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Growing up in a poor neighbourhood in the Philippines, Save the Children staff supported Shiela to learn, think and build a career.
Now she’s come full circle - Shiela works for Save the Children as a senior global adviser.
Today she’s supporting a new generation of children to find their voice and shape their own future.
It all started when our team visited Shiela’s neighbourhood when she was a child.
“Save the Children would come and ask us how life is in our community, what our problems are and what can we improve,” says Shiela.
Supported by Save the Children, Shiela started to campaign for children’s rights.
“I realised there’s a standard of living to be achieved – things like a safe neighbourhood, health care, quality education, your right to be heard,” she says.
As a young campaigner, Shiela met with senators and representatives in the government and took part in an international conference. She went on to study for a university degree.
“Save the Children gave me so many opportunities to learn, to meet people, to experience new things,” Shiela explains.
“All that experience has helped me then and now, professionally and personally.”
Shiela wonders how her life would have turned out without the support of Save the Children.
“Maybe if I hadn’t met Save the Children, I'd have been one of the many teenagers that get pregnant early and drop out of school, because I wasn’t empowered to say no.
Save the Children changed my life. I am where I am because of Save the Children"
Now Shiela’s using her position to help the next generation of children around the world.
“I wake up and go to work every day because there are millions of children deprived of a decent life and of a happy childhood because of poor governance, conflict, discrimination, social injustices – things that are preventable,” she says.
"I believe that Save the Children can help change this and give children a better life now and a better future.
I myself experienced a transformation, and if it can happen to me, it can happen to many children around the world. So I think it's very important that the work of Save the Children continue.
Long-lasting and meaningful change requires many years of work. It requires unwavering effort to challenge and change beliefs and practices that are not good, and to build awareness about children and children's rights. Save the Children allows children to enjoy their childhood and be prepared for the future"
It’s a heartwarming and inspiring story.
But it doesn’t have to end there.
Because by leaving a gift to Save the Children in your Will, you can help change the future for generations of children to come.
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