WBS Institute for Asian Educators Development
Resilience in Crisis – Faith in Service – Hope in Education

Message from the President
“2020 tested the strength of every educator.  The COVID-19 pandemic changed how we teach, how we care, and how we serve.  In this global health emergency, WBS stood beside the Filipino teacher – not with grand speeches, but with quiet acts of solidarity, compassion, and urgent response.  We honor the courage of educators who faced fear with faith and whose resilience inspired us all.”

Emergency Response: “Tulong-Guro COVID-19 Aid Program”
WBS redirected much of its annual resources to directly support teachers affected by the pandemic.  Within four months, we had extended:

  • Cash aid and food packs to 864 retired or indigent teachers
  • Medical assistance for 47 teachers infected by COVID-19
  • Prepaid mobile data support to 221 rural educators struggling with online teaching
  • Burial assistance to 9 bereaved families of teachers who succumbed to illness or extreme poverty during the crisis

Volunteers braved lockdown zones to distribute food and medicine in Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Pampanga, Basilan, and Zamboanga del Norte.

Online forum Series – “Educators Amid the Pandemic”
Adapting to the virtual environment, WBS launched monthly online forums attended by 2,300 participants nationwide.  Key sessions included:

  • Mental Health First Aid for Teachers
  • Remote Teaching Strategies for Low-Tech Communities
  • Grief, Loss, and Solidarity in the Time of COVID-19

These conversations created spaces for collective healing and strength-building across our educator communities.

Guro sa Barangay Goes Digital
WBS reformatted its “Guro sa Barangay” initiative for remote and modular learning.

Teacher-volunteers developed low-bandwidth printable lessons that were delivered to 950 learners via bikes, tricycles, and boats.  Emphasis was placed on values education, emergency literacy, and local history.

Teachers Stories of Courage Published
We released a special e-booklet.  “Sa Gitna ng Pandemya: Kwento ng mga Guro” – stories of teachers who:

  • Conducted classes under trees using megaphones
  • Delivered modules house-to-house on foot
  • Funded their own PPEs and printing costs from meager salaries

Their bravery reflected the very heart of WBS’s mission.

Welfare for the Forgotten: Aging and Homeless Teachers
WBS identified and extended monthly assistance to 33 retired teachers living alone or without family.  Some were found in public markets, squatter settlements, and evacuation centers.  We provided shelter referral, basic income, and psychosocial support.

International Solidarity Amid Global Crisis
Despite mobility restrictions, WBS co-organized the Asia-Pacific Teachers in Crisis Summit (Online), sharing our learnings in Filipino and regional contexts.  Our paper, “No Lockdown on Compassion: Grassroots Education Response in the Philippines” was featured by an international teachers’ consortium.

Strengthening Volunteerism in Crisis
WBS was blessed with 120 new volunteers in 2020 – young professionals, students, and retired educators – who helped pack relief bags, write modules, deliver food, and lend their hearts to the cause.  Their passion reignited hope within the organization.

50 Years of WBS: Looking Ahead to 2021
Though our golden anniversary activities were postponed due to the pandemic, 2020 became an even more powerful testimony of what WBS stands for: Courage. Compassion. Continuity.

Next year, we will mark our 50th year by investing more in healing programs for educators, promoting justice in post-pandemic recovery, and honoring teacher-heroes from our rich five-decade journey.

To Our Beloved Partners and Members
We survived 2020 because of your prayers, donations, trust, and unwavering support.  You helped us reach forgotten corners.  You kept our mission alive.  Maraming salamat.