A Filipina OnlyFans creator who says she now earns up to £50,000 a month is using those earnings to build a school in Naga, a city in Cebu province in the Central Visayas region, after leaving school at 17 because her family could not afford the fees.

Maeurn Smiles, who grew up in poverty and has spoken about leaving education early, has already opened a small learning centre on land she bought in 2024. A larger school building is under construction on the same plot and is expected to serve about 300 children once completed.

Land Bought for 1.75m Pesos

Ms Smiles paid 1.75 million Philippine pesos (£21,054) for the plot in Lutac, Naga, in 2024, according to TMZ, which reported the story in August 2026. She first intended to donate the land so the government could build a public school.

That changed when she learned she could not name a state-run school after her late father. She chose to keep the land and pay for construction herself. The planned school is intended to be named the Edmundo Tolentino Memorial National High School after her father.

The learning centre opened in 2025. Local children attend science experiments, cooking sessions and other hands-on lessons there. Mothership reported that the main building could eventually serve about 300 pupils.

The main school is not finished, the report said in August. It is unclear how staffing and running costs will be met. The operational details could not be independently verified.

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From a Wooden Hut to Online Income

Ms Smiles grew up in poverty in Cebu. She has said her family lived in a wooden hut, and when the landowner decided to sell, there was no money for school fees as well as a new home. She had hoped to become a teacher.

She later taught English to Chinese students before joining OnlyFans, a subscription platform known for adult content, during the pandemic. She now reports earning up to £50,000 a month and has more than 3.4 million Instagram followers.

'I'm so grateful for this life,' she told the reporters, adding that her parents are 'very happy' with what her career has allowed her to do.

How Poverty Harms Children in the Philippines

The project sits within a wider problem. UNICEF says one in two Filipino children under five is food poor, meaning they eat fewer than five of eight essential food groups a day. About 13 per cent are living in severe food poverty, eating from two or fewer food groups.

The health effects can be lasting. A 2025 government nutrition survey found 25.3 per cent of under-fives were stunted, a level the World Health Organization considers a 'high public health concern', the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported in June 2026.

The WHO explains that stunting resulting from poor nutrition and repeated infections during the first 1,000 days of life can cause lasting effects on growth and development.

The damage extends beyond physical growth. Stunting often leads to delayed mental development, poorer school performance and reduced intellectual capacity, the Inquirer said. The Second Congressional Commission on Education has warned that it could deepen the country's learning crisis.

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