Catholic University Philippines Scholarship Programme: Empowering Youth in Poverty

The Catholic University Philippines Scholarship Programme, initiated by Fr Steve Tynan MGL in 2016, is especially for young girls and boys in the parish from the squatters area who are living in poverty. Most of these young people are already serving in the church, with some in high school (14 or 15 years old) and others already pursuing university degrees. Fr Rey explains, “We provide for their transportation allowance as soon as they enter the programme until they finish their university degree. Most of them are striving for a better life, not just for themselves but for their families. When they start to earn money, they begin to invest in a house or land elsewhere, slowly helping to move their families out of the squatter area.”