PRESS FEATURE
This New Children’s Book Is Funding a Scholarship That Helps OFWs Go Back to School
This article was originally published in When In Manila.
Stories have the power to bridge oceans—and one new children’s book is doing just that.
Full Phils, a youth-led non-profit helping Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong return to college, launched its first children’s book A Heart in Two Places at Museo Pambata.
Written by Full Phils founder Emilio Baja, the book tells the heartfelt story of Arlyn, a domestic worker in Hong Kong who longs to be reunited with her three children in the Philippines.
While she rises before dawn to care for another family abroad, her heart remains tied to her own back home.
Designed for children aged five and up, A Heart in Two Places introduces young readers to the realities of life as an OFW while carrying a universal message of love, resilience, and hope.
But more than just a storybook, every copy of A Heart in Two Places becomes a stepping stone for OFW scholars. 100% of proceeds from sales go directly to Full Phils’ scholarship program, which has already helped nearly 30 OFWs in Hong Kong return to their college studies.
The organization is set to celebrate its first batch of graduates in 2025.
“The book bridges two different worlds: the one where OFWs live abroad, and the one they long for back home,” shares Baja. “Through this story, we hope both children and parents understand that sacrifice can lead to opportunity, and that education remains one of the most powerful tools to accomplish their dreams.”
Following its Manila debut, A Heart in Two Places showcased at the Manila International Book Fair on September 10–14, 2025 at the SMX Convention Center. The book will be headed to the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 15–19, 2025 in Germany—the largest international book fair in the world.
Readers can get a copy through Full Phils’ social media pages, via Google Form and email, and soon in select bookstores and online platforms nationwide.
By turning every purchase into a scholarship, Full Phils continues its mission of making higher education more accessible for OFWs, showing how one simple children’s story can carry an impact that spans generations.