THE SISTERS I LEFT BEHIND
Fighting for the Sisters I Left Behind
The following item from World Pulse in Yahoo news last May 15th, 2014 struck a chord in me. It was entitled PHILIPPINES: Fighting for the Sisters I Left Behind. Here’s an excerpt from it:
“A former victim of human trafficking, today, Myrna Padilla is using her success in the IT industry to create an online network of support connecting women and girls who might otherwise fall through the cracks. She said: “I was born among the poorest of the poor in a small, undeveloped fishing village on an island in the Philippines in 1960. A former victim of human trafficking, today I own an IT business with a focus on mobile and social media technology. I also use technology for advocacy to empower millions of the most vulnerable women among us to join in the world’s fight against human trafficking and modern day human slavery………..”
Someone who comes from the poorest of the poor might end up in human trafficking if he or she does not possess job skills which can give him/her the human dignity to stand on her/his own.
Myrna’s badly needed EDUCATION gave her a powerful tool not to end up in such an inhumane condition. This is exactly why the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) established the YOUTH Educational Program as one of their FMM programs for the poor, and New East, Inc.(NEI) is supporting the youths with their dream to acquire knowledges and skills for decent jobs. The sisters believe that education is a way to empower the young, especially the less fortunate, “not just giving fish (dole out) but teaching them to fish.” The lack of opportunities leading to helplessness pushes them to give up their dreams and worse, not to dream at all. But through the grace of God, the new generation of young people in Brookside, Bagong Silangan, as a fruit of the sisters’ endeavor in Stella Maris Alternative School (SMAS), has given birth to youths aspiring to become lawyers, medical technicians, teachers, accountants, computer specialist, business managers, etc.
With your unfailing charity, thru NEI, there are children who find themselves in classrooms and universities instead of in the streets falling prey to human trafficking…PLEASE, don’t let our youth of today fall through the crack. Let us all help through EDUCATION, JOB SKILLS and EMPOWERMENT of these youths ….let us not stop supporting them!