Transforming Poverty into Opportunity
Kevin John Ortillo, Program Coordinator CORPh
Date Published
Estimated reading time
4–5 minutes
For many beach lovers, Siargao is the surfer’s paradise of the Philippines. Its beautiful beaches, soft sand, and breezing wind quickly capture the hearts of countless visitors. However, behind the orderly facade of the tourism industry lies a different reality—the daily struggles of island children.
Speaking to the School Head of Del Carmen National High School in Siargao, Ritchel L. Escobia (Ma’am Chai), we learned how education and livelihoods are often at odds for lower-income families. “I still remember when I was a child, a trip to the beach with my friends felt like a distant dream. They said playing wasn’t for people like me, and that my life was unfortunate.”
For Ma’am Chai, poverty defined her childhood as she had to balance the roles of student and farmer from the early age of five. “I wasn’t given any special treatment just because I was studying. They made sure I experienced what it meant to be a working student.“
In the areas of intervention served by Calls Over Ridges Phillipines (CORPh), the struggle continues today in Barangay San Fernando, Barangay Domoyog, and Sitio Campingganon. During our preliminary evaluations, we discovered many students juggle work and studies to survive on a meager allowance of Php 100 (2 USD) and a bag of rice weekly. These students come from families with a monthly income below Php 12,000 (USD 213) and according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the poverty rate in most areas of Siargao island is almost double the national average of 18%— 35.52% in Del Carmen, Surigao Del Norte, and 38.74% in San Benito, Surigao Del Norte.
For many students, after grade school further education quickly becomes inaccessible. Travelling far from their homes to pursue university feels like an impossible burden as the weekly commute and accommodation fees weigh heavily on their families, limiting the possibility of completing their studies.
CORPh’s Island Scholarship Integrated Program
In response to this urgent need, CORPh launched the Island Scholarship Integrated Program (ISIP) in 2023 in partnership with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Development Del Carmen Office. ISIP aims to provide sustainable financial support to bridge the gap between students’ current circumstances and their educational aspirations.
But ISIP goes beyond scholarships; it offers a path to understanding each student’s unique challenges through meaningful, long-term relationships with them and their families. In addition to financial assistance, ISIP also offers Creative and Social Awareness Workshops (CSAW) to ensure that the island children receive comprehensive support they need to continue their education. With engaging activities like arts and crafts, these workshops promote self-awareness and prepare students for the mental and social challenges of a new educational environment.
It is evident to Ma’am Chai that her self-awareness and determination were the keys to her success. Despite experiencing the harsh realities of life, some students remain consistent achievers in school, just like Ma’am Chai. With undeterred determination, she did everything she could to finish her degree in teaching. From writing her classmates’ research papers and homework, having a side hustle at a local kitchen, to selling spring rolls to her professors, she persevered to achieve her dreams.
Now that Ma’am Chai is one of those shaping the lives of island children, she constantly reminds herself to do her best for the kids and their parents for she understands deeply how challenging it is for islanders to achieve their educational dreams. Every time she has to fail a student, she makes sure to talk to their parents first to gain a better understanding of the kid’s situation, fostering a supportive community for each kid. To her, “every student who risks failing becomes an opportunity to connect…to truly understand the challenges they navigate.”
Ma’am Chai’s passion for ISIP stems from her desire to provide island students with the opportunities she wished she had. To her, kids today are very lucky, and that is why she put efforts into urging them to grasp this transformative opportunity. She truly believes that CORPh’s Scholarship Program is a bridge to a brighter future. “I hope they can now study more comfortably and be more prepared because excelling will be the best show of gratitude to the program. I hope they will be able to maximize the education subsidy for their immediate needs and realize that not everyone has the opportunity to go to school.”
As we continued to discuss the students on this transformative journey, Ma’am Chai expressed hope these students would emerge as role models within the school and their island communities. And with heartfelt anticipation, we excitedly envision the ISIP scholars blossoming into globally competitive youths, filled with empowered values, social responsibility and commitment to lifelong learning.
About the author
Kevin John Ortillo
Kevin is the Program Coordinator of Calls Over Ridges Philippines
and is based on the island of Siargao, Surigao del Norte.
