International health worker remembers life as a World Vision sponsored child
Frencess Ann is a 29-year-old nurse from Iloilo City. She is a soft-spoken and gentle person. She also loves to mingle with mothers and children.
“When I worked as a nurse in Iloilo, I was assigned in the pedia ward and the maternity ward,” Frencess says. “It was fulfilling to help our patients especially the children because they are full of joy. I could also see myself in them because I also had a memorable childhood,” she adds.
Frencess is referring to her World Vision journey which started during her elementary years. She can remember that her family struggled financially especially in providing her and her younger brother with their school needs before she was chosen as a sponsored child.
But her life took a positive turn after a sponsor from Canada decided to support her. She started receiving school supplies which helped her parents save extra money and allot it to other important expenses.
Aside from the educational support she received, she also attended leadership trainings and children activities that helped her improve her self-esteem and widen her circle. “There were plenty of memorable memories that I shared with my fellow sponsored children who became my close friends until now,”
When a devastating typhoon hit their community in 2015, the organization also reached out to them and donated food packs and clothing.
During college, she studied hard and thought of the people who helped her as her motivation until she finally finished her course. “Thank you to the World Vision staff who were always there for us and most specially to my sponsor, Mrs. Frances. Because of you, I reached my dream. Thank you to the letters you sent to me. I was always excited to read and respond to it,” says the former sponsored child.
After graduating, she started working as a nurse in a hospital in Iloilo for three years and transferred to another local hospital for one year. She also volunteered to World Vision activities during her free time. It was her way of thanking and giving back to her community.
“To World Vision, thank you for coming to our community. World Vision has a logo like a star. For me, it symbolizes hope. I was once a child who had a big dream and World Vision made it possible,” Frencess remarks.
In February 2020, Frencess moved to Germany to work as a nurse in the neurology ward. The young lady is already earning well and she also travels to many scenic destinations during her free time. Frencess is finally living her dream.
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Child sponsorship is more than just a monetary contribution. When you become a child sponsor, you are embarking on a mission to help empower the disadvantaged, make health and education accessible for children, lead communities toward self-sufficiency through livelihood opportunities, and so much more. You do not just impact a child, you impact his or her community.
