In 2007, as I was in the Philippines for business, I met a teenage girl, Jessica, who was working for good friends of mine.  Although she was smiling and being very pleasant, I could tell that she was not happy.  At some point in the discussion, I asked Jessica why she was not happy.   It took some time for her to speak openly but she then went to describe the situation of her family which, due to her parents’ health challenges, was making about $50 per month to support 4 children and 2 adults.  I asked her what she would like to do if she had the means of doing it, and then her face lit up and she said: “I would like to be a nurse.”

 

I told Jessica that if her grades supported her admittance to the local college, I would pay for her study.  This is the project that motivated the creation of the One World Foundation in 2007.   She studied hard, passed her admission tests and registered to the local college.  Four years later she graduated as a nurse. 

 

One year later, Jessica contacted me saying that her younger sister, Ladylyn, had finished top of her class and had been awarded a scholarship.  However, the university was too far from their home and she needed to find a way to live on campus.  Ladylyn wanted to study electrical engineering!  So through the One World Foundation we have been able to support Ladylyn and she is now in her final year with stellar grades! 

 

The OWF also sponsored Alyana, their younger sister, as she studies in accounting.  We hope that this effort will translate over time into a program that can support underprivileged children full of potential, but missing the financial support to gain a strong education in order to become active citizens of the world.