cenon c. perez educational programme inc., philippines

Edgardo is 14 years old, but he has never seen a classroom before. His father was taking him fishing to feed the rest of his seven siblings. When I spoke to him, he said learning how to read and write was his greatest ambition. But his parents couldn’t afford the cost – 200 pesos a year fees, plus books, pencils, travel, a decent pair of trousers – which I calculated was £50 a year in total. 

This was written by one of the board members of the Cenon C. Perez Educational Programme Inc. The charity started in March 2008, providing financial assistance to children whose parents are too poor to support their education. This includes children attending primary school, secondary school and college. Trust in Children’s grant to CCPEPI paid for 25 young people to attend secondary school and college.

As well as enabling these children and young people to attend school, CCPEPI supports their development outside school – and the development of their community. Through the Escuela Brigada Project, students are supported to volunteer with gardening and cultivating vegetable patches and fruit trees. Through the Adopt-a-School Feeding Programme, they help cook and serve food to children in local schools who are malnourished.

After the typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng hit the Philippines in 2009, even more families needed the help of CCPEPI – they lost homes, possessions and food. Project Handog Kapatid gathers donations of food and clothing for them, and recruits volunteers to provide support such as first aid.

TiC received letters from three of the children our grant has supported to go to school – thank you Joana, April and John for writing to us!