100 scholarships raised online

Manila, Philippines -  The Kristiyano-Islam Peace (KRIS) Library, an award-winning organization that promotes education and literacy, recently concluded an online fundraising campaign for 100 indigent elementary and high school students from farming and fishing communities in Zamboanga City and a sprawling slum area in Metro Manila. Most of the campaign was done through the social networking site Facebook.

KRIS administrator Arizza Ann Nocum said, “Many have said that the Internet ‘dumbs down’ the youth and gives them access to activities they shouldn’t do. The KRIS Library Scholarship Fund has clearly disproved that. We harnessed the power of Facebook and the Internet to raise money for needy Filipino youth.”

Donations poured in through their page on gofundme.com, a fundraising website that accommodated PayPal and credit card donations. KRIS Library spread the word through Facebook by posting about the past 101 scholars of KRIS Library.

One such post focused on Joan Claire Pangan, a KRIS Library scholar who had recently graduated from high school as valedictorian, with more than 10 medals on graduation day.

Applicants come from two core areas. Sixty-seven had applied from farming and fishing communities of Manicahan, Poso, and Bungiao in Zamboanga City, while 45 students had applied from Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City, home to hundreds of informal dwellers.