Patricia Anne Deinla

My Journey with Childhope

𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙋. 𝙍𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩.

Greetings to everyone! I am Patricia Anne P. Deinla, a 4th-year student of Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting at Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila, and I just finished my internship at Childhope Philippines Foundation Inc.

Working in Childhope Philippines Foundation Inc. for a month is a remarkable experience. The internship did not only allow me to apply what I’ve learned in school, but it also let me see the reality of life. It also made me realize the primary reason why I want to be an effective storyteller that could change one’s life. 

During the first weeks of our internship, we interviewed the beneficiaries of the Educational Assistance Program of CHAP who recently graduated from college. We had a glimpse of their life, the obstacles they encountered, the hope, and the dreams they are gradually reaching. We were also able to hear the stories of potential scholars from the social workers who tirelessly and constantly aid their clients under the Street Education and Protection program of CHAP.

Hearing the stories of the beneficiaries from the social workers and other staff of CHAP is extremely eye-opening and at the same time a heart-wrenching moment for me, to say the least. Because it showed me how many Filipino families are struggling to even support their daily needs. It showed me how many children choose to work and grow beyond their age just to have something to eat or to support their studies. It showed me how cruel and harsh the street and the world are which take advantage of the vulnerability of the street children. And lastly, 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙙.

However, amidst the unfortunate situation that the children face, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝, 𝙟𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our very supportive and loving supervisors, 𝙈𝙨. 𝙈𝙮𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙨. 𝙂𝙚𝙢, who guided us throughout our internship journey. Working with you doesn’t seem working at all. I also would like to thank the graduates that I interviewed, 𝙈𝙨. 𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙧. 𝙀𝙙𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙. I am wishing you a great journey ahead.

Thank you also to 𝙈𝙨. 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙅𝙤𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙧. 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩 for caring for the street children and for sharing with us your story and life as social workers. I also thank 𝙈𝙧. 𝙀𝙡𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙧. 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙤 for letting us experience the KalyEskwela program last September 7 in the Ermita Area and letting us visit the place of the beneficiaries because it did give us a new perspective on the life of the street children that the Childhope Philippines is hoping to address. And of course, thank you to the youth in the Ermita Area for making us feel belong. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪.

Lastly, thank you, Childhope Philippines Foundation Inc., for allowing us to learn and grow under your organization even in such a short period. Your advocacy to help street children is astonishing. 

𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚, 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚.

I would love to meet you all again soon.