“We believe we are called to help those in need, to be the hands and feet of Jesus by being His instruments on earth. Real LIFE Foundation was born as a response to that call of God.”

In 2003, practicing physician and then senior pastor of Victory Pasig Joey Castro started to quietly pay for the tuition of numerous poor Filipino students so they could stay in school and stay off the streets. Out of their own pockets, he and his wife, Tess, paid for the tuition and books of the students while their friends, joining their humble advocacy, shouldered the students’ weekly allowance. Their initiative gave birth to the LIFE Scholarships—an educational assistance program for high school and university students who lacked the financial capability to complete their education.

The success of these scholarships in the years that followed led to an increased demand for funding and programs. As such, the LIFE Scholarships Program was formally incorporated as the Real LIFE Foundation, Inc. in March 2007. Their mission was to “transform lives, families, and communities through hope and education.”

The handful of students that Doc Joey helped in that small community in Pasig City has grown to hundreds across the Philippines today. Real LIFE has expanded from its original home in Pasig City to other areas in the National Capital Region as well as in many parts of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. As of January 2019, Real LIFE has produced 418 scholars, propelling the foundation to be an instrument of God’s abounding love, serving the underprivileged youth of our nation and rewriting their stories of hope for a better future.

Learn more about the Real LIFE Foundation and how you can support their cause by visiting reallife.ph.

Thanks to your support for our Giving Journal, we are able to support the Real LIFE Foundation in their mission of changing lives and changing a nation through educational assistance, character formation, and leadership development. Get to know some of the Real LIFE Scholars and read their stories when you visit our page coffeebean.com.ph/caring-cup.