Loving Yourself Forward · Cebu, Philippines
Give $50 a month for a girl in Cebu.
LYF helps girls and young women from urban-poor families in Cebu get through the hard weeks. Each girl has people who know her by name and help her move forward: in school, in math, in her health, and toward an income of her own.
A US 501(c)(3) charity, EIN 99-2398558. See where the money goes.
April 2025 to October 2026
What has changed
Why help is needed
Why a girl in Cebu needs help
Most of these families have no regular income at all. They get by on an odd job when there is one, help from neighbors, and when that fails, options that put girls at risk. And many of the girls are minors, often on their own: the law limits what they can do and almost no employer hires a minor, so even Metro Cebu's minimum wage of ₱582 (about $9) a day is closed to them. Public school is free, but uniforms, projects, fares and a phone for online class are not. When money runs out, a girl is the one kept home, sent to earn, or left to find her own way, and a medicine or a hospital bill can sink a family for months.
Where your $50 goes
What $50 a month pays for
Across the girls in the study program, $50 a month pays for:
- Someone who caresStaff in Cebu who teach the lessons, listen, advise, and follow up when something goes wrong.
- Her study allowance₱250 (about $4) for each week she comes to the study session. She spends it on what her family lacks most that week, usually food, sometimes medicine, school supplies or the water bill.
- FoodRice and groceries for her family.
- School costsFees, supplies and school projects.
- HealthMedicine and checkups when she needs them.
- FaresGetting to school and to LYF's activities.
$50 a month covers one girl's share of all of it.
Some months a girl needs more for medicine or school, some months less. Your $50 pays one girl's share; it is not tied to one named girl.
One story · 2025
Angela needed surgery her family could not pay for.
Her family knew she needed an operation and could not afford it. PhilHealth, the Philippine public health insurance, covers much of a surgery like hers, but the family could not have applied on their own. Eushen, who runs LYF in Cebu, walked them through it, and LYF paid what PhilHealth did not cover. LYF staff were with Angela at each step, from the first checkup to the day she went home.
That is much of what LYF does: find the help that already exists, get the family through it, and pay the gap.
News
Latest from Cebu
News ·
The 2025-26 annual report
The year from April 2025 to October 2026: the girls in their own words, what changed for them, and where the money went.
News ·
From 35 girls to 75, and what changed for them
Since April 2025, 22 girls moved up a grade, 12 graduated, 36 mothers were helped through pregnancy and the first months, and 13 small businesses started.
News ·
More than 50 girls join a math class on Khan Academy
The goal is Grade 6 math for every girl: the math she needs to keep a budget, see what a loan really costs and price what she sells.
Practical lessons
Many study sessions teach one practical thing and end with a short review. Some recent lessons, and how many came:
- How to Know What Kind of Job Is Right for YouOctober 9, 202648 girls
- How to Ask for Help from the Barangay, Government Offices and OrganizationsSeptember 18, 202645 girls72 at the activity
- How to Avoid Being Taken Advantage of When You Need MoneySeptember 11, 202645 girls71 at the activity
- Demystifying Medical InformationAugust 28, 202640 girls
- Small Service Work Opportunities in the CommunityAugust 1, 202635 girls
Some of the girls in the study program.
Translated from Cebuano
In their own words
Girls and young mothers in the program recorded short videos about life before LYF and what is different now.
One of the girls
“I’m not the same as before. I’m stronger, more confident, and I know myself better. When I have a problem, I know I’m not alone.”
A young mother
“I have more peace now, and I’m stronger. I don’t cry the way I used to.”
One of the girls
“They are always ready to listen. They taught me to be strong, to think things through, and to look for ways to help my family.”
Open books
Where the money goes
Of every dollar LYF spent last year, 95 cents went to the program in Cebu: what the girls and their families received, and the people who teach and mentor them. The other 5 cents paid for bookkeeping, filings and bank fees.
Registered in both countries. A US public charity since March 2024 (EIN 99-2398558), incorporated in Delaware, filing with the IRS every year. Its Philippine operation is registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (September 2024).
The money in brief, the IRS letter and the Philippine registration
Why LYF exists
Patrick's story
I didn't plan to stay in the Philippines. Initially, I came here to set up a call center for a business. But the more time I spent here, the clearer it became that this is where my heart belongs.
During COVID, I saw the devastating impact of poverty on families and young people. I witnessed teens making heartbreaking decisions just to survive. I helped where I could. But I quickly realized that if I wanted to make a lasting difference, I needed to think longer-term. That's why I founded Loving Yourself Forward.
Give $50 a month for a girl in Cebu.
Monthly gifts are what let LYF say yes to more girls: it takes a girl in only when it knows it can keep supporting her. Or give once, any amount, or send this page to someone who would care. Most people who give to LYF heard about it from a friend.