“Where you start in life doesn’t define where you can go.”
El speaks these words from deep personal experience.
Her journey spans thousands of miles, from a small mountain village in the Philippines to her current home in California. But even though an ocean separates them now, the community that shaped El is never far from her heart.
El grew up in a loving home with parents who wanted their children to have every opportunity in life. That’s why, at age 3, they enrolled El in Plan International’s sponsorship program.
As a sponsored child, El and her family participated in various Plan projects in her community. Some of the benefits they received brought immediate relief, like materials to build their first proper bathroom. Others created lasting change, as El’s parents gained skills that would support their family for years to come.
“They trained my dad in carpentry and gave him jobs building houses and furniture, while my mom received training in handcraft skills,” El recalls. Her sister received a scholarship to continue her education.
El became a sponsored child with Plan International when she was 3 years old.
The family also participated in community events organized by Plan. “Every year, there was a ‘Family Day’ event in our community where all the sponsored families gathered, shared home-cooked food, played games with prizes and had the sponsored kids sing or dance in front of all the families,” El shares. “It strengthened the bond of the entire community and gave us a sense of camaraderie.”
A bold move
El’s experience as a sponsored child gave her opportunities, confidence and a vision for a different future.
“I believe that sponsorship and community programs don’t just help in the moment, they create ripples that last for generations. When you give a child or a family an opportunity and an experience of a lifetime, you’re not just improving their living conditions, you’re also shaping how they see themselves and what they believe is possible.”
She carried this belief and determination with her into adulthood, choosing to invest in herself and to make bold moves to realize her dreams — including one that brought her all the way across the ocean.
“My move to the U.S. came with challenges, tons of unknowns, even regrets, especially leaving everything and everyone behind,” El recalls.
Still, El persevered, and her hard work paid off. “I now work as the Senior Manager for Compliance at a renewable energy company in the U.S., where I intentionally show up every day to achieve our goals with empathy, teamwork and a purpose-driven mindset.”
El now lives in California, where she works as a Senior Compliance Manager for a renewable energy company.
The impact of childhood support extends far beyond the early years. For El, it inspired a commitment to continue the cycle of giving.
“Someone’s decision to give, help and support families they don’t even know personally can change the entire course of a child’s life. I can’t stress this enough, truly, there is power in giving back and paying it forward.”
After a decade of charitable work and volunteering, El decided in 2023 that it was time to do more for the children in her hometown.
“I thought it’s time to pay it forward and give back to the community where I grew up – where I started to build my own dreams,” El says. “Thus, I took a step further and founded Pay It Forward in the Philippines, through the help of my siblings, friends and cousins. We built a nonprofit cause fueled by volunteers and supported through personal contributions.”
El smiles with children from her hometown at her first Pay It Forward event in 2023.
Paying it forward
El’s charity provides the tools and encouragement children need to chase their dreams.
“It’s not just about supplies or toys or food that we give away, it’s about planting seeds of hope and possibility today and for their future. Because in the end, I strongly believe that if I can do it, so can these children.”
In May 2023, El’s charity, Pay It Forward, hosted their first event, which provided school supplies, hygiene kits, toys, clothes and meals for hundreds of children in the Philippines.
This year, the charity’s third annual event will be held in December, with a goal of reaching between 150 to 200 children in the Camarines Sur province.
Creating ripples of change
El’s story illustrates how support creates change that extends far beyond one child or family. And she has an important message for anyone who is thinking about sponsoring a child:
“Please know your kindness will go further than you can ever imagine. You might be planting seeds you’ll never see bloom, but those seeds will grow, bear fruit, change lives for the better and one day they will pay it forward too. How powerful is that?”
