The St. Joseph Foundation, Inc. (SJFI) is the brainchild of the Aboitiz Matriarch, the late Mrs. Maria Lourdes Mendieta Aboitiz. Her initiative to put up the Foundation began in the 1980s when she volunteered to assist her friend in the soup kitchen. Mrs. Aboitiz wanted to develop a program which would offer opportunities for women to learn a trade, supplement their income and feel good about themselves. It was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a non-stock non-profit corporation on July 8, 1986. In the early 2000, the Foundation diversified its operations to include granting of financial assistance to Vocational Schools, providing sponsorship/scholarship to deserving indigent high school students and giving medical assistance to terminally/chronically ill patients. It is a family and grantmaking organization. Its principal office address is located at Aboitiz Corporate Center, Gov. Cuenco Avenue, Kasambagan, Cebu City while its administrative operations are done at AWC Philippines, Inc., 3rd Floor, Alegria Alta Building, 2294 Chino Roces Ave. Extension, Makati City.
Its purposes, among others, are “to be an advocate in the social transformation of the country by enabling less fortunate children, families and communities become responsible, productive and self-reliant; to help in the education of deserving indigent students thru scholarship grants; to provide financial assistance for the construction/upgrading of school building/facilities to public elementary schools situated in marginalized communities; to provide financial assistance to indigent patients with chronic illnesses for their medication and/or hospitalization; and to provide financial assistance to other organizations for their social welfare and disaster relief and rehabilitation projects”. The Foundation focused on the following programs: 1) Education/Infrastructure (Scholarship for secondary education and public school classroom building and improvements); 2) Health and Medical; and 3) Special Projects for Social Welfare and Disaster Relief & Rehabilitation. Geographical scope of areas: Cebu and Negros Oriental.
