THE STORY
Have you walked around the busy streets of Central, Hong Kong
on a Sunday?
This is where you will see thousands of Filipino domestic helpers flock to the streets and camp in their makeshift tents, made of plastic or cardboard boxes. Here, they are seen gathering with their fellow helpers, eating their favorite Filipino snacks, playing card games, and giving each other manicures and foot massages. Some can also be seen catching sleep on the cold ground. Unfortunately, this is a very common scenario every Sunday for our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong. The reality is that the vast majority of our Filipino migrant workers sacrifice their personal ambitions and dreams of finishing high school or college so they can work abroad. Most of them are breadwinners of their families who are left with no choice but to leave the Philippines, in order to provide financial help for their parents and children back home. With no high school diploma or college degree under their belt, the most they can aspire for are low-income jobs, such as domestic helper roles.
This has been going on for decades now, and unfortunately, it has become a continuous cycle for most of our migrant workers. While Filipinos are renowned for their hard work and resilience, these are not enough to secure employment in high-paying jobs. Often, the remittances of our migrant workers are insufficient to fulfill the needs of their families back home, thus pushing their children to work overseas as well as they are eligible.
Full Phils’ mission is to help our OFWs achieve their educational aspirations that were halted when they had to leave home and work abroad.
Have you walked around the busy streets of Central, Hong Kong on a Sunday?
This is where you will see thousands of Filipino domestic helpers flock to the streets and camp in their makeshift tents, made of plastic or cardboard boxes. Here, they are seen gathering with their fellow helpers, eating their favorite Filipino snacks, playing card games, and giving each other manicures and foot massages.
Some can also be seen catching sleep on the cold ground. Unfortunately, this is a very common scenario every Sunday for our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong. The reality is that the vast majority of our Filipino migrant workers sacrifice their personal ambitions and dreams of finishing high school or college so they can work abroad.
Most of them are breadwinners of their families who are left with no choice but to leave the Philippines, in order to provide financial help for their parents and children back home. With no high school diploma or college degree under their belt, the most they can aspire for are low-income jobs, such as domestic helper roles.
This has been going on for decades now, and unfortunately, it has become a continuous cycle for most of our migrant workers. While Filipinos are renowned for their hard work and resilience, these are not enough to secure employment in high-paying jobs. Often, the remittances of our migrant workers are insufficient to fulfill the needs of their families back home, thus pushing their children to work overseas as well as they are eligible.
Full Phils’ mission is to help our OFWs achieve their educational aspirations that were halted when they had to leave home and work abroad.
THE FACTS
Most OFWs only have ten years of basic education
Most OFWs only have
ten years of basic education
It was only in 2015, that the Philippine education system underwent reforms, extending the 10-year system by two years, and aligning it with global standards. In the context of the ASEAN region, the Philippines was the final country to maintain the 10-year education system, and globally, it was the last of three nations to do so. This belated reform resulted in Overseas Filipino Workers having just ten years of primary and secondary education. As these changes were only made in the last decade, most OFWs only possess ten years of basic education.
Thousands of Filipino workers seek better opportunities overseas to support their families and improve their livelihoods each year. These modern-day heroes endure a lot of sacrifices, including separation from children, adapting to foreign environments, and competing with a diverse pool of job applicants. According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), around 5,000 Filipinos depart daily for contractual work. Based on the data obtained by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) or Filipino workers who worked abroad from April to September 2022 was estimated at 1.96 million. This indicates an increase of 7.6 percent from 1.83 million OFWs in the same period of 2021. Of the estimated 1.96 million OFWs in 2022, 1.13 million (57.8%) were females, while 828 thousand (42.2%) were males. Out of the 1.96 million Filipino migrant workers in 2022, approximately 200,000 live in Hong Kong, or approximately 10% of all Filipino migrant workers worldwide.
Monthly Salary Allocation of OFWs in Hong Kong
An OFW typically earns a minimum wage of HKD 4,990 per month in 2024. Out of this amount, more than two-thirds are sent back to the Philippines to provide for their family’s housing, education, food, and medical bills. Therefore, there is very little left for the OFWs to spend on their own self-improvement, such as their education. This is where Full Phils comes in and fills the gap by providing them the scholarships they deserve.
THE PLAN
By the end of this year, we aim to provide 100 scholarships.
Full Phils is a non-profit organization that aims to encourage, motivate, and empower our OFWs in Hong Kong through online education by providing them with scholarships. Full Phils offers college degrees to those qualified.
While online education from the Philippines can be accessed anywhere, it is expensive, with a full college degree often starting at USD 6,000. This is approximately PHP 360,000 or HKD 49,000. Domestic helpers cannot afford this as they also need to support and provide for their families back home. This is why Full Phils is actively seeking both corporate and individual donors to help fund these scholarships.
Fifty per cent of the scholarship will be funded by the donations received by Full Phils. The partner school will cover 30%, while the scholar will contribute the remaining 20% to show their personal commitment to this endeavor. This means that each OFW would only need to shoulder less than 4% of their income. This is why a strong and supportive donor community is paramount. Your generous support will help our domestic workers reach their maximum potential and fulfill their dreams for a better future.
San Miguel Corp.
PLDT, Meralco, Metro Pacific, First Pacific
AMA University
Divina Law
Philippine Consulate, Hong Kong
In addition to providing our scholars with high-quality education, Full Phils is committed to making learning easier for them, strengthening other aspects of their lives, and building a sense of community. Full Phils has also partnered with other organizations to provide our scholars seminars, from time management tips to financial literacy.
THE FUTURE
Education changes lives. The income disparity between individuals with high school diplomas and those with college degrees is growing.
After college graduation, Full Phils scholars will achieve greater job security, better employment, and overall improved livelihood!
After college graduation,
Full Phils scholars will achieve greater job security, better employment, and overall improved livelihood!
Full Phils scholars who receive a college degree are estimated to increase their salaries by as much as 5 times while obtaining many other benefits.
THE FOUNDER
Emilio first gained interest in empowering his fellow Filipinos at the young age of 13. Growing up, Emilio had a very close and personal relationship with his Yaya Narlyn, who helped care for him since he was born. Upon moving to Hong Kong at 13, Emilio witnessed the significant presence of Overseas Filipino Workers. This was especially prevalent to him on Sundays, when thousands would flock and gather in the busy streets of Central. Our OFWs would spend their Sundays on the streets in cardboard boxes or makeshift tents, eating, dancing, selling knick-knacks, and some even sleeping on the cold, hard ground.
This Sunday scene opened Emilio’s eyes and made him realize that our migrant workers’ living conditions are inadequate and inferior. This is when it dawned on him that OFWs are not provided the opportunities they deserve despite their hard work and sacrifice.
After his intensive research on what’s going on around him, Emilio discovered that it is by providing education to our OFWs that we can help alleviate their struggles. By giving them the opportunity to study again and receive a college degree, more doors will be opened to them that will lead to better opportunities.