“Being a recipient of the HOPE scholarship is really a tremendous help for our family,” says Razel, a 23-year-old college student in Bicol, Philippines. Razel and his five siblings were orphaned four years ago. Today, he lives with two of his siblings in a government-subsidized house that lacks electricity and water. They use candles for light and fetch water daily at a nearby source.
Without their parents, Razel and his siblings try to make ends meet by offering tutoring lessons or helping with local events. “The financial assistance from Children International went a long way, helping me not just in my studies but also for our daily sustenance,” he says.
Razel is in his final year of elementary education studies at the local community college. “Without access to a HOPE scholarship, it would have been very hard for me to continue [my education]. Stopping school was a very big possibility, especially when my father died — not only for me but for my siblings as well,” he shares.
He is incredibly grateful to Children International supporters like you for helping fund his future. “It’s a lifeline to our dreams. My simple dream is to be a professional educator. I dream that someday I could bring my family to a state where we have enough of what we need. To have a decent life. I wish for us to get out of poverty.”
Transcript
[music begins]
Female narrator speaks in Spanish, captions written in English:
This girl who enjoyed school
Images: Picture of a young girl
And waited for the time to return home to play
Images: A woman now holding the picture with her name, “Joselyn, Colombia” labeled
It’s me
Images: Joselyn smiling
Captions:
Joselyn was a sponsored child for 13 years.
Images: Children and parents walking into the Children International building
Today, she works for Children International as a Music Program Officer.
Images: Joselyn leading a group of children in a music class
Joselyn speaks:
In a family of 7 siblings, mother and father,
Images: A man pushes a stroller
there was not enough money to pay for university.
Images: Joselyn speaks to the camera
Captions:
Without an education, Joselyn would repeat the cycle of poverty that holds so many children and families back in life.
Images: People walking around a city center, people walking through a market
Joselyn speaks:
Thanks to Children International who offered me a scholarship, today I have a degree in music,
Images: Joselyn holding a trumpet
I have a stable job [with Children International], I can help my parents,
Images: Joselyn leads a music lesson with children
but, above all, I have impacted and will continue to impact the lives of sponsored boys and girls through music.
Images: Joselyn speaking to the camera, children playing with instruments
Captions:
Joselyn knows, programs like Music for Development help children stay off the streets
Images: Children playing with drumsticks
by teaching them leadership, teamwork, and social responsibility.
Images: Children of all ages sway while holding instruments and playing music.
Text: Your gifts transform lives and futures!
Images: A classroom full of children play on keyboards
[music ends]
