The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines’ United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with YesPinoy Foundation chairman, actor, and youth advocate Dingdong Dantes to kick off the Department of Education’s National Reading Month.

USAID Deputy Chief of the Office of Program Resources Management Chris Foley led the launch with a handover ceremony of storybooks to Highway Hills Integrated School in Mandaluyong City, and Mr. Dantes read a story to Grade 2 students.

“The United States government is pleased to partner with the Department of Education and YesPinoy Foundation to further our mutual goal of improving the quality of education in the Philippines; ensuring that every child in school is achieving the basic skills that will help them succeed,” Mr. Foley said.

Mr. Dantes read Grade 2 students a story about a community coming together after a disaster and the importance of protecting the environment. He also encouraged parents to help children develop a lifelong love of books through reading with their children at home.

The storybook donation furthers USAID’s goal of improving the reading skills of nearly 2 million students through its Php1.9 billion flagship basic education project, Basa Pilipinas. The project, implemented in close partnership with the Department of Education, is being carried out in eight school divisions in Regions 1 and 7.

Since 2013, USAID has partnered with the Department of Education to implement the language and literacy component of the K-3 curriculum. Through Basa Pilipinas, USAID has helped train more than 19,000 teachers, school heads, and parents as well as provided more than 8 million copies of teacher’s guides, storybooks, and other education aids to 3,000 public elementary schools in the Philippines.