dream BIG PILIPINAS FA

Children in the Philippines grew up having limitless dreams. For them, the world is about their wildest dreams and grand imaginations. For Filipino children, everything is possible, from dreams of becoming a princess, a prince, a doctor, an engineer, or a pilot, to becoming a pop star and a worldwide sensation. These dreams bring color to their lives and put smiles on their faces knowing they can be whoever they want when they grow up.

Then, somewhere down the road, their mindset changes, especially for the underprivileged youth. As these dreamers grow up, their dreams quickly wither with time. A nine-year study conducted by Dream Project PH showed that 8 out of 10 Filipinos do not have a dream. It is because of limited financial capabilities, lack of parent support, and many more. For them, life starts to shift towards a reality where dreams are stuck on being dreams. Thus, children slowly lose hope and give up, slowly accepting the unfavorable circumstances. Children gradually became disempowered, owning conversations like, “I’m not good enough,” I’m not big enough,” or “That’s impossible for me.”

The commitment of DBP FA is to transform this way of being. DBP FA aims to bring back the Big Dreams, for people to get that anything they want for their lives is possible through commitment and resilience to pursue dreams despite circumstances.

The focus of Dream Big Pilipinas is on the underprivileged homeless youth who do not have the means to start living their lives again and believe in themselves to achieve the life they once dreamt of. The staffs place children ages 7-17 into a holistic program that covers academic assistance, values formation, and football development. Through the focus on both athletic and academic aspects, they will have a well-balanced background to pursue football or other careers in the future. Overall, this will be a medium for the children to once again learn to dream and turn those dreams into reality.

Everyone in the program receives personal assistance and help, especially those that are struggling to cope. Systems such as group and one-on-one teachings in academics, values formation, and sports, are in place to make very personal connections with all the children and enroll them into owning the vision and promise of DBP FA. With the help of the program, the children realize that they can change their lives as well as others and take action toward a life they thought impossible.

Children train twice a week at Nayon ng Kabataan, which is a DSWD facility in Mandaluyong City. Training is conducted by Coach Ed Qua Hiansen, Coach Jess Landayan and Coach Mic Bermundo with assistance from senior and junior volunteer coaches. We currently coach more than 100 children of various skill levels from 7 years old to 16 years old.

They have two core academic goals: developing literacy (reading and writing skills) and numeracy. They use bilingual books so that kids can work on their English and Filipino at the same time. Through this, the children are exposed to proper grammar and spelling. The kids’ English fluency for both speaking and writing are all different. Through the program, the coaches aim to expose the children to as much English as possible since they have limited exposure to it outside of the program.

The program also offers high school and university scholarships that Dream Big Pilipinas provides to competent children who have exhibited leadership skills as well as have made significant contributions to their community. Dream Big Pilipinas exert efforts to assist those children who have exceptional performance in sports and/or academics.

More than 300 children within Metro Manila have benefited from the program thus far. And after just a month of launching the scholarship program, five children are now enjoying full scholarships in private high schools –one student, in particular, was accepted into the Don Bosco High School on our full scholarship.

Through these initiatives, Dream Big Pilipinas seeks to serve as an instrument in the elimination of poverty in the Philippines by encouraging children to Dream Big and keep their Dream alive.

The program still has a long way to go. But, with constant support from kind-hearted individuals and organizations, they believe that they can help more kids in the streets who have long lost their dreams and hopefully bring back the spark that once burns in their eyes.

Currently, the program greatly invests in football equipment and gear. As well as books and other learning materials, finally, they greatly hope to provide much more scholarships to as many children as possible.

To do so, they seek to find more donations to help them assist with the children’s education fees. At present, you can contact their email at dreambigpilipinas@gmail.com.com to know how you can help. They are open for donations of any amount and volunteer help to work as instructors, coaches, or any other roles they need.

CONTACT THEM

To know how you can help, please contact dreambigpilipinas@gmail.com.

You can also message their Facebook page Dream Big Pilipinas FA.