All pupils at the Papaya School, and those who subsequently receive an Apple Scholarship, come from families unable to meet their basic needs. Is there money for food that day? Loans are taken out for medical care (at usurious interest rates, as there is no collateral), and the homes are small, not watertight and unable to withstand the many typhoons that ravage the country; in many cases, there is no electricity or running water.
Entrepreneurship
Many of the slightly older pupils (scholars) have a part-time job. Not to pay for holidays or days out with friends, but to help meet their families’ (basic) needs
The same goes for Mary Jade. During her holidays (she has just started her final year of secondary school), she and her sister came up with the idea that, as well as making bags out of packaging strips, they could also make and sell ice creams themselves. Every morning, the enterprising sisters would get to work early, preparing the ice creams which they would then sell in the neighbourhood later that day. The girls’ earnings were a very welcome addition to the family income.
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