VOF Week 4 : Of Receiving and Giving

On April 15 the PulseWire deadline, I was on the 3rd day of my fieldtrip which took me to an isolated riverside community in Agusan del Norte, one of the poorest provinces of the country. The town itself has no internet connection available which caused me to miss the deadline.
But that day was something I would not miss in my lifetime. With me are 38 remarkable rural women who despite their poverty and deprivation, are passing on livestock, vegetable seeds and farm tools to another set of 40 rural women and their families in this rivertown.
An empowering moment, from being recipients, these women are now donors themselves, passing on similar gifts to another set of rural women and their families in the spirit of sharing and caring for others. It’s a cycle of sharing we hope to be repeated in the future so that eventually it will break the cycle of poverty among these people.
That day, I caught a glimpse of a vision coming true. It was brief but it was real. I have long envisioned a society of empowered women, families and communities that are self-reliant, engaged in productive social and economic activities and are participating meaningfully in the development of their community.
It was a glimpse, a speck of light in a dark canvass still dominated by poverty, powerlessless and armed conflict that characterize Mindanao.So much needs to be done yet.
My personal vision is anchored on that envisioned society. It is my personal vision to light the lives of the people whom I touch life, my family, my colleagues, the women and communities I work with.
I want to serve as a resource to others, particularly to women under difficult circumstances so that they find affirmation, support and hope.
Having been blessed with so many things in life, I want to make a difference, however small. In my lifetime I want to leave a legacy that can be passed on.
I want to become a correspondent for World Pulse because I see this is a way of attaining my personal and community visions.
By becoming a correspondent, I can be a pair of eyes that see the world beyond what is visible to the eye. I can be a voice to the voiceless and the powerless. By writing and reporting what I see, hear and feel, I can be a heart that echoes the hopes, the despairs, the aspirations of women and communities I came across with.
I remember some friends, saying that I have this gift of being able to feel and express the things the find echoes in their heart. For me, writing is not simply wanting to write. I write because I must. I must nourish my creative and productive life . By becoming a World Pulse correspondent, I keep in touch with my inner life. I keep true to the feminine psyche that sometimes lies buried amidst the daily compromises and exigencies.
I believe that having been given such gift ,I must use it to serve other people, other women. I know I must keep my eyes and ears open and my heart as well. I know that I must speak about the things I feel strongly about, of things matters most to me. Combatting poverty. Transforming conflicts. Empowering the powerless. Healing ourselves.
On the deeper level, by being connected to a community of diverse women through the web, I will remain true to the inner voice and nourish my inner life.
I therefore want to become a World Pulse correspondent because it will give me a platform to advocate the issues of the communities, of the women I work with. It will also provide me access to a greater resource: a virtual community of remarkable women who are engaged in diverse pursuits and passions, whose innovative work in various fields will give us insights and inspiration.
The World Pulse has created a fitting place for the creative voices of women to converge, reverberate, to break new grounds . And I need and I hope to be part of it.