"Education is not the answer to the question... but a means to the answer to all questions."                                                                      -- William Allin

This week on Crossing Borders on ANC, I interviewed the Project Manager of the “Tuloy Aral Project” (TAP) of the Overseas Welfare Workers Association. “Tuloy Aral” or Continuing Studies Project was launched by the Overseas Welfare Workers Association in December of 2004 and was conceptualized by Secretary Marianito D. Roque.

It’s a very interesting project that a lot of Filipinos overseas do not know about. I am referring to those who can avail of the benefits of the project, because they are in need, and those who can support the project, because they are capable. This nationwide project provides aid to the less fortunate children of former Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), and very poor and needy children, to continue their primary and secondary education by tapping Filipinos who are overseas as prospective donors.

By providing a financial support minimum of One Hundred ($100) Dollars, the donor can help send one child-beneficiary to school for a whole year, thus enabling the child beneficiary to stay in school and continue his or her primary or secondary education. This may seem as a nominal amount and realistically, does not cover the bulk of the school expenses. What it does however, is to subsidize other expenses such as school books and supplies, materials for projects, transportation, authorized school contributions, and allowance for the whole school year. This assistance will be of great help to the child and the child’s parents.

It is also worth noting that when a child-beneficiary is identified and supported, the assistance doesn’t stop at the disbursement of the funds. The officers from OWWA Family Welfare monitor each child-beneficiary’s progress in school. So more support for the child-beneficiary will come his or her way. For more information on the project, log on to the Overseas Welfare Workers Association website at www.owwa.gov.ph.

I’ve met so many Fil-Ams who want to give back to the Philippines. They speak about spending summers there to discover where their parents came from. They speak of sending money to build classrooms. They speak of one day going back and opening a business and give jobs. They just don’t know where to go, where to start, or who to talk to. To those people and the like, this is one project worth looking into. I’ve personally met the leadership of this program and they are genuine people who just want to give each and every child a chance. Although the child’s success in his or her chosen field is not guaranteed, giving them the opportunity and empowering them with the tools necessary to succeed can.

Atty. Michael Templo is an attorney admitted to practice law in New York State and Federal Courts and is a partner at Templo & Templo http://www.templolaw.com with offices in New York, USA and Makati City, Philippines. Atty. Templo specializes in US Immigration matters. Atty. Mike Templo is also a host for the weekly show “Crossing Borders” which airs every Thursday at 10:30PM on ANC and 2:30PM on TFC crossingborderstv.multiply.com. The discussion above is not intended as legal advice, and cannot be relied upon for any purpose without the services of a qualified professional.

For your comments and questions, Atty. Templo can be reached at info@templolaw.com or log on to www.templolaw.com.