Help Children go “Back to School”
Purchase school supplies for children abroad through the Pearl S. Buck International Global Marketplace

August 28, 2012, Hilltown, Bucks County, Pa – While millions of children in the United States get ready to head back to school with shiny new binders and freshly sharpened pencils, many children in the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam do not have the supplies they need in order to be successful in school. Evangeline, a former sponsored child through Pearl S. Buck International’s Opportunity House, recalls how she “learned to write with a pencil so short you couldn’t even see it because I was hiding it…I also used hand-me-down notebooks.” Pearl S. Buck International would like for the community to keep children such as Evangeline in mind and browse the items in our online Global Marketplace to help children in need.

The Pearl S. Buck International Global Marketplace, at www.pearlsbuck.org/marketplace allows donors to direct their donation to a specific need such as school supplies, school lunches, tutorial classes, and school clothes and shoes. For example, a donation of $16 for school supplies will provide students in the Philippines with a school bag, 12 notebooks, art materials, pencils/pen, and printing costs for projects, ensuring that they stay in school and have the tools they need to learn.

The Global Marketplace is available to both individuals and groups who want to provide educational opportunities and equip children for the classroom. For example, a group of students in the fall 2011 high school leadership class raised almost $3,000 and provided educational supplies for 475 children at Pabahay Elementary School in Bulacan, Philippines. To browse the items in the Global Marketplace, which range from $8-$66, visit www.pearlsbuck.org/marketplace. For information about sponsoring a child through Opportunity House, visit www.pearlsbuck.org/opportunityhouse.

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About Pearl S. Buck International:  Pearl S. Buck International®* is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian organization headquartered in Bucks County, Pennsylvania which promotes the legacy and the dreams of the founder, Pearl S. Buck.  The organization upholds her commitment to improving the quality of life while expanding opportunities for children and promoting the values and attributes of other cultures.  Its mission communicates the injustice of prejudice and the need for humanitarianism throughout the world.  This mission is translated into action through its core services, The Welcome House® Adoption Program, the preservation and education interpretation of the National Historic site and the Pearl S. Buck House, and the Opportunity House which offers programs to provide health & education to the children of the world most in need.  For more information please visit www.pearlsbuck.org.