“You won’t see any sheltered children here. The ones residing here belong to large families—so large that they struggle to support themselves. Illegal activities thrive in this environment, becoming the norm, Nata, a 17-year-old girl, said.
Growing up Malabon, Nata faced the harsh realities of living in an informal settlement from a young age. It devastates her to realize that this is not only her reality, but also the reality for most children in her community.
Nata is part of a large family. From a young age, she became acutely aware of the issues plaguing their community. She identifies poverty as the root cause of the rampant teenage pregnancies in their area. “It’s really devastating. These children are supposed to be enjoying their childhood, playing, and learning. Instead, they’re raising children of their own,” she lamented.
Her mother, Jennelyn, had her firstborn at 19. Her struggles to support the family are all too familiar to Nata, especially her mother’s sacrifices. “She would tell me about her goals when she was young. She had a whole different life planned, but because of something unexpected like having a child, she had to give those up,” Nata shared.
For the longest time, their family struggled to connect emotionally, a challenge Nata attributed to her upbringing. “I realized that our generation isn’t proficient at showing affection. Sometimes, we find it difficult to say, ‘I love you’ even though we feel it,” she said.
In hopes of strengthening their family bond, Nata and her family joined the Save the Children’s Family Development Approach (FDA) under Sponsorship Program. Co-designed with girls and their families in 2023, the program focuses on girls aged 10–14 who are vulnerable to adolescent pregnancy and childbirth, forced marriages, and unions (CEFMU). Trained facilitators conduct FDA sessions during house visits, covering topics like children's rights and adolescent sexual health and rights (ASRHR).
Through the FDA, Nata learned the significance of communication in the household. “Communication is the key. FDA emphasized the importance of communication within the family and the community. We should be able to express comfortably what we want because people will not check up on us every time.” said Nata.
She noticed a significant change in her relationship with her mother. “Honestly, my mother and I became closer through the FDA. During sessions, we would exchange ideas and opinions that we couldn’t talk about comfortably before. We didn’t have much open communication in our household previously.”
Despite her mother's giving up some personal goals for the sake of their family, one of Nata's dreams is for her mother to recapture her passion and pursue her dreams.
Jennelyn shared how the FDA plays an essential role in promoting children’s rights within the household. “FDA teaches us to cherish and love our children and help them claim their rights,” she said.
Jennelyn also shared how FDA promotes the importance of children’s rights in the household. “FDA teaches us to cherish and love our children and help them claim their rights,” she said.
Now known as the Pamilyang Maunlad, Mapagkalinga, at Ligtas (PaMILyah!) Program, FDA also highlights the importance of spreading awareness about ASRHR in the community. Nata believes that knowledge empowers children to make wiser decisions. “By knowing something, you will know how to avoid it and its consequences. For instance, if you know doing a certain activity can harm you, you’ll steer away from doing it. So technically, the FDA can help children like me be more knowledgeable and make wiser decisions that could significantly affect our future,” she shared.
When asked about her hopes for children like her, Nata answered, “I want children to be shaped in a way that brings them closer to God, the community, their family, and other children so that we can have one unified community that isn’t only centered in their households.”
For Nata, a peaceful world where everyone prioritizes their own and others' well-being is ideal. “I also want peace. These days, people think peace comes from wealth, but for me, peace is about feeling good about everything—not worrying. Or if you worry, it’s only about other people’s well-being and goodness.”
Living in Malabon City, Nata realized that no child deserves to spend their youth in such conditions. She envisions a community that protects and empowers children to dream bigger. “In the future, I wish that hunger and poverty would end. Even though I know that it’s not going to happen anytime soon, I hope all of us could live in an ideal world.”