Children's joy fulfilled

REGINE Agcito, now a certified public accountant, recalled the difficult life they had when she was a child and how a scholarship through Children's Joy Foundation Inc. helped her fulfill her dreams for herself and family that would have been impossible.

She recalled that even when she was already a scholar, the family could barely make ends meet such that at one time when all she had was P20 going to school and she already paid that to the bus conductor, when the bus conked out even before arriving at her school, she had to ask for her P20 back just to make it to her classes that day.

Another scholar, Pearl Angeli Canada, is now a lawyer.

Stories like these are repeated several times in different circumstances and places, and recently, different countries as CJFI celebrated its 20th year last May 16, 2018 at Sofitel Manila honoring its donors and founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.

Among the major partners were Dell EMC Philippines and Rustan's super market.

The guests included RJ Nieto of Thinking Pinoy blog, Stella Estremera, editor-in-chief of SunStar Davao, DSWD Undersecretary Francisco "Isko Moreno” Domagoso, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Director Thelsa Biolena, DSWD-Davao Region Social Welfare Officer IV & Unit head Alfredo Sy, and DSWD Region IV-A Disaster Management Unit head Ricky Bunao.

As mentioned at the start of the program, "It takes a heart to love for a heart to give", and Pastor Quiboloy recalled how such love for poor children was imprinted in him as a child.

Being the youngest of eight children, he was the one tasked to go to the general merchandise store of a Chinoy family in Tamayong, Calinan District to hopefully get rice on credit. He was standing in front of the store for so long, ashamed to do his task and the way the family treated him shamed him further. "Medyo mata-pobre" was how he described the owner's children.

But the son-in-law had a kind heart and told the others off, castigating them for making a child stand outside for so long. He gave him a ganta of rice, odong, and sardines and sent him home. From that experience, Quiboloy swore that he will not let another child go through what he had to go through, and to always give.

Thus, Quiboloy encouraged the people to always be kind and to give because that is the only way to sow love.