The impact of College Scholarship – A former scavenger enrolls in her first engineering class. A peanut vendor prepares for her CPA exams. We are reminded of the old Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish and he has food for a day, teach a man how to fish and he has food for a lifetime”. At LCP for many years, we have seen this proverb become a reality as we seek to meet the immediate needs of the child today and prepare the child to face the uncertainties of the future. Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty for generations to come.
Many jobs in the Philippines are available only to those holding college degrees. Examples are luggage porters who carry luggage at the airport, bellhops at the local hotels, and cooks and servers at the local fast-food restaurants. Those who do not hold college degrees continue to live on the margin of survival as they struggle to make a daily living performing casual labor (i.e., pedicab drivers, house maids) that have no regular hours and low pay. Therefore, a college education is extremely important in helping a youth and their family to overcome a life of poverty and marginal existence.
The LCP College Work Scholarship Program offers the youth, who are high school graduates, a hand-up that assists with tuition, school supplies, projects, transportation and uniforms. In exchange for the scholarship, the youth gives to LCP 20 hours per month of “Service with a Purpose (SWAP)”. They are assigned to the different offices at LCP and perform tasks that assist the staff in the administration of the programs. Scholars who excel in their courses of study may be assigned to tutor the younger sponsored children, who are having difficulty with course work in elementary or high school. The scholar is also required to attend the Youth Organization’s weekly Sunday School, Worship, Saturday Bible Study, and can choose to participate with the Door-to-Door Evangelism Team, Drama Team, Youth Choir, Praise & Worship Team, or serve as a Sunday School Teacher. All these activities provide opportunities to develop their talents, mature, and gain self confidence in their abilities.
