1 October 2025
Hope needed, School Gives her Hope
Six-year-old Jherica lives a life unimaginable to most. In the Taytay slum in the Philippines, her family’s cramped home is a patchwork of scavenged materials.
She sleeps on a floor that must be cleared every morning, her shower is a bucket of cold water, and the threat of eviction or a devastating flood is constant.
Jherica, her parents, and her grandparents live shoulder-to-shoulder, trying to make ends meet. Her father, Jessie, carries the weight of three generations, working seven days a week in downtown Manila, with his long commute consuming a significant chunk of his income. Her mother, Gracel, is expecting a baby and struggles to lift the family’s shared mattresses each morning.
The poverty is raw, but Jherica finds security, comfort, and hope outside her home’s fragile walls:
Jherica proudly holds her diploma—a bronze medal from a math competition—and shares her dream: “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher! My teacher is really nice, so I also want to be a nice teacher.”
What Jherica doesn’t realize is that the anchor in her life—the school—is in danger.
Global inflation has pushed all operating costs to a crisis point. The financial turmoil is forcing The Star of Hope School to consider severe cutbacks that will devastate its operations.
The Star of Hope is not just a building; it is a safe, hopeful place for children facing the harshest realities. If we are forced to cut staff and resources, we will be stealing hope from Jherica and her friends.
We need your help to save the teachers, the books, and the entire safe environment that gives these children a chance at a brighter future.
Jherica is relying on The Star of Hope School to reach her dream. Will you join us in stopping the threat of cutbacks?
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