Youth get to study in college through Caritas Manila scholarship program

TAGUM CITY—Caritas Manila has been sponsoring the college education of many young people in Manila and Luzon but now, they are extending their help to the people in Visayas and Mindanao.

The Young Student Leader Education Program (YSLEP) for years, has been instrumental for the education of young people from poor families. The program reached Visayas, particularly in areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda and also in Mindanao in 2013.

YSLEP organized the 3rd general assembly Implementing Caritas Partners (ICP) last May 15 to 17 in Tagum City. Some 29 participants coming from different ICP’s in Mindanao have gathered in Tagum City to listen to the experiences of one another in implementing the scholarship program as well as their difficulties in handling the program.

It was learned that in the Davao, Digos, Tagum and Mati (DADITAMA) subregion, only the Diocese of Tagum has this program for some 69 scholars. The Social Action Center headed by Fr. Emerson Luego handles YSLEP with Frank Cinco as the program in-charge.

The Archdiocesan Social Action Center of Davao (ASAC) Davao represented by Sr. Marissa Arado, TDM, and Fely Mordeno attended the general assembly to learn about the program as the Archdiocese of Davao will become an ICP of YSLEP in the future. Other ICPs are coming from the dioceses of Tandag, Surigao, Butuan, Malaybalay, Iligan, Dipolog, Ipil, Zamboanga, Kidapawan and Marbel. Most of the ICPs are either religious congregations, non-government organizations or the dioceses themselves.

“In the entire Philippines, Mindanao has the biggest number of poor families that’s why Caritas Manila extended its program here,” said YSLEP Regional Coordinator for Mindanao, Daniel Castillo, adding that there are already 540 scholars in Mindanao.

Caritas Manila provides for the maximum P10,000.00 tuition fee per semester including P1,000 per month allowance for every student. The ICPs will handle the screening of interested scholars and will do the monitoring of their grades every semester. The ICP will also handle the monthly formation of the students who will also be encouraged to take active participation in their parishes or in Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC).

“The program is not only a scholarship program of young people from indigent families. It is also a leadership program teaching them how to become future leaders,” Castillo said. He added that they will also help in supporting the program in the future, saying that education will help in alleviating the poverty.