The journey of a former sponsored child
Philippines – Helping children realize their full potential is one of the aspirations of World Vision when bringing development work to many communities in the Philippines. The story of one former sponsored child is a living testimony of how the organization brings positive impact to many lives.
Jocelyn is a public school teacher. She hails from Sagbayan, an interior municipality in the province of Bohol. She shares that World Vision had been very important for her growing up.
Jocelyn is the eldest among three siblings. Her parents both work with enough income for their family to get by. Some measly times, however, put their family’s resilience to the test.
The organization started to sponsor her when she was still in elementary. Her family was identified as one of the vulnerable families in their community. She could remember the excitement she and other sponsored children would feel every opening of the school year. They would receive school supplies from their sponsors. Jocelyn can remember that she and her sponsor would exchange letters and that she considered her sponsor as her second parent.
High school came and her sponsor, through World Vision, continued to augment young Jocelyn’s schooling. She was also regularly invited to World Vision children’s activities. She eventually developed leadership skills.
“I was really an inhibited kid before but I became more confident each time I joined a World Vision activity,” remembers Jocelyn. “I was asked to speak in front of other children and mingle with them.”
Her participation in these activities was also the turning point in her life. She eventually realized her ambition of becoming a teacher. Each time she encountered younger participants in the activity who were rich in potential but limited in moral and financial support, it fed her calling to help children realize their dreams through education.
Jocelyn’s journey towards achieving her teaching dream had a couple of stops but she managed to overcome the hurdles. She could not forget the moment where she was applying for other scholarships when a text from a World Vision staff boosted her hope. She was accepted as a college scholar.
In the middle of her freshman year, however, another peril challenged her. She had to bear the worry from a distance when her father suffered from ulcer while she was away from home for school.
“Knowing that a family member was going through pain was unbearable especially when I was away,” shares Jocelyn. “I only depended on God during those trials, a virtue I also developed after joining World Vision’s spiritual nurture activities.”
After the recovery of her father, it was already a smooth-sail for Jocelyn. She graduated from her degree and passed the board exam. She is now a teacher in a public elementary school. She is finally living her dream.
She teaches a class with around 40 to 50 students every day. Though there are difficulties like any regular teacher would have – class management, for example – she handles it professionally. She cited that she has come so far for her dream to give up just easily. And seeing her students learn new things fuels her to do a much better job.
She gives credit to World Vision for being a key part in her life. She mentioned that she would probably still be studying right now or worse, stopped schooling if the organization wasn’t there to aid her.
Like Jocelyn, there are more children who have big dreams who need to trail a challenging journey before reaching it. Let’s guide these children reach their full potential and become successful individuals someday!
