reach out to communities for empowerment and education activities. Digital Literacy and Community Engagement will be the main enabling aspect of this innovation to address poverty and social injustice.

Once the implementation will be in place and outcomes are documented, SOLVEKART project implementation report will be submitted to the Department of Education for possible roll-out in all School Divisions in the Philippines. This will help ALS Teachers to become more efficient in the delivery of the learning intervention and more communities will be reached out with this simple yet effective approach to Education and Civic Learning.

We will start with the learners enrolled in the Alternative Learning System Program. We use the internet connectivity and digital technology to enhance the effectiveness and engagement of our learning interventions, civic learning and skills training activities.

We believe that change revolves around fostering skills to develop human potential and improve community participation. We are convinced that equipping individuals and the community with appropriate skills and knowledge we can shift the focus from poverty, social inequality, skills mismatch, and social abuse to a world that is sustainable and peaceful.

We believe that civic learning creates opportunities and empowers the individual to become informed and engaged citizens who actively participate in the democratic process, promote social justice and equity, and work towards the betterment of their communities.

We leverage the internet and digital technology to enhance the effectiveness and engagement of learning interventions, civic learning engagement and skills training activities in the communities.

Department of Education Philippines
Division of Lapu-Lapu City
Alternative Learning System

SOLVEKART is doing community learning interventions for the Alternative Learning System which was piloted in Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City.

The Alternative Learning System of the Division of Lapu-Lapu City was composed of 19 staff, 1 female focal person, 4 males, 12 females and 2 gays. 
Most ALS Teachers are 23 to 40 years old, the rest are 45 years old and above.
1 ALS Teacher is a Muslim who caters to the ALS Learners in the Muslim Community.

SOLVEKART aims to provide educational and civic learning to help alleviate the living conditions of the Out of School Youth and Adults. We piloted the program to address the low participation rate of ALS Learners. 

We need to "Highlight" this simple and basic solution to civic learning and education in order for us to gain support and partnerships in our community.

SOLVEKART can easily be replicated and implemented in other communities in other parts of the world to address gaps in education and digital literacy.

SOLVEKART will be able to provide cost effective learning engagement activities by simply having the workshops in the communities. Operational and Equipment Costs will be sponsored by partner and stakeholders through Corporate Social Responsibility.

Resources will be sponsored by corporate partners and stakeholders by engaging them through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Climate Change Advocacy, Livelihood activities and Civic Learning Engagement will be with Non Government Organizations (NGO), Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and government offices.

SOLVEKART was implemented last February 5, 2022 to address the zero participation rate of ALS Learners after the Typhoon Odette (RAI) hit Cebu last December 16, 2021. Dwellings are ruined, livelihood are lost, electricity and communication lines are down, food and water are scarce. 
We sourced out Photovoltaic equipment from a partner NGO to power-up our little setup of a LED TV connected to a laptop to deliver learning intervention. It gained positive response from the learners and classes are back in place; this time in their communities.
SOLVEKART continues its activities to provide learning opportunities to the Out of School Youth and Adults. 
We are now sending proposals to prospect clients for SOLVE KART to support us in the activities.