North Pasay Café Lab: Practical training and livelihood support for low-income families
Client: Telstra Foundation Philippines (CSR funder)
Implementing partner: North Pasay High School, in collaboration with De La Salle University (training partner)
Location: North Pasay High School, Metro Manila, Philippines
Project duration: 2016 – ongoing (paused 2020–2022 due to COVID-19)
Focus areas: Vocational skills training, school-based enterprise development, youth employment pathways, family microenterprise and financial inclusion.
Background
Telstra Foundation Philippines (TFP) is the charitable arm of Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications and technology company. As part of its CSR strategy in the Philippines, TFP has supported innovative education and skills-based initiatives aimed at improving opportunities for disadvantaged youth and their families.
The North Pasay High School (NPHS) Café Lab was the pilot of Dana Asia’s Café Lab model, designed to give senior high school students practical vocational experience through a working school café, while also addressing the root causes of school dropout: household financial insecurity. The project aimed to improve educational outcomes and equip students with employment-ready skills, while also enabling families to increase income through access to microfinance and training.
The challenge
Many students at NPHSl come from low-income households where financial pressure leads to irregular school attendance or early dropout. Parents often lacked the means to start income-generating activities, and students had few opportunities for skills-based learning to support employment after graduation.
Our approach
Dana Asia partnered with Telstra Foundation Philippines to develop a dual-impact program:
- Student vocational training in baking and food service, developed and delivered in collaboration with De La Salle University.
- Parent livelihood support, providing microloans and small business training to enable families to generate additional income.
Key program components included:
- Establishment of a fully functioning school-based Café Lab
- Skills training for 268 students in food preparation, customer service, and basic business operations
- Work experience placements for students within the café environment
- Disbursement of PHP 2.43 million (AU$67,000) in microloans to over 200 parents to launch small businesses
- Financial literacy, savings, and life insurance inclusion for families
The impact
- 192 students trained per year (Pasay only)
- 30 total NCII certificate passers (since inception, Pasay only)
- 80% pass rate of NCII test
- 100% student participation of grade 11 & 12 students to graduation
- Subsidized PHP 500 to 10 poor students graduates for NCII test fees in 2022-2023
- PHP 195,000 savings in recycled loan funds available
Lessons learned
Combining school-based vocational training with household-level income support creates a multiplier effect, improving school retention, family resilience, and future employment pathways. Collaboration with strong local training partners, such as De La Salle University, enhances impact and sustainability.
