Save It Forward and help see a visually impaired child through

At first glance, seven-year-old Carol Inere would seem like any ordinary student her age – playful, active, and friendly. But a closer look would reveal the young girl is visually-impaired.

 “Isinilang ko si Carol na premature, six months and two weeks, kaya nagkaroon siya ng ROP,” explained Carol’s mother Claudia, holding back her tears.

ROP is retinopathy of prematurity. It is an eye disease in prematurely born babies caused by the abnormal development of the retinal blood vessels. In severe cases, ROP causes permanent blindness.

Yet even with her daughter’s condition, Claudia tries her best to treat Carol as normal as possible. “Pinalaki ko siya na tulad ng isang ordinaryong bata.”

Claudia sent Carol to preschool at the Resources for the Blind in Quezon City where she learned to read and write using Braille. Today, at the Silangan Elementary School in Taguig, Carol is in a regular Grade 1 class.

English is Carol’s favorite subject and someday she wants to become a teacher. “Gusto kong turuan ‘yung mga bata lalo na ‘yung kagaya kong hindi makakita,” said Carol as she tried to envision the future in her mind.

Claudia simply wants her daughter to finish her education, up to college, if possible. “Gusto kong makatapos siya ng pag-aaral para kahit papaano, may magiging trabaho siya kahit ganyan ang kalagayan niya. Ayokong masabi na kawawa siya balang araw.”

The single mom admits that in helping her daughter cope with studies, it was Carol who taught her mother to “see” the real value of education. “Basta may pinag-aralan pala, hindi na hadlang ang pagiging bulag sa pagkakaroon ng magandang kinabukasan.”

Sadly, there are still thousands of visually-impaired children who are not as fortunate as Carol. Instead of learning in the classroom, they spend their days inside the house simply because their parents cannot afford their education.

Even though most of them have normal intelligence and an eagerness to learn, lack of education will eventually make them illiterate, blind adults someday.

You can help these kids get a much-needed education and a chance at a bright future through child sponsorships. Institutions like Resources for the Blind are always looking for kind-hearted people who can sponsor blind children like Carol through minimal monthly or annual cash donations.

With PSBank’s “Save It Forward” scholarship program, you can also get the chance to sponsor the education of a blind child by simply maintaining your peso savings, peso checking, and dollar savings accounts.

The beneficiary child will be awarded a scholarship for elementary, high school, vocational and college levels, PSBank executive vice president Rolando “Rolly” Rodriguez told The Star in a recent interview.

PSBank believes in the value of education which is why it came up with this initiative, he said.

The program also gives PSBank depositors the chance to win for themselves, their children or relatives, a one-year scholarship.

As such, peso savings, checking and dollar savings account holders can have the chance to win one of 100 one-year scholarships covering any year level between grade school, high school or college for his child or maybe a nephew or grandchild.

PSBank president Pascual Garcia III said the bank wanted to come up with an effective educational program.

“As a responsible corporate citizen, we wanted to come up with an effective educational program that benefits both an account holder’s personal scholar and a less fortunate child. PSBank’s ‘Save It Forward’ program was able to address both,” Garcia said.

Under the program, one entry number will be issued for every average daily balance increment of P5,000 for peso savings and peso checking accounts and $500 for dollar savings accounts.

As such, Rodriguez said the higher the ADB and the longer the depositors keep the account open, the more entries he gets and the more chances of winning in the draw.

Under the program, 25 winners each will be drawn on October 15, 2008 and January 15, 2009 while 50 winners will be drawn on April 15, 2009.

Through pooled child sponsorship resources, World Vision helps send children to school while Resources for The Blind helps with the education of a visually-handicapped child. Under the winner’s name, PSBank will pay for the completion of either the elementary or high school education of the beneficiary child.

“Education is important to Filipinos so we came up with this. In the future, there could be more. CSR is a continuing thing,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez enjoins everyone to participate. Interested parties, he said, may call the PSBank customer hotline at 845-8888