USAID grants P20 million for Pinoy out-of-school youths

MANILA, Philippines — The United States government has announced a new P20-million grant for Filipino out-of-school youths who will be able to continue their college education with the help of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Such funds will be given to Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) working on innovative programs to improve the lives of deserving Filipino students who cannot afford to go to school.

Administered through the USAID Opportunity 2.0 program, the announcement includes two types of grants – the “O2 GAIN Grants” which will address local development priorities for out-of-school youth, and the “O2-ASPIRE Grants” which will support partnerships between Philippine and US HEIs on out-of-school youth advancement.

The US embassy in Manila said the grants will help fund academic research, develop technological solutions and enhance the quality of services for out-of-school youth.

USAID mission director Ryan Washburn announced the new grants during the Opportunity 2.0 program’s Higher Education Learning Summit in Quezon City, which brought together more than 200 USAID partners from across the Philippines.

The summit highlighted the pivotal role of higher education partners in building a better future for out-of-school youth and provided stakeholders a space for further collaboration.

“Working together, we have been able to make progress and open doors for thousands of out-of-school youth to better education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities,” Washburn said.

To date, USAID records show that Opportunity 2.0 has supported around 35,000 Filipino youth by helping them gain employment, start their own businesses or go back to school.

“I am confident that this learning summit will facilitate meaningful exchanges, foster collaboration, inspire innovative approaches and find common ground to address the complex needs of out-of-school youth,” Commission on Higher Education Chairman Prospero de Vera said.

“I therefore express my gratitude to the USAID Opportunity 2.0 program and all the organizers for their vision and dedication for making this summit a reality,” he added.

“Education is the cornerstone of all progress, and higher education institutions play a pivotal role in order to accomplish this as they serve as homes for training the minds of the youth and preparing them for the challenges of the ever-evolving world,” Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto remarked.

“We view our higher education institutions as our beacon of hope. We are confident that with your help and support we can make out-of-school Filipinos return to studying and get the quality education that they deserve,” he said.

The US embassy said grant applicants may contact [email protected] or follow USAID Opportunity 2.0 program’s Facebook account on facebook.com/USAIDOpportunity2.0 and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/usaid-opportunity-2-0/ for updates and additional information.