Education transforms lives

Michelle is proof that hope is more than just a word.

If you could have met Michelle when she was a child, you would have seen a young indigenous girl whose family lived in abject poverty in Baguio City in Northern Luzon in the Philippines.

It is unlikely you would have envisioned that Michelle would grow up to graduate from university, with honors, and receive a one-year scholarship for on-the-job training at the United Nations in New York.

Michelle was able to achieve all this because of the generosity of friends of HOPE International Development Agency who made it possible for her to go to grade school, high school, and then university.

“I am truly blessed,” says Michelle. “The support did more than help me with my education; it taught me the importance of an education and how I can be of greater help to others, especially my fellow indigenous people.”

The people who have helped Michelle throughout her learning journey are blessed as well because they know they have freed her from poverty.

Without an education, Michelle would be living a completely different life today.

Poverty would be her teacher and the lessons would be heartbreaking.

Indigenous people like Michelle live on the margins of Philippine society. They suffer because they lack the basic necessities of life, such as clean water, healthcare, education, and livelihood opportunities.

HOPE International Development Agency is addressing these needs through spring capping to create clean water supplies, agricultural training to help farmers grow more food, and livelihood support to establish a means of family income – all of which transform the health of children.

Transforming the minds of children is equally important, especially when we see the opportunities an education can create - as it has for Michelle.

“Every school year did not only bring me closer to my dream, but also blessed me with meaningful insights and experiences. I treasure all these memories in my heart. They are a source of strength and joy as I begin a new way of participating in the task of building communities and my beloved country,” says Michelle.

Friends of HOPE made it possible for Michelle to grow up and become the kind of person we all admire.

She is now giving back to her community and beginning a cycle of hope!

You can make a child’s dream of going to school come true. You can be the person who transforms a child’s mind and life!

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