DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 15, 2012) – Begie Himonda could have been a college sophomore this year, but he opted to temporarily quit in favor of his younger sister – and his family’s longing for a father also challenged him, being the eldest of three siblings, to stand firm.
“When my father went to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to work as welder, I was caught by surprise because we did not talk about it,” laments the 19-year old son of an overseas Filipino worker. “I felt my family will not be complete anymore because my father would be away from us for 3 years or more,” he says.
With his mother’s presence, Himonda says he was able to cope and was hoping that he could finish his studies already because of his father’s work outside of the country. But things suddenly changed six months after his father left in 2010. “We were receiving less remittance than what my mother used to receive,” says Himonda, a first year management student.
Given the limited resources, Himonda gave up his studies and let her sister continue with her schooling. “I am actively involved in our community as youth volunteer,” shares Himonda,” and the Anak OFW program of the Mindanao Migrants Center for Empowering Actions helped me in analyzing my family’s situation.”
Rosalind Tumanda, of the MMCEAI, says the program aims to provide children of OFWs with avenues for sharing, peer development, self-journeying, and awareness. “Although we are starting with scratch, especially at the ground level, we can see the impact has on the children who feel abandoned by their parents working abroad.”
In a random survey conducted by MMCEAI last year, it showed that around 37% of the total out-of school youth in Davao City are children of OFWs, according to Mark Clif Henry, the group’s program staff.
“It was a surprise because in the context of migration, many people believe that these children of OFW have greater chances in finishing their school but they are not because their parents are sending less and less,” Henry reveals. (Rick Flores)
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