Open Heart Foundation Worldwide, Inc.

One of the services provided by the Open Heart Foundation to its beneficiaries under the Children and Youth Development Program is conducting home and school visits or monitoring to see the condition of the students at home and how they are performing in school.

For the school year 2009 - 2010, a total of fourteen (14) college students were granted educational support by the Foundation. The support for these students was provided by the Caranto siblings through Mely Caranto Rey, a Filipino who migrated to the United States. The Carantos trace their roots to Bayambang, Pangasinan. The students they support are graduates of the Bayambang National High School where their mother used to teach.

The two most important criteria in choosing the beneficiaries are: inability of the family to support their child through college and that the student should belong to the cream of the graduating class.

During the visit there was an informal meeting with the students where they had an individual sharing of update on their school activities. The terms stipulated in the contract for educational support were also thoroughly explained and discussed. A new set of officers was chosen. The group has to meet regularly for group sharing and that they should also conduct activities for community outreach. Initial financial support was distributed.

New entrants to the program were visited in their homes. A German social work student who is with the Open Heart Foundation for her internship joined the monitoring visits. It was an unforgettable experience for her because she had to wade on knee-deep water to reach the homes of some of the students they visited. Even inside some of the houses, it was inundated. The family has to share a small bed for sleeping. Despite this situation, the beneficiary still goes to school regularly. In another family visited, there were ten family members sharing an old nipa hut. Despite this condition, the beneficiary is determined to pursue her studies. When not studying, she sells vegetables in order to have some money for her other school needs and that of her family.

These are some of the realities in the lives of the students supported by the Foundation. In spite of their difficult situations they are very eager and willing to finish higher education. They believe that poverty is never a hindrance to the pursuit of their dreams. They have a positive outlook of life and hope to be able to help their families when they finish college and get a job in the future.