I’m Jenny, I am now in Gr. 12 and finally will join the working force after graduation or continue studying in college. I am one of the thousands of youths that enjoy the opportunities offered at Girlstown— but before studying at this boarding school, I found life was hard, a struggle.
Life is indeed hard; life is indeed a struggle. My mother died when I was so young, my father was just a farmer trying to earn by selling abaca and planting palay — but that cannot give us a comfortable life —-Our house, oh its not fitted to be called a house, we had no bathroom, any facilities, no proper shelter—- when I felt the call of nature, I ran to the river and pretended that I was enjoying the cool water.
We did not have any appliances too: no TV, no lights, no electric fan, as in nothing, not even electricity. This inconvenience had given me the hard time with my studies since papa enrolled me in school. See how hard it would be to study under the poor light of the lamp and candles.
At Girlstown, I started enjoying my personal belongings: from the beddings, towels and other necessities. Above all, at Girlstown food is always sufficient for us. During my elementary life, I went to school without any allowance for my snack and lunch. I experienced to have just a cup of water to nourish me. There were times when I was just pretending to wait, waiting until they offered me a meal. To avoid this embarrassing situation, I started doing some jobs to support my needs. These included selling of ice candies, harvesting crops, cleaning other houses, removing the peanut shells and many other things
I came from Catanduanes, one of the towns that is frequently visited by typhoon and makes the life miserable at our place. After finishing K12, I hope to continue my studies, then earn a living, and later when opportunities come—I will set up an agri-business to help our farmers earn more that they may have a decent life.
Thank you so much to all our benefactors for helping the sisters in the education of poor children like me. May your generosity be rewarded here on earth and in the next life.