My frequent answer when asked why is " I can't take with me what I have to the grave".
Not that I am old and dying, hehehe. Far from it.
Charity, and giving scholarships, or helping friends, and strangers is not an alien idea in my part of the Visayas. But in the community where I lived, poverty is overwhelming that to be charitable would always make people wonder and asked me why? And my answer would always be the above.
Meet the scholars:
A - her father died when she was young. The mother can barely feed her, much less, send her to school. Took her when she was in High School. She finished college, and now working in a government institution. She is now married and has one child. Sending her to school was a challenge - "pinanindigan ko" - even if her expenses were competing with my wants and needs (budget).
E - brother of A, somehow he failed to finish his studies after prodding him for around 6 years. Now in Cebu - and I have no updates about his situation.
G - came to my house around 5 years ago. Just graduated, preparing for her board exam, and applying for jobs.
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New scholars:
Another E - she is a she, father got jailed, mother working as a bakery help in another City, has 3 brothers. Mother is hard up, so taking her in and she will start Grade 5 this June.
W - daughter of my farm helper. My farm helper's brothers and sisters (8 of them) failed to send to College any of their children. She herself has 7 children and no one finished college. Her dream is to have at least one child obtain a college degree. I am helping her.
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I am also sponsoring a community basketball team.
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I know these efforts are minuscule in the larger scheme of things. Much that I wanted to offer more help and scholarships to more people that I know, I am however, constrained by my finances.
What I am happy about is that my scholars are working hard despite the minimal financial and material help that I can provide. All of them are staying in the small house that I have in the City and this makes the whole endeavor easier.
I treat this efforts of mine as my small contribution to make our community/society a better place for all of us.
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This is all for now.
Not that I am old and dying, hehehe. Far from it.
Charity, and giving scholarships, or helping friends, and strangers is not an alien idea in my part of the Visayas. But in the community where I lived, poverty is overwhelming that to be charitable would always make people wonder and asked me why? And my answer would always be the above.
Meet the scholars:
A - her father died when she was young. The mother can barely feed her, much less, send her to school. Took her when she was in High School. She finished college, and now working in a government institution. She is now married and has one child. Sending her to school was a challenge - "pinanindigan ko" - even if her expenses were competing with my wants and needs (budget).
E - brother of A, somehow he failed to finish his studies after prodding him for around 6 years. Now in Cebu - and I have no updates about his situation.
G - came to my house around 5 years ago. Just graduated, preparing for her board exam, and applying for jobs.
-------
New scholars:
Another E - she is a she, father got jailed, mother working as a bakery help in another City, has 3 brothers. Mother is hard up, so taking her in and she will start Grade 5 this June.
W - daughter of my farm helper. My farm helper's brothers and sisters (8 of them) failed to send to College any of their children. She herself has 7 children and no one finished college. Her dream is to have at least one child obtain a college degree. I am helping her.
--------
I am also sponsoring a community basketball team.
--------
I know these efforts are minuscule in the larger scheme of things. Much that I wanted to offer more help and scholarships to more people that I know, I am however, constrained by my finances.
What I am happy about is that my scholars are working hard despite the minimal financial and material help that I can provide. All of them are staying in the small house that I have in the City and this makes the whole endeavor easier.
I treat this efforts of mine as my small contribution to make our community/society a better place for all of us.
--------
This is all for now.