What began as an immigrant mother’s effort to give back to her homeland has become a source of stability and hope for hundreds of children fighting poverty in the Philippines.
Dr. Amelia S. Hernandez emigrated from the Philippines with her husband and seven children in 1971, eventually settling in Utah. She started Philippines Humanitarian because she never forgot where she came from, he daughter said.
“My mom was always wanting to give back,” said Erni Hernandez Armstrong, who lives in Park City and is the chair of the non-profit’s board. “And so this was a way that she found to give back. She rallied all of her friends, her church friends in the Catholic Church, and asked them if they would be interested in helping these students.”
The family focused on Payatas, one of the largest and poorest communities in the Philippines, located in Quezon City, just outside metropolitan Manila.
Part of that community, an area built alongside a former dumpsite, once drew in families who relied on scavenging recyclables. In July 2000, after days of heavy rain, a towering heap of garbage collapsed, burying dozens of homes and killing hundreds of people. Many of the victims were women and children living in makeshift housing at the foot of the landfill.
Hernandez and her husband began collecting donations and shipping boxes of supplies, school materials, clothing and essentials to the children in the area. Then, what began as support for 12 children grew steadily, and eventually, Hernandez Armstrong took over her mother’s work.
“When her health started to fail, she asked me to take over,” Hernandez Armstrong said. “I wanted to see if there was a way to expand beyond the 12 kids that we were helping.”
In 2012, the family formalized the work by founding Philippines Humanitarian as a nonprofit. By then, the program had already been operating informally for more than a decade, serving the communities of Payatas and Macabud.
“If you want to look at it that way, we’ve been doing what we’re doing for those children in those impoverished communities for over 20 years now,” she said.
Today, the nonprofit based in Salt Lake City sponsors 279 students, supporting them from elementary school through college. Most are matched with individual donors who contribute monthly.
Hernandez Armstrong, who has lived in Park City since 1986, said she was once the only Filipino person in town. That’s changed over the years, and she’s proud to see the community grow and contribute to the area.
“Many of our students are sponsored by fellow Filipinos in the U.S. In fact, one of our most dedicated long-time sponsors are Scott and Anita Parsons (a Filipino native),” she said. “They have been major sponsors of our annual fundraising event, Project Hope, for many years.”
Monthly sponsorships range from $20 for younger students to $40 for those in college. The funds cover school supplies, uniforms, transportation and, depending on the school, tuition or lab fees. In the Philippines, even public school students are required to wear uniforms, and many children face long commutes to attend class.
“We have 153 sponsors, Some of them sponsor more than one child” Hernandez Armstrong said. “Most of our sponsors are from the U.S., but we have sponsors from China, Australia, Singapore and the Philippines.”
“Some of our college students have to take two Jeepneys just to go to school,” she said. “Some of them have to travel four hours a day just to go to class.”
Hernandez Armstrong said one of the most important expectations is that the students’ families remain committed to their education. In communities where many families live day to day, that’s not always an easy ask.
To date, 96 students have graduated from college through the program, a number the organization expects to double in the next couple of years. Hernandez Armstrong also noted that 67% of the program’s graduates are women.
The organization’s scholarship fund supports college-level applicants each year through a competitive process. About two-thirds of applicants are awarded support, Hernandez Armstrong said.
More recently, the nonprofit launched a mentorship program to help graduates transition into the workforce. Alumni return to lead resume building workshops, mock interviews and peer support sessions for current students preparing to graduate.
“It gives them a leg up so they have a better chance of getting the jobs they’re applying for,” Hernandez Armstrong said.
Despite its long reach, Philippines Humanitarian still operates on a modest scale. The nonprofit has had limited success securing institutional grants, largely because many funding sources require money to stay within the U.S., said Armstrong.
Instead, the organization relies heavily on individual donations, many of them from Utah. Armstrong said community members and service clubs in Park City, like the Sunrise Rotary Club, have been consistent supporters.
“Many of our sponsors are actually from that club,” she said. “Many of the donors and sponsors are actually here in this community.”
Donations also go toward supporting another Philippines humanitarian program, Amelia’s Pantry, that provides meals and groceries to impoverished students and their families.
“Named after our founder, Amelia’s Pantry acknowledges just how difficult it is to learn on an empty stomach. Three days a week (over 10,000 meals in one year), we provide these meals to the children in Payatas, and every month, we distribute grocery rations to over 100 children and their families in the remote village of Macabud,” said Hernandez Armstrong. “Amelia’s pantry is implemented by our invaluable NGO partner in the Philippines, the Kapatidkita Mahalkita foundation.”
Each year, the organization hosts a fundraiser called Project Hope, their only such event of the year.
The next one is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13, from 5:30-8 p.m., at the Founders Room of the Zion Bank Building in downtown Salt Lake City.
Hernandez Armstrong recalled how many students in the program have written to say they never imagined life outside their communities. Through education, they begin to meet others with shared ambitions and start seeing themselves in new places.
“It expands their horizon so that they’re meeting other people at school who have similar goals,” she said. “Instead of having to stay in that impoverished community, they realize a different life is possible.”
For Hernandez Armstrong, the work is about more than school. It’s about expanding what children believe is possible.
“Instead of getting that expensive cup of coffee, maybe put that toward helping somebody,” she said. “It changes their entire future, not just their future, but the future of all the lives that they touch, including their families.”
For more information about Philippines Humanitarian see philippineshumanitarian.org.