“For me, poverty is not a hindrance to success…”
IN HER OWN WORDS • RENELYN ABELLO, PHILIPPINES
My father is a farmer. He has been the only one supporting and working for us since my mother died when I was only 17-years-old. Because of poverty, I lost hope of going to college knowing that my father didn’t have a stable job to provide for our needs. I took entrance exams from different schools with high hopes to get an opportunity for a scholarship. Fortunately, in two schools, I was able to pass the entrance examination and get a half scholarship grant. But it was not enough because there are still other fees and payments that need to be paid suc as the boarding house, food, water and personal allowance.
Growing up witnessing the challenges of poverty where dreams are far beyond reality, there was never a time that I blamed my father for our situation. Probably God answered my prayer because the Pamulaan Center for Indigneous Peoples Education came after. For me, poverty is not a hindrance to success. If you have dedication and faith to achieve your dream there’s no such thing as unreachable and impossible.
I’ll remember my father used to say that the only valuable treasure in this world is not possessions but education because it’s the only instrument that can lead you to more opportunities like a better and stable job.
My aspiration in life is to finish my studies so that someday when I have permanent work I can help my family out of poverty. I will never forget the struggles we faced thus my father deserves a kind of life free from financial worries. I will help him as long as I can. I will also render service by becoming a volunteer teacher to the out-of-school youth in my community. I want to inspire them to help their family and also our community.
I’m truly grateful that the Pamulaan Center for Indigneous Peoples Education deepened my understanding of serving others and living with aspiration every day. It means so much to me and my family.
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Renelyn Abello is 22-years-old and belongs to the Talaandig tribe of Kibuda in the Philippines. Currently, Renelyn is a 3rd-year college student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Development Anthropology.
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HOPE donors support students at the Pamulaan Center for Indigenous Peoples Education, an educational institution dedicated to the Indigenous peoples in the Philippines. Its main trust is to provide appropriate and relevant training and formation for Indigenous Peoples youth, children, community leaders and development workers.