Philippines Humanitarian helps children living in extreme poverty in the Philippines 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 Hernandez, a Philippine native living in the U.S. At the time, she was 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 but her children continue her legacy. Today, Philippines Humanitarian is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization helping two communities and 177 students (at last count) 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 the 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
211 East Broadway, Suite 218-A
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
info@philippineshumanitarian.org
You can also send letters directly to Kapatidkita Mahalkita Foundation at:
Kapatidkita Mahalkita Foundation
Longergan 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. You are also welcome to include gifts in the Balikbayan Boxes we send twice a year (typically April and October).
Yes, we strongly encourage our sponsors to support their students through 12th grade if at all possible. 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 graduation. However, it is important to note that a very small percentage (less than 5%) do drop out because of unforeseen circumstances, such as death in the family, additional financial burdens that necessitate their relocation, inability to go to school on a regular basis because of sickness, 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.
In the last five years since we were approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we have increased the number of sponsored students (1st grade through 4th year college) by an average 20% per year, bringing the total to 177 today. Our goal is to continue that trend on an annual basis.
70% of our students are female. In the last eight years, 25 of our sponsored students have graduated from college and 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 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.
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, only 10% of our revenue is spent on administrative and operational costs. 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.