Photo courtesy of Jonas Tamayo.
THE ATENEO Junior Marketing Association (AJMA) has sold approximately 550,000 water bottles called “Hope in a Bottle,” the profits from which will be for the construction of a public classroom in Tondo, Manila.
To celebrate the accomplishment, the Ateneo Has Hope Culminating Night was held at the Oracle Hotel & Residences last December 10.
Gracing the event were Friends of Hope, Inc. President Nanette Medved-Po and Sales and Marketing Head Sandy Tiu. Officials from the Department of Education were also invited, but could not come to the event.
“For students like us, it is such an honor and fulfillment to know that the Department of Education knows of our intent to reach out…Having to be recognized by a branch of the government is not something we expected, but knowing that they are aware just makes everything a lot more worth it,” said Ateneo Has Hope Project Head Chabeli Cua in an email interview.
Friends of Hope, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that seeks to empower students through education by building public classrooms. This is made possible through the sales of 500ml purified bottled water called Hope in a Bottle.
Ateneo, through AJMA’s Ateneo Has Hope project, is the only educational institution that has partnered with the said corporation.
“The dire need for public school classrooms was what inspired the Friends Of Hope, Inc. In the every day we travel through the busy streets of Metro Manila, we see young children working hard to be able to help feed their families, needing proper education for them to prosper,” said Cua.
“And that is what we Ateneans are here for, staying true to our word of being men for others. AJMA was able to tie up with the Friends Of Hope, Inc. in building public school classrooms through the manufacturing of Hope In A Bottle.”
Ateneo Has Hope began its work in June 2012 and is still operating. The project partnered with the following: JSEC stalls Waff Out Loud, Wacky Juanchos, Chick List, Burger Brunch, Spice Rack, Epic Moo Time, Rockin’ Rice Rolls and King’s Wings, Blue & Gold, True Brew, Zekaf, the Ateneo Multi-Purpose Cooperative and several student organizations.
Companies such as Toys R Us, Garnier and Cibeles Insurance, among others, also helped AJMA sell the water bottles.
Editor’s Note: The writer is not related to the interviewee in this article.
