More than 150,000 students in Cebu Province can now confidently return to face-to-face learning, thanks to receiving full vaccination against COVID-19.

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) through its Education Development Unit (RAFI EDU) is committed to providing a safe and conducive learning environment for all learners.

Upon the gradual resumption of face-to-face learning, it was discovered that although 98% of DepEd Region 7 Teachers were fully vaccinated, only 19% of their learners were fully vaccinated posing a high risk in virus transmission in schools. With these complexities faced by the education sector, RAFI EDU launched the Vacc to School Advocacy Campaign with the goal to lessen the risks of COVID-19 virus transmission. The campaign advocated for safe learning spaces and fostered academic excellence while safeguarding public health.

Over 1,000 schools in Cebu Province participated in the campaign working towards increasing the number of vaccinated learners in their respective schools. The campaign worked closely with the school’s health champions – the school clinic teachers and Department of Education (DepEd) district nurses for efficient campaign implementation. The school health champions spearheaded registration, data gathering, technical assistance in conducting information drives and COVID-19 vaccination.

To help debunk vaccine misinformation and build vaccine confidence, participating schools implemented various communication strategies, including symposiums. Each school also received a Vacc to School box, equipped with information, education, and communication (IEC) materials, a checklist of information drive activities, medical kit, and speakers to aid and encourage mass vaccination in the respective schools.

On top of the information dissemination and vaccination drives, RAFI EDU incentivized the campaign by providing several awards and recognition to schools and districts who attained the expected goals and output.

At the start of the campaign, there were 91,932 fully vaccinated learners in the province. Through the active participation and collaboration of the Department of Health 7 and the DepED Cebu Province Division, an additional 60,000 learners were vaccinated in the province since the campaign implementation in October 2022.

In recognition of the successful implementation of the Vacc to School Advocacy Campaign, RAFI EDU awarded several individuals, schools, and districts who performed exemplarily and contributed to the overall success of the implementation of the campaign. The awards were classified according to their respective school sizes. The following schools were awarded:

Several individual prizes were also raffled off to students and the district nurses. Special awards were also given to the following schools in the following categories:

• Highest Increase in Vaccination Rates:
  • Borbon National High School
  • 90% (249 vaccinated learners to 1,113 vaccinated learners)
• Highest Number of Vaccinated Learners:
  • Dalaguete National High School
  • 3,081 learners vaccinated (3,081 vaccinated out of 4,012 enrolled learners)
• First to Achieve 90% Vaccination Rate:
  • Dapdap National High School
  • 49% (129 vaccinated out of 141 enrolled learners)
• Best Vacc to School District:
  • Pilar District
  • 61% (1,935 vaccinated out of 3,165 enrolled learners)

“Though the World Health Organization has already declared the end of the COVID 19 pandemic, we all know that the virus is still around, and the risks are still present. What this successful campaign has taught us though, is that if we all work together, as one community, and arm our learners, parents, and the rest of the stakeholders with the right information, we can inspire all of them to take actions to elevate their well-being. In return, we in RAFI will continue to sustain efforts to help our public schools and learners recover from learning poverty and continue to provide interventions to enable them to be resilient against learning loss,” said Riella Guioguio, RAFI Chief Operating Officer.

The success of the Vacc to School campaign is a testament that when communities come together for a common goal, we achieve and ensure a brighter future for our learners through creating safe and healthy learning environments for them.

“I personally feel safe entering the school premises knowing that I am already vaccinated. I feel protected against various illnesses, especially COVID-19. To the youth who have not been vaccinated yet, I encourage all of you to get vaccinated because it is for our own well-being, and it can boost our immune system. Getting vaccinated not only protects ourselves but also our families and society as a whole,” Keziah Mauro, student from Dapdap National High School in Pilar, Camotes Island shared.