For years, the children of Clarin Elementary School in Plaridel, Misamis Occidental, learned in chairs that had already served generations of pupils. Some were so old that they had once been used by the school’s teachers when they were still elementary students. When the chairs broke, parents repaired them so their own children could continue using them.

The school community did everything it could to make the chairs last. But after years of use and repeated repairs, the need for safe and comfortable seats remained.

That long-awaited change came when Security Bank Foundation, Inc. (SBFI) donated 50 new chairs to the school, each weighing 15 kilograms and made from 100% recycled plastic. LBC Hari ng Padala Foundation sponsored the delivery, helping bring the chairs to the school, while The Plastic Flamingo, also known as The Plaf, a French social enterprise based in Metro Manila, manufactured the chairs by upcycling marine-bound plastic waste into durable furniture.

For the school’s 118 learners, the donation may seem like a simple gift. But for a community that had waited years to replace its worn-out chairs, it means much more.

“It is not only a donation but an answered prayer and a reminder that our learners are cared for and remembered,” said Mrs. Maria Erica C. Ligason, Head Teacher III and School Head of Clarin Elementary School.

Established in 1950, Clarin Elementary School now serves 118 learners with nine teachers. Many of its students come from families of farmers, farm workers, small business owners and other members of the local community.

The project began when the teaching staff discussed the school’s most pressing needs. The condition of the chairs stood out. After years of making do with old furniture, the school reached out to SBFI for help.

“We had been praying that they could be replaced,” Ligason shared. “With hope in our hearts, we wrote to the Security Bank Foundation and humbly asked for assistance. With the help of Atty. Raymundo Francisco, we are deeply thankful to God because He answered our prayers.”

“Thank you very much to the Security Bank Foundation. This could not have happened without your help. Many of them used to sit on stools without writing tables”, shared Atty. Francisco.

For Grade 5 learner Jathniel Francis, 10, the new chair brought not only excitement but also a lesson. “Na-amaze gyud ko nga ang mga plastik nga gikan sa mga pagkaon mahimong lig-on ug nindot nga lingkuranan,” he said.

Jathniel was amazed that plastic waste could be transformed into a strong and useful chair, complete with a space for his books. For him, recycling became more than a lesson from a textbook, it became something he could see and experience every day.

The chairs show young learners that something considered waste can still have value when given a second life. In their own classroom, they can now see how caring for the environment can create something useful, helping nurture an environmental mindset at an early age.

For Clarin Elementary School, the journey of the chairs is meaningful. The school may be far from major urban centers, but the generosity of SBFI and LBC reached its classrooms and its children.

The 50 chairs are more than classroom furniture. They are a reminder that every child deserves a better place to learn, and that even small acts of kindness can leave a lasting lesson.

At Clarin Elementary School, these chairs are doing exactly that—supporting children’s learning today while teaching them to care for the world they will inherit tomorrow.