College tuition in the United States
can be up to a hundred thousand dollars over a span of four years. That’s very
intimidating to think about. An elementary or high school education for
one year in Manila, Philippines
is $33 inclusive of classes, school supplies, and uniforms. Although Americans
easily spend $33 on a pair of jeans, $33 is a daunting number for those that
are impoverished in the Ramavile subdivision community.
Marisol, is a thirteen year old girl who doesn’t go to school because her
family can’t afford it. Her brothers and sisters don’t go to school either.
Only her older sister, Anne, who is 19 years old has the privilege of attending,
but she is only starting her freshman year in high school. A freshman is
supposed to be 15 years old, not 19. However, education is not a priority for
families when older siblings need to care for the younger children while their parents
try to find work, when money goes towards fixing a rented house that’s just
been flooded by the Ondoy Typhoon, or when a family of eight spend their meager
savings on food because they live off of about two eggs or half a kilogram of
rice every day. Marisol really wants to go to school, but if she were to start
now, she’d be placed in the 5th grade. Imagine, a 19 year old adult
getting the education of a 15 year old or a 13 year old teen getting the
education of a 10 year old. It is not uncommon for only one child in a family
of six to get the opportunity of going to school.
Regardless of the number ofhigh school dropouts in the United States,
elementary and high school education are privileges that are accessible and
financially viable to everyone in America,
especially when they are free in the American public education system. In the Philippines,
most children do not choose to drop out. Instead, it’s a dream that most can’t
afford to even think about when they are working (as soon as they are able) to
earn money for the food on the table and clothes on their backs.
Our contact and partner in
the Philippines, Emily, is currently interviewing the children we are working
with and talking to families to see which ones most need the education, are
eager to learn, and will work hard to prioritize their school work. My
teammates and I on the other hand are going to use our money to support several
of these children so that they can go to school for a year. Here is my $33 at
the very least because I want one child to share in the luxury that I had
experienced as a norm.
Tuition in the Philippines
is $33. You really don’t need that 5th pair of jeans. Sponsor a
child for school today!
