The Philippines is one of the few countries we’ve been to multiple times for programming. It is a place I hold near and dear to my heart because my mom is from there. I also have Filipino citizenship. It is very special to me and a place that feels like a second home.

I’m always grateful to be in Manila for programs because I get a chance to visit with my family. I get to see my Lolo and Lola or grandparents in Filipino as well as my titos and titas, or uncles and aunts. We ran programs here back in January 2016, at a local orphanage in Alabang. That was followed by a collaboration with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, PREDA Foundation in Zambales, a program in my mom’s hometown of Baguio in conjunction with her alma mater, and then a very special session at a tragedy-stricken children’s home in Benguet. What I’m getting at here is that programs in the Philippines are always special.

The sport hasn’t really ever been big here, although it’s gaining traction. Basketball has always been far more popular. To be a small part in growing the game of soccer in a place that means so much to me… well, that’s an absolute dream come true.

Today, we would be taking that a step further. Boys are just starting to get into football, but girls don’t have as much access to it. As a result, we were set to run our first-ever all-girls program with the incredible Bahay Maria children’s home in Makati. To be instrumental in their growth in and through the game is something that has not lost its significance on me. Trust me, this game was foreign to many of these girls lol. Lots of them using their hands, etc. but after a few commands and rules were given, we fixed that real quick.

I was essentially running the program fully in my mother’s native tongue, Tagalog, which made the experience even cooler.

The girls were super curious, “Teacher, you’re from the USA?” 

“Yes,” I replied.

“Cool, but you speak Tagalog, why?” they questioned.

“So I can talk with you guys!” I said with a smile.

 “Cool!”

I’ll never forget how big some of these girls were smiling throughout our program, enjoying each activity and drill to the fullest. Running as fast as they could until sweat dripped down their foreheads, smiling ear to ear until their cheeks hurt. Then somehow widening that smile when they received their choice of a new soccer ball or a camp tee. This was definitely a special one

To bring our work to a place that feels so much like home fills me with a deep sense of pride and vocation. It’s tough to even describe what an experience like this means. That feeling of pride only amplifies in knowing that we’ve been given an opportunity to usher in a new era of female soccer players on the islands through our free programming.

Maraming salamat sa lahat, my little kababayans. Thank you so much for everything!