“Poverty is a punishment to a crime you did not commit.” –Eli Khamarov

Children around the world aspire to become doctors, firefighters or scientists one day. But, there are also many that will never get the chance.

They are the ones who struggle to find a few morsels of food or a dry place to sleep at night. They are the ones who were unfortunate enough to be born in impoverished homes.  They are the ones that won’t be able to dream of a better future simply because they cannot afford to do so.

According to a  recent study, there are almost 385 million children living in extreme poverty throughout the world, many of which will continue to live in a cycle of deprivation well into their adulthood.

The good news is that some of these children that were born into poverty will be able to overcome the steep obstacles in their path if compassionate people around the world are willing to offer them their support and assistance.

One day, they too will be able to make their dreams come true.

The Kids Academy Sponsorship Family

The Kids Academy believes all children deserve the basics, and this family touched our hearts so much that it launched our global social impact initiative. We believe with a little from our community, we can all achieve a lot.

Here is their story…

Meet my family. We are the Basalcos. Our family consists of me, Christine, Dennis, my husband and our two young daughters, Maria Sophia Isabella (Ysaa) and Nina Andrea Cassandra (KD), ages 11 and 10.

We belong to Guadalupe, Cebu City, Philippines, a city known for its high poverty level which has gotten even higher since the onset of the Covid pandemic. When I look around, I see many families similar to mine which are struggling to meet their basic financial needs and finding it hard to provide a suitable life for their children.

I was working as a community Pre-school teacher for some time now until my school unfortunately closed down due to the pandemic.  My husband, Dennis currently works for a Barangay, which is a low-paying security guard job in the government sector of the Philippines.  I am disheartened that I have lost my job and can’t help in supporting my family. Especially with the current unemployment conditions, it doesn’t look likely that I will be able to find a job any time soon.

Dennis, as the sole earning member of our household, is earning a mere $200 AUD a month to support all of us. Normally, he was working a standard eight-hour shift but since the lockdown, he is having to work up to twelve hours a day. Even then, with food expenses, electric & water bills and having to pay for other basic needs, we have no money left over to spend on other important things like Ysaa and KD’s education or to fix up our home.

To save a bit of money, we decided to move to my late grandmother’s old house. Although it is a blessing that we have a roof over our heads, we are facing horrible living conditions here. We don’t have direct access to running electricity or water; the water is scarce, low pressured and is only available early at dawn or midnight so we have to store it to use throughout the day. I am scared the roof may collapse on us any day because it’s badly broken in many places.

We were more concerned and worried for our daughters, Ysaa and KD, who have always been excellent students since their pre-school age. We were having a hard time supporting our basic needs so we kept thinking that continuing to send them to school would simply be out of the question. After all, how would we pay for the tuitions, the uniforms, the books and everything else children need to get a good education.

The girls cried their hearts out to us because they didn’t want to stop going to school. In spite of all these hurdles, our girls were adamant to learn and to continue going to school. We slept hungry many days with little food just to make sure Ysaa and KD could keep attending their school. After all, isn’t that what all parents want, for their children to achieve their dreams one day.

We are very grateful that The Emotional Literacy Mindfulness Academy reached out to us and decided to sponsor Ysaa and KD’s education. We knew we wouldn’t be able to manage it by ourselves so their support has been extremely helpful to us to keep our girls in school. Both of them are high achievers in class and routinely receive certificates for their work.

We know that if they become educated, they will not have to face all the problems we have had to face. Once they are educated, they will have better futures. With education, they too will become a doctor, firefighter or scientist someday.

How can you help?

We can all work together as a community to get this family out of poverty and back onto their feet once again.

With your support and contributions:

• We can help Ysaa and KD continue getting an education and secure a better future for themselves.
• We can help Dennis and Christine gain more skills to get better jobs; so they have better chances to support their family.
• We can support them to get healthy food, a safer home and better living conditions.

When you help sponsor these children Ysaa and KD, you will have the joy of knowing that you are not only profoundly impacting their lives but the lives of their family and community.

Your $50 will go a very long way and your donation will go directly to the family in need – 100% of this goes directly to the family. You will receive monthly updates on the progress of the family and see the direct impact you are having on them.

One step truly goes a long way so, please take this step and reach out to help our little angels achieve their dreams.

If this story touched your heart and you’re willing to lend a helping hand, please contact emotionalliteracyacademy.com/community for more information.

Some of Ysaa and KD’s achievements and progress:

What You Can Do Next

1. Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get the latest information for parenting tips to help you create happier families. Plus, when you subscribe, I’ll also send you a copy of our FREE Survival Guide To Bring Balance and Calm Back To Your Home. Just be sure to add us to your safe senders list. tenille@emotionalliteracyacademy.com and keep an eye in your junk box in case it lands there.

2. Find out More About Our Programs 

Click Here to learn about our amazing programs on offer for kids, or if you want some great resources like our meditations for kids and adults then Click Here.

3. Register for my FREE 45-Minute Consultation (for children 5 – 9yrs)

Register for my free family consultation, where I will support you in some easy tips to help you and your family, as well as provide you with some potential solutions in the strategy session. You will get some great information but also if there is a fit you will be offered a spot in our Masterclass 6 Month Program.

About the Founder

Internationally Recognised Emotional Literacy & Mindfulness Expert Tenille Bentley is the founder of The Emotional Literacy and Mindfulness Academy and the author of the children’s emotional literacy books with Jazzy and Pinky and The Energy Ball. Giving children a wonderful introduction to understanding their emotions and what do with them.

Tenille has been featured on Channel 9 News and other major outlets. Her work has been recognised in the community by The Governor of Western Australia, The Prime Minister of Australia and Australian Financial Review.

As a child she experienced severe anxiety and emotional traumas as well as bullying which left her feeling isolated, and unable to understand why she was feeling the way she did. As an adult this impacted her ability to make healthy decisions because she didn’t have the tools to understand her emotions. 

Which is why she is passionate about equipping parents with the tools to support their children to make better decisions in life and healthy ones to help support and create a balanced home life.