A Smile Beyond Poverty - Spotlight on two St. Anthony's Student Families

A Smile Beyond Poverty

 

    “Life becomes  easy when somebody care to lift a hand………”

    

Marites Baldesco is  a widow and a mother of nine children. She and her family lives  in brgy. Cutcut, Guiguinto, Bulacan in the Philippines.  Life is not easy for her because she needs to work to feed her children. Everyday she works as a housemaid and earn 2,000 pesos (<$50 USD) a month not enough to sustain her family.

 

 

With this situation she even sacrifices her meal just to let her children eat. Their house is a former pigpen that was only fixed with a scrap roof and wood. At night they use “gasera” (an alcohol lamp) to  serve as their source of  light. Even if this is the situation she does not stop dreaming for her children.  One of her dreams is for her children to finish their studies.  A dream which is  for her impossible or hard to achieve. In spite of this, her smile beyond poverty gives way when her daughter Abegail Baldesco, 6 years old was given the opportunity to study  for free in St. Anthony Development and Learning Center of Bulacan, Philippines.  This gave light to her dream. She keeps on uttering these words SALAMAT PO AT NABIGYAN NYO NG PAGKAKATAON AT MAGANDANG SIMULA ANG AKING ANAK….TUNGO SA MAGANDANG EDUKASYON NA INYONG REGALO. “THANK YOU FOR GIVING THE GIFT OF EDUCATION TO MY CHILD THAT WILL BRING GOOD FUTURE TO HER.” NAWA MARAMI PANG TUMULONG SA AMIN NG MAGKAROON NG KATUPARAN ANG AMING MGA PANGARAP…. “I HOPE THAT MANY WOULD EXTEND THERE HELP TO US FOR US TO REACH OUR DREAMS…….”

 

 

 

“We think we are far  from  reality but we are to close….”

 

    Mr. Libiran a father of five children  lost her wife four years ago. For him life is too far from the reality that he could bring his children to school. Since his work is seasonal, sometimes he and his children would suffer from hunger.  But even if this is their situation, he still desires that someday his children will fulfill their dream to finish their studies. Now it is not a dream for him but a reality when his child Mary Joy Libiran was given the opportunity to study in St. Anthony Development and Learning Center. He is very thankful for giving  free education to her daughter. Now, with a smile on his face, the future is not far for him and her children to achieve. He told us “MASARAP ISIPIN NA MAY MGA KAPWA TAYO NA PATULOY NA NAG MAMALASAKIT SA MGA KAPOS PALAD NA KATULAD NAMIN.” “IT IS GOOD TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO TAKE TIME TO HELP TO THOSE UNFORTUNATE LIKE US..”