How World Vision Is Trusting Us to Carry the Message Forward

Written by Christelle, Registered Child — ADP North Cotabato

I have known World Vision for as long as I can remember. They know my birthday, they have my photo, and somewhere out there, a sponsor knows my name. But until recently, I never fully understood why or how much work goes into making sure children like me are truly heard.

On May 28 and 29, World Vision staff and volunteers gathered us child facilitators, at AJ Hi- time Hotel for a two-day “Training of Trainers on Listening to Children.”

At first, I thought it would just be another seminar. I did not expect it to feel so much like being trusted.

WHAT WE LEARNED

More than just listening, it starts at registration

The training opened with an explanation of the Transformative Child Engagement Project, or TCEP. It is World Vision’s framework for placing children at the center of its programs.

Staff walked us through how sponsorship actually works: it begins the moment a child is registered, with a birth certificate, a photo, a video, an address. Every three months, our progress is monitored. I realized that the care I had always felt from World Vision was not accidental. It was designed, step by step, with us in mind.

The TCEP Roadmap showed us that this kind of care follows a clear path: first, understand the current reality; then, listen to children; plan for improvement; build culture and capacity; and finally, apply the right tools. Hearing it laid out like that made me proud. It felt like we were being shown a blueprint for something we are actually part of.

THE HARDER PART

We practiced and it was not as easy as it looked

On the second day, it got real. We were divided into age groups — 8 to 10, 11 to 13, and 14 and above — and given “what if” scenarios to work through. Each group had to plan how they would actually facilitate a listening activity: how to ask questions without leading, how to listen without interrupting, how to write down what children say without losing the meaning.

I watched a 12-year-old girl named Venice try to stay composed while leading her group through a practice session. Afterward, she said what many of us were thinking.

“In those two days, I realized that being a facilitator is truly not easy, and that World Vision has so many purposes and promises that can really help our children.”

— Venice, 12, registered child

IN HER OWN WORDS (CEBUANO)

“Sa sulod ka duha ka adlaw, dili jud diay sayon ang mahimong facilitator ug daghan jud diay purpose ug promises ang World Vision na makatabang jud sa atoang mga kabataan po.”

I understood exactly how she felt. There is a difference between being listened to and learning how to listen. Both take courage and both take practice.

WHY IT MATTERS

They are training us to carry this forward in our own barangays

The goal of this training was not just to teach us skills. It was to send us back home. To our barangays, to our friends, to younger children who may not yet know they have a voice and help them understand that they do. World Vision is not just asking adults to listen to us. They are asking us to listen to each other.

A survey was also conducted to find out how much registered children understand about how sponsorship works and why it exists. I think the results will surprise some people. We understand more than adults might expect. We just need to be given the chance to show it.

For me, these two days were a reminder that being sponsored is not just about receiving. It is about growing into someone who can give something back.

Even if that something is just a question asked carefully, in a circle of children, in a barangay where someone finally feels heard.