Helping Young People Continue Their Studies in 2026 at the Butuan Centre

What Is the Situation in the Philippines and in Butuan?

The economic and social context in the Philippines is complex, and schooling faces many challenges. Poverty can take the form of slums, as is the case in Manila and Cebu. Drugs and alcohol circulate widely and contribute to insecurity and violence. In the most remote islands, rural isolation makes access to school infrastructure difficult. In urban environments, poverty and corruption are widespread. Family breakdown is also very common, and many fathers are absent. Overcrowded housing, sometimes with up to ten people sharing the same room, can lead to emotional and sexual development issues.

It is within this context that the Children of the Mekong centre in Butuan operates. Butuan is a city in the south of the Philippines, located on the island of Mindanao. The inhabitants of Butuan are mainly of Visayan culture, but the city’s population also includes many ethnic groups from the surrounding regions. Butuan is the main university centre in the Caraga region.

Children of the Mekong runs a learning support centre near the city of Butuan and works in several surrounding villages. The island of Mindanao remains less developed than the rest of the Philippines. It is still largely rural and lacks infrastructure, particularly inland. For this reason, and also because of the attacks that have taken place there in recent years, it has a negative reputation in other parts of the Philippines. As a result, people are often hesitant to travel there or invest in the region, which contributes to the slow pace of its development.

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How Does the Butuan Centre Work?

For the past 22 years, the Butuan school centre has welcomed young people from across the island of Mindanao. When it opened in 2002, the centre hosted 18 students. Today, 35 students live there while pursuing their studies. These young people are supported by a social team consisting of a programme coordinator, a social worker and two Bambou volunteers.

The centre enables motivated students from very poor families to access some of the best university programmes in the country. Its aim is to provide these young people with a stable living environment and supportive study conditions that allow them to succeed academically. Beyond their academic education, the centre also seeks to offer students a well-rounded human formation, helping them grow intellectually, emotionally and morally so that they can strive for human excellence.

What Activities Take Place at the Butuan Centre?

Throughout the year, life at the centre is organised around a range of activities, some recurring and others more occasional. Among the regular activities are:

community service once or twice a month, such as providing tutoring support to primary school pupils
letter and card writing workshops for sponsors every three months
one hour of sport every Wednesday and jogging on Sunday mornings for the volunteers
a film screening on Saturday evenings
one family visit each month
an activity organised on the other weekends of the month

Alongside these regular activities, there are also more occasional events, usually organised once a year. These include orientation week, a visit to the city’s National Museum, a workshop on mental health, as well as sports, culinary or artistic events, and workshops focused on career guidance and professional integration.

These activities help strengthen the sense of community within the centre and allow students to develop important life skills. They also offer valuable moments of relaxation and personal growth alongside their academic studies.

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Philippines Butuan Education Centre — Activities at the Centre

How Did Students Take on More Responsibility in 2025?

Due to a temporary shortage within the educational team, students took on greater responsibility in the day-to-day life of the residence in 2025. They played an active role in organising events, sharing tasks and helping ensure the centre ran smoothly.

Although demanding, this experience allowed them to develop valuable skills in organisation, independence and teamwork, as well as leadership and communication. Some students coordinated their peers to make sure all tasks were completed, others helped raise issues or suggest solutions, and many learned how to manage disagreements or tensions within the group. Through this experience, they strengthened their sense of responsibility and commitment to the community.

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What Lies Ahead in 2026?

In 2026, a particular focus will be placed on developing the students’ artistic talents. The centre aims to encourage artistic expression and plans to create a choir open to all students who wish to take part. It is also considering setting up peer tutoring, allowing students who are more experienced in music to help others improve. The goal is to promote mutual support and the development of talents within the residence, in a welcoming and accessible environment.

Another objective for this year is to create more opportunities for interaction with other Children of the Mekong programmes, for example through sports tournaments or social activities. These initiatives aim to encourage exchanges and strengthen friendships between students. The centre is also considering organising an open day to introduce the residence and the organisation to local authorities and to develop local partnerships.

The Centre’s Teaching Approach

The Centre’s teaching approach aims to help students become ‘true leaders’ – well-rounded, happy individuals who are capable of committing to a project, fulfilling their responsibilities and helping those around them to grow.

Acquire a good level of academic skills

Getting to know oneself and gaining self-confidence

Open up to the world

Becoming a responsible adult serving the common good

Elma Student at the Centre studying for a teaching degree

Thank you!

Words cannot express how grateful I am to Children of the Mekong for choosing me to be one of the students at the Butuan centre. Education has always been important to me. This opportunity is the answer to my prayers. I grew up with my family, poor in financial terms but rich in love. Our life was not easy; it was full of trials, but my parents never gave up. I knew they could not afford to pay for my university education.

Now I am studying at the University of Caraga, the university of my dreams, for a bachelor’s degree in secondary school teaching, specialising in mathematics. Later, I want to become a teacher to share my knowledge with those in need. I believe that success does not happen by chance: you have to work hard and persevere, learn, study and make sacrifices, and most importantly, you have to love what you do or what you learn.

Here at the Centre, I am exposed to so many experiences that help me grow as an adult, express myself, gain confidence, and connect with the people around me who have a positive influence on who I am today.