Vivian, a busy mother of five, overcame her biggest fear – public speaking. Like many, getting up in front of a group of people scared her. However, when Chalice’s sponsor site in Tondo was searching for volunteers, she decided to step out of her comfort zone. She began facilitating Chalice’s programs to help the families in her community. She now presents in front of groups with confidence. The participants love her!
Vivan and her husband live in the dense, urban community of Tondo in Manila. Chalice’s Tondo site staff first met her in 2020, when her daughter Ashley was sponsored. As soon as Vivian walked through the door, the site staff say, “her fieldworker sensed a potential in her.”
Because of Chalice’s generous donors, our sites can run helpful programs and family circles to benefit the parents, community, and homelife.
Just a few months after Vivian attended her first Chalice family circle meeting, her fieldworker encouraged her to attend the site’s BidaBest Family Empowerment Program. “Bidabest” (Be the Best in the local dialect) is a Chalice-supported seminar program for children, teens, and parents. Seminar topics include parenting skills, advocacy about social issues, emotional well-being, and spirituality.
In the early days of the program, professional facilitators ran the sessions. However, they grew so wildly popular, the initial team of facilitators could not run enough sessions to meet the demand. So, the Tondo site started to train parents of sponsored children and youth to become facilitators themselves.
Vivian’s fieldworker had her pegged as a facilitator. “She was hesitant at first,” Tondo staff say. But Vivian was accustomed to volunteering, and she attended the facilitator training. She left the fear behind her.
After six months of practicing in front of her family circle, she was starting to feel more comfortable. “She no longer shakes whenever she is speaking,” staff say, “and her charisma helps because parents can relate to her discussions and are participative whenever she is the one who facilitates.” Her topics are not easy but are highly relevant. Vivian’s monthly sessions cover issues such as mental health, violence prevention, and healthy relationships.
“’Practice what you preach’ is a popular saying she embraced being a blessed advocate,” staff say. Vivian believes that if she is going to teach her fellow parents a topic, she must apply it in her own family’s life first. And she can tell that the techniques are having a positive effect.
“With each session focused on parenting and family dynamics, she sees a gradual shift in how she connects with her children,” staff say as Vivian shares her experiences from her home life. “Communication became more open, they understood each other better, and their relationship at home improved a lot.”
She is grateful to Chalice and the site for giving her the opportunity to grow in the BidaBest program. Chalice helped her advance her skillset and gain confidence. Vivian has made an impact on so many people.
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