Keith
Uplift Cares Alternative Learning System Graduate 2018
Uplift Plus K-12 Graduate 2020
Uplift Plus College Scholar 2020
Before I enrolled in Uplift Cares I'm once a lost sheep who doesn't know what is right and can’t make a decision on my own. I've done a lot of mistakes and sometimes I disobey my family. In 2008, when I was grade 3 I'm just a happy child walking on the street who doesn't know how the world works. I thought it's just an ordinary day passing by but it wasn’t. When I arrived in my house my family was crying. They told me that my father is dead. I'm shocked because my father was strong when I left for school. I didn't accept what they were saying but my eyes started to cry. I'm still a child who didn't know what will happen next. When I was 9 years old, when me and my mother watched TV at night, my mother carried my sleeping sibling to put on bed and my mother started crying. I remembered my mother telling me "take care of your siblings cause you're their brother.”
I thought it's just an ordinary day passing by but it wasn’t. When I arrived in my house my family was crying. They told me that my father is dead.
Years have passed, in grade 7 my mother started to work as a domestic worker but she still didn't have enough money to support us three children. The one who took care of us was my grandmother. So I was thinking when I finish my grade 7, I should stop my schooling and help my family. When I'm was in grade 8, I started to disobey my mother and grandmother like telling me to go to school but I don't want to. I'm thinking that I have no future anyway so I decided to stop schooling and started working as a garbage collector.
I asked my uncle to go with me to apply me as a garbage collector and then the boss accepted me. I stated working at night because the start of our work was 9pm to 7am. It's a long way road because we travel from Pasig, BGC, Eastwood, and Taguig and other far places just to collect garbage from McDo branches. Every night we receive 150 pesos. So in one week we have 1,050 pesos. But it isn't enough so sometimes we stole some cartons from our boss and we sell it in junk shop. In every week that I've got paid, I give my family 50% of my earnings.
At night when we start to travel and collect garbage I was thinking "is this the way I live now?" I thought that I will have to work as a garbage collector until I die.
I also became addicted to online games so I've spent so much time and money and I forgot who I was working for, is it for me or my family? At night when we start to travel and collect garbage I was thinking "is this the way I live now?" I thought that I will have to work as a garbage collector until I die. We always stole from our boss until one day he found out and he suspended us from work. I feel embarrassed so I stopped working for a month, but when I decided to work again, I am no longer allowed to work because they already found a replacement.
She told me that there’s a purpose why I was here and a purpose why everything happened to me, and that God will make a way for me.
I did not work or go to school for a whole year. I just stayed in the house and if there’s some extra work like peddling to sell food, I work even if it’s hard because we have to walk long distances. My grandmother told me to go back to school but I didn’t listen to her. In 2016, my grandmother died and I was shocked again. Since my grandmother died, my mother had to stop working to take care of us. In 2017, there’s someone who was giving away free ALS back to school flyers. I remembered what my grandmother said for me to go back to school so I enrolled in Uplift Cares. Initially, I was not serious in Uplift Cares and I thought that it’s just the same as in public school but I was wrong. Thanks to my instructional mentor, she shared God’s word to me and I finally found my way. She told me that there’s a purpose why I was here and a purpose why everything happened to me, and that God will make a way for me. I feel like my eyes are opened and that I wanted to be closer to God. Because of that, I became joyful and seriously attended classes in Uplift Cares. I’ve met friends who support and encourage each other. I thought that Uplift Cares is the same with public school but it’s different, unique and also a special one. I thank God because He changed me and put me in the right path.
When the final Accreditation and Equivalency exam arrived, I thought I failed the exam because I only got 62.80 mark. I was losing hope but I kept praying and it was announced that the passing rate is 60%. I have been blessed to find out that I passed the exam and was selected by Uplift Cares to become an Uplift Plus Senior High School scholar in Miriam Adult Education. Even though I am not smart, I’ve been chosen and I’m super blessed because I cannot afford to enroll myself in Grade 11. I knew that there will be difficulties but I know that with God no difficulty can drag me down again. I know that this is the work of God supporting me in my future. Each day was tough for me, the heat, smoke, and riding a jeep at night. But I thank God that He encourages me not to give up and that this is what I need to do to be able to help my family someday.
I finally finished my Senior High School in Miriam Adult Education last March 2020. Now, I am continuing my education as a College scholar in Informatics College. There are many challenges because of online classes such as slow data Internet and financial limitations. But I thank God because Uplift Cares continues to support me even in this pandemic. I persevere in my education because I know that when I finally finish studying, all my hard work will finally pay off and that I will be able to provide for my family.
Throughout my journey, I believe that God did not put troubles along my way to burden me, but to enhance my dependence on Him.
My dream is to finish my studies and to work as an IT professional. Throughout my journey, I believe that God did not put troubles along my way to burden me, but to enhance my dependence on Him. It is tough but I am not giving up because in the times in the past where I wanted to give up, God did not give up on me. I will persevere and pursue my dreams. I know that with God nothing is impossible.
_____