FAQ

Philippines Humanitarian offers children living in destitute conditions in the Philippines an opportunity to get an education so they can escape the cycle of poverty, improve their lives and look forward to their future.

Philippines Humanitarian was started as a grassroots organization approximately 20 years ago by Amelia and Diosdado Hernandez, Philippine natives living in the U.S. At the time, they were helping 12 students in the Village of Payatas, a community that was built on the largest open dumpsite in the Philippines. Mrs. Hernandez died in 2014 and Mr. Hernandez in 2019, but their children continue their legacy. Today, Philippines Humanitarian is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization helping two communities and over 200 students fulfill their dreams of a better life.

Philippines Humanitarian relies primarily on individual and corporate contributions for revenue. A fundraising event is also held annually to raise money (currently constituting approximately 15% of total revenue). Additionally, applying for grants is an ongoing endeavor that we hope will generate a larger percentage of future revenue.

We evaluate our success by:

• The number of students we are able to sponsor and support his/her schooling
• The number of college scholarships we are able to offer students who meet rigorous criteria, including scholastic performance, poverty level, command of the English language, community involvement, and commitment to pay it forward
• The number of sponsored students who successfully graduate from college
• The number of college graduates who find gainful employment in a professional field
• The percentage of college graduates who pay it forward by sponsoring other students and/or helping their own families by supporting other students in their families
• The number of meals we’re able to provide to children in the community
• The number of care packages that are distributed annually to impoverished communities in the Philippines

Philippines Humanitarian offers the following programs that are intended to support our mission of providing indigent children with the opportunity to get an education as a way to escape poverty:

• Student Sponsorship – Helps indigent children go to school, funding costs required for school, including tuition, transportation, school supplies, uniforms, etc.
• Amelia S. Hernandez (ASH) College Scholarship – Offered to eligible students who meet strict criteria, including scholastic performance, poverty level, command of the English language, etc.
• PH Café – Program created to provide one meal a day, five days per week to children in the Payatas community
• Amelia’s Pantry – Disaster Relief program that provide basic necessities for victims of disasters such as typhoons, fires, and earthquakes.
• Balikbayan Box (Care Packages) Program –  Care packages are sent twice a year to communities in need in the Philippines, including Payatas and Macabud. Content usually includes school supplies, toiletries, apparel, backpacks, and other materials needed by impoverished families in these communities. Sponsors of students may also send personal gifts through the Balikbayan Box program.

Students and sponsors are encouraged to communicate with each other via Philippines Humanitarian. You can send any form of communication to us at the address below. Please include your child’s name with your correspondence. We will deliver any letters to the Kapatidkita Mahalkita Foundation (the certified NGO in the Philippines that administers our programs) to be distributed to your sponsored student(s).

Philippines Humanitarian

124 South 400 East, Suite 400

Salt Lake City, UT 84111

info@philippineshumanitarian.org

You can also send letters directly to Kapatidkita Mahalkita Foundation at:

Kapatidkita Mahalkita Foundation

ATTN: Eva Aquino, Program Director

Lonergan Center, Loyola House of Studies

Ateneo de Manila University

Loyola Heights, Quezon City

Philippines

Please note that, for the protection of anyone involved in our program, we reserve the right to read any exchanges between sponsor and child.

Yes! Please contact us at 801-613-8189 or send an email to info@philippineshumanitarian.org if you are interested in sending a personal gift to your student. We do not recommend that our sponsors send packages with any monetary value (including checks or cash) through the Philippine postal service. If possible, please include your gifts in the Balikbayan Boxes we send twice a year (typically April and October) or ask us about making a direct wire transfer for cash gifts.

Yes, we strongly encourage our sponsors to support their students through Grade 10, if at all possible. In fact, many of our sponsors have chosen to sponsor their student(s) through college. It should be noted that the contribution amount of $20/month changes once the student graduates from high school (Grade 10) and prepares for college. College preparatory courses (Grades 11-12) are required to qualify to apply for college. This level of sponsorship is $25/month/student. If the student succeeds in qualifying to register for college, the level of sponsorship is $40/month/student. It also very important to note that any contribution a sponsor makes towards a student’s education is sincerely appreciated by the student, the student’s family and Philippines Humanitarian.

Because we closely monitor our students and their families to ensure they are meeting program requirements, most of our students remain in the program through high school graduation (Grade 10). However, it is important to note that a very small percentage (less than 5%) do drop out because of unforeseen circumstances, such as a death in the family, additional financial burdens that necessitate their relocation, inability to go to school on a regular basis because of chronic illness, etc. In the unlikely event that your student drops out of the program, we will notify you immediately so you can decide whether to continue your involvement by sponsoring another student in need.

Since we were approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is 2012, we have increased the number of sponsored students (1^st grade through 4^th year college) by an average 20% per year, bringing the total to over 220 today. Our goal is to continue that trend on an annual basis.

• 70% of our students are female
• Since 2010, 28 of our sponsored students have graduated from college
• 95% of them have successfully found employment in a professional field.
• 85% of the newly employed graduates choose to stay in Payatas to help their families and improve their community.

There are many ways to get involved in any of the programs we offer:

• You can make personal donations.
• You can ask your company to match your personal donation.
• You can ask your company to be a corporate sponsor of our program(s).
• You can attend or sponsor our fundraising event.
• You can ask your company to be a corporate sponsor of our fundraising event.
• You can donate items for our Balikbayan Boxes.
• You can volunteer to help with our fundraising event or to organize the shipment of our Balikbayan Boxes.
• You can participate in Amazon Smile, where Philippines Humanitarian is a certified charitable organization, and select us as your non-profit of choice. Once you select Philippines Humanitarian, just make sure to go to Amazon Smile (https://smile.amazon.com) to make your Amazon purchases. For more information, go to https://blog.aboutamazon.com/community/how-to-sign-up-for-amazonsmile.

Yes. Because Philippines Humanitarian (EIN 45-5327723) is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

100% of your donation is earmarked for the program of your choosing. Philippines Humanitarian does not charge any fees on your donations. In fact, we pay for any transaction fees ourselves to ensure that our programs get the full benefit of your contribution.

We give our donors the option to designate their contribution as “unrestricted”. If that is the case, our Board of Directors will determine the program that your donation will best serve. Note that, because we have an all-volunteer Board and staff, less than 10% of our revenue is spent on administrative and operational costs. More than 90% is allocated to programs.

Please consult your lawyer about drafting a will that includes Philippines Humanitarian as a beneficiary in your will or trust.