Elieza’s Education
Elieza lives with her parents and older brother in Alaska village, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City. Located near a small river, Alaska village is composed of 17 sub-villages that are situated in congested interior areas. Most of the residents make their living through fishing, shell craft manufacturing, and construction work. They have a small market, a basketball court, and two schools.
Elieza’s father, Elmerado, is an electrician. When he can find work, he makes minimum wage. Her mother takes care of the house, and runs a sari-sari store, which is like a street-corner convenience store. They live in a small two-story house made of semi-concrete materials, and they have very little. Before Feed the Children came to their community, the family often didn’t have enough food to eat in a day.
“It really broke my heart when I saw my kids eating corn grits and dried fish most of the time,” Jennifer, Elieza’s mother, told us. “And there was a time I could hardly buy the school needs for our children because my husband has no permanent job. We could not even pay our house rental. It seems we really experience the tough hardships of life.”
When she was in 2nd grade, Elieza’s community and school began to receive assistance from Feed the Children. Children are provided with school supplies, shoes, and nutritious meals while at school. This help provides inspiration to the children to continue their basic education, as well as easing the burden of parents by providing for their educational needs.
Despite suffering from malnutrition and stunting as a young girl, Elieza’s conditions have not held her back. She is now in the 4th grade, where she participates in math club, English club, and science club. She is a top 10 list student, and proud of her achievement. Her life and the lives of her family have been changed for the better.
Elieza says, “I am very thankful to FEED the Children that gave me importance and help in my studies, especially in providing me school supplies and shoes apart from the activities I had joined. Thank you too, for helping our fellow children in our school and community.”
