A better me

A soft-spoken 10-year old student in Batangas, Ashley spends most of her life studying and helping her mom at home.

“I didn’t have any idea about child participation,” she says.

Sponsored child, Ashley (1st child, sitting), and her friends would help each other learn about school lessons

Then World Vision came to her community promoting child participation through various activities such as the Barangay Children’s Association and savings group for kids. World Vision also held several various activities to improve the children’s self-confidence and leadership skills. In all those, Ashley is an active participant.

“I was very shy at first, but I’ve learned to express more of myself as I attend more activities. I gained a bit of self-confidence. A bit because I still feel shy when there are many children, especially those I do not know,” she says.

For her dedication, Ashley would usually be the team leader during small group activities in her community. She even encourages her friends to do and feel the same.

Her friend, Nica, 12, saw the change in Ashley. “She’s now able to express herself with other children. She’s more confident of what she can do. She inspires me to feel the same way about myself.”

Ashley continues to encourage children in her community to study hard so they can achieve their dreams and help their community.

“I’ve never been in big cities like Manila. But I heard that there are lots of things that you can do there. I wish that our community would someday be like that, a place where there are opportunities for the children and our parents,” she says.

In Ashley’s community, most families earn a living by fishing. Men would usually do the job while women remain in the house to care for the children. With little income, families could only afford the basic necessities for their children such as food and education.

World Vision noticed the lack of opportunities for families to improve their lives that several livelihood training such as putting up a grocery and organic hog raising were offered to registered families. World Vision even supported small businesses by training parents about managing and marketing their business.

When pandemic disrupted schools and forced children and youth to stay home by a community quarantine protocol, Ashely and Nica would help each other with school lessons.

“We would also help our children,” Nica, who wanted to be a teacher someday, adds.

“When we go back to school, I promise to join many groups so I can better myself,” Ashley says, admitting how she missed going to school and talking to her teachers and classmates.