January 17, 2025
Partners in Tzu Chi’s educational support programs attend Year End Blessing Ceremony
By Dorothy Castro
The recently held Year End Blessing Ceremony on January 12 was not only a moment of celebration of Tzu Chi Philippines’ milestones but also a chance to thank the foundation’s partners who greatly contributed to the success of Tzu Chi’s missions.
A connection rooted in compassion is one way to describe the joined hands between Tzu Chi and its partner institutions. Regardless of religion and personal beliefs, the desire to help creates an impact on communities, uplifting their lives.
It is through these crucial collaborative efforts that aspiring students gain the knowledge and skills they need to create a bright future for themselves and their families, empowering them to build their career paths and in turn, helping others to do the same.
In 2024, Tzu Chi’s mission of education succeeded in bringing opportunities to underprivileged families, with various scholarships offered across the National Capital Region, Bicol, Bohol, Cebu, Ormoc, Palo, Pampanga, Zamboanga, Davao, and Iloilo.
Through these partner institutions, the foundation supported 1,550 students in their journey as scholars in its educational assistance program (EAP) and technical-vocational (TechVoc) program, with 191 college graduates and 39 TechVoc graduates in 2024.
With this momentous success, Tzu Chi and its partner institutions are just as happy and proud, if not more, to see these scholars become professionals in their own fields.
Known for honing the country’s professional educators through its teaching programs, the Philippine Normal University (PNU) has maintained its relationship with the foundation for more than a decade. Since 2008, more than 56 Tzu Chi scholars have graduated from PNU. The university currently has 43 students under Tzu Chi’s EAP.
It is the shared vision of helping students that keeps Tzu Chi and PNU’s relationship going, says Denmark Yonson, vice president for Student Success and Stakeholder Services at PNU.
Creating livelihood opportunities for breadwinners is also one of Tzu Chi’s key milestones, made possible through its TechVoc and livelihood programs that started in 2010. The TechVoc program not only offers skills teaching but, most significantly, an on-the-job (OJT) experience that puts the scholars’ knowledge to the test in the following disciplines: caregiving, refrigerator and air-conditioning servicing (RAC), machine operation (MOC), and welding.
This prepares them for their certification exams, which allows the students to assess their overall skills and competencies in order to succeed in the workforce.
To make this possible, Tzu Chi partners with institutions that take in these deserving scholars for their OJT. Currently, Tzu Chi has 12 partners for its TechVoc and livelihood programs.
In this field, Tzu Chi’s TechVoc scholars stand out not only in terms of skills but also in attitude and outlook in life.
“We’ve seen their passion in their work,” says Annabelle Ramos, operations head of La Verna Aged Care and Dementia Village. Nurturing this partnership for almost two years created a bridge for education among caregiving students.
Yonson observed the same compassion among PNU’s Tzu Chi scholars.
“They really do good for the communities that they help,” he added, reaffirming Tzu Chi’s dedication towards fostering a holistic learning experience for its scholars through skills-building and values formation.
Another blooming partnership in providing quality education is with the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD). Through this, Tzu Chi and UPD aim to further strengthen and transform their shared vision of education for underprivileged but deserving students into a reality in the coming months.
“We’re very thankful and excited with this partnership with Tzu Chi,” says Bumbee Tuwagon, admin assistant II of UPD Office of Scholarships and Grants. “We look forward to a longer relationship with you, so we can help more students together.”
Looking forward to 2025, partners are just as ecstatic as Tzu Chi as they continue to support more students.
Help Tzu Chi Philippines help others by supporting its key missions. Any amount is greatly appreciated.
Tzu Chi Foundation Bank Account Name: Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines Inc.
Metrobank Account Number: 163-3-163-07190-9
Banco de Oro Account Number: 011-9-7800-180-0
DSWD Authority/Solicitation Permit No. DSWD-SB-SP-00055-2024 VALID UNTIL OCTOBER 28, 2025, NATIONWIDE
Tzu Chi academic scholars (in light blue) and Technical-Vocational scholars (in light brown) were present in the Year End Blessing Ceremony last January 12 at the Jing Si Hall, Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus, Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Tzu Chi scholars hold candles as they pray.
At the end of the Year Eng Blessing Ceremony, participants take turns pouring their collected coin donations in a large container for Tzu Chi’s charity programs.
Tzu Chi chorale members perform a touching sign language piece during the Year End Blessing Ceremony.
Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez distributes angpao, auspicious red envelopes containing commemorative coins from Dharma Master Cheng Yen.
Tzu Chi Philippines Deputy CEO Woon Ng helps in the distribution of angpao, or a lucky red envelope.
Officers from the University of the Philippines Diliman, a partner institution of Tzu Chi, participate in the ceremony’s concluding prayer.
Annabelle Ramos, operations head of La Verna Aged Care and Dementia Village, expresses her gratitude to Tzu Chi for the partnership. “We're happy that we're also given a chance to help these caregivers and we're happy for Tzu Chi for giving them a chance as well to study caregiving, for them to have the opportunity to have work outside the foundation,” Ramos says.
“Tzu Chi Foundation and the Philippine Normal University share the same vision and that is to help our students graduate and have a degree and become competitive in this world for jobs and opportunities also to help others,” says Denmark Yonson, vice president of Student Success and Stakeholder Services in Philippine Normal University.
Miguel Bustamante (left) and Bumbee Tuwagon (right) from the University of the Philippines Diliman Office of Scholarships and Grants (OSG) look forward to the upcoming collaborative efforts with Tzu Chi Foundation.