Grab, HOPE break ground on new classroom in Bicol
Grab Philippines and HOPE have broken ground on a new public school classroom in Manito, Albay, after raising about P1.4M through in-app donations that turned everyday rides, meal deliveries, and rewards points into funding for education infrastructure.
The funding came from a combination of user-donated GrabRewards points through GrabBayanihan, which allowed customers to channel “GrabCoins” to the project; and a dedicated “Grab HOPE Hour” drive that generated additional donations from GrabCar rides and GrabFood deliveries during a designated 60-minute window.
The classroom will rise inside Inang Maharang Elementary School, which serves more than 100 students in the remote barangays of Manito. Partners selected the site after Typhoon Uwan damaged public facilities in the area and destroyed two makeshift classrooms at the school, leaving students without safe learning spaces and highlighting the urgent need for permanent, resilient structures.
Grab Philippines Country Head Ronald Roda shares, “Grab is dedicated to moving not just goods and people, but also moving malasakit into action. Together with HOPE, we’re giving our users a simple way to participate in digital bayanihan, turning their everyday rides, deliveries, and rewards into real classrooms. These are new safe spaces where Filipino children can learn, dream, and grow. By making it easier for communities to support these initiatives, we help build a stronger foundation for the country’s next generation.”
Securing the Future
The Grab and HOPE classroom, designed as a 7-by-9-meter learning space with four windows, wall-mounted electric fans, complete electrical wiring with outlets and lighting fixtures, and an in-room bathroom with full plumbing. It will also include standard interior fixtures such as a teacher’s desk and a chalkboard.
HOPE Founder and Executive Chairperson Nanette Medved-Po underscored how the partnership is a major part of HOPE’s programs and is giving significant impact on public school education. “We are so excited about the ways we can continue to work with the Grab community to give their contribution and make an impact to public school education in the Philippines. HOPE’s partnership with Grab has been very engaging and exciting for their subscribers: from converting their Grab points to donations, to mounting last October our first-ever GRAB HOPE Hour, when every ride, every order contributed to the classroom we’re building in Bicol. This classroom is the first of many that we hope will not only guarantee safe access to learning but inspire communities around business for good. We look forward to more activities with Grab this coming new year, and more classrooms for our public schools.”
The companies plan to sustain the collaboration through 2026, expanding infrastructure and development initiatives beyond Bicol. To participate, users can navigate to the GrabRewards catalog in-app and allocate points to HOPE.
“This classroom serves as the starting line of our shared vision to bridge the educational infrastructure gap in the Philippines. We are dedicated to scaling this initiative, ensuring that our technology continues to translate into tangible structures for communities across the country,” Roda adds.
