Caritas produces professionals in face of Covid

DESPITE the bleak environment caused by the pandemic, Caritas Manila’s learning initiative for young people has managed to yield another batch of outstanding graduates for School Year 2019-2020.

The religious organization’s Youth Servant Leadership and Education Program’s ( YSLEP) graduates of college and technical- vocational (tech- voc) courses hail from the poorest provinces nationwide, as well as urban- poor communities in Metro Manila. Of the 488 coursefinishers, 28 received academic awards, with five Magna Cum Laudes, two Cum Laudes, 11 Dean’s Listers and 12 with special awards.

There are about 1,000 youth- servant leaders who finish their courses under Caritas Manila’s YSLEP per year. Currently, there are about 4,200 active scholars.

In the past 66 years, more than 10,000 scholars have benefited from Caritas Manila’s education program. The institution said that in 2019 alone, 98 percent of YSLEP scholars found employment six months after graduation.

All YSLEP graduates automatically become members of the Caritas Manila Scholars Association, or Camasa. Last year, the association donated P1.6 million in cash and in kind to support its mother- organization’s projects.

Caritas Manila said it strongly believes education is the best way for a student to get out of the poverty trap, as a college or tech- voc degree enables an individual with a 98- percent chance of helping his family overcome financial challenges. At present, there are 3.8 million out- ofschool youth in the Philippines.

According to Caritas Manila Executive Director Fr. Anton CT Pascual, “Education is the best social equalizer.” He also believes that “future servant leaders of the country will come from the poor.”

To support its projects, Caritas Manila accepts donations through Banco de Oro and BPI Savings. Donations are also accepted via Paypal, Ushare and all Cebuana Lhuillier branches.