In honor of Father’s Day, we wanted to highlight some of the dads in Outreach communities worldwide whose work and spirit exemplify the best a dad can be. Since we’re Outreach, we have A LOT of dads who meet these criteria, as you can imagine.
The thing is, the qualities that make up a spotlight-worthy dad are fairly universal: Selfless love, commitment, sacrifice and determination… you know the type – they’re the best.
In the interest of an acceptable word-count for this article, we spoke to two dads from the Philippines we think are representative of all the great dads from all the great Outreach communities around the world.
Meet Marvin
Marvin is a father from Villa Corazon in the Philippines. He as worked to further community-led development projects alongside his neighbors since 2009. Even among his motivated teammates, his enthusiasm and determination stand out. He so impressed local government officials during group meetings that the Department of Agriculture hired him to become a goat caretaker, which is now his full-time job.
“Working as a goat caretaker makes it possible for me to meet the needs of my family, especially our daily foods. Also, I am able to send my kids to school, so that they can achieve all their endeavors in life. Through all of the [work I do alongside my team], I am not only helping my own family, but also my whole community.
“My motivation in doing all of these actions for my families and community is the current poverty that I am going through. It is my hope that my kids and other children in my community [will have a more prosperous future]. I firmly believe that acting collectively is one of the keys to resolve easily all the problems that we have. Not only within our homes but in our communities. I firmly believe that every conflict will be resolved only if we talk about it and act together.
“Being a father is an obligation that one must do in order to keep his family intact and stay together. A father is the foundation of every home – that is why he must be tough and must overcome all trials that come in his way for his family to remain intact and solidified.”
Meet Felimon
As if we needed yet another reason to celebrate Father’s Day in the Philippines, Felimon. He’s a father of four children, and a grandfather to four more. He did a great job summarizing his story, so we’ll let him handle his introduction from here:
“Presently, I am still working on my farm, despite of my old age. I need to do this so that I can still give my family and grandchildren their necessities. I also serve as a father to our community group, since I am the current President. As the president, I lead and guide all the members so that we can manage properly our established projects. If there is a need and opportunity, we conduct meetings and discuss issues that must be resolved in our community.
“Due to our collective actions in maintaining our projects, we are still enjoying [monetary and material] benefits. And we are capable of providing the needs of our families. As a father, grandfather and leader of our group, I am overjoyed to see that I am able to meet the demands of each and every one.
“In our group, I will serve and lead as long as the members have full confidence in me. My eagerness to take part in resolving issues that we endure in our community will not stop. Moreover, I want those younger than me to learn from all my actions, so the continuity of all our efforts will be guaranteed. It is my belief that we will easily execute tasks if we work together.”
Dads setting an example
“Indeed, it is hard to be poor but it is harder if you will not act to cause changes and improvements in your life. I don’t want my children and grandchildren to experience the same poverty that I went through that is why I did all I can just for them to finish their studies. Notwithstanding my old age, I will continue to support my grandchildren’s studies because I believe that completing their education will help them have a better future ahead of them.
“It is a father’s responsibility to provide his family with all their necessities and guide his children for a better future. Being a father also means being a good model to his children, so they will grow up as respectful individuals. A father should be able to give all he could to his children until to his grandchildren. As a father, I did everything I could to provide my family with all their needs.”
Fathers like Marvin and Felimon work every single day to address the challenges they face as individuals, teammates, leaders and parents. And the determination they demonstrate can be found in communities around the globe. As teams work together to reach their goals, let’s celebrate Father’s Day in the Philippines!
How to Help
You can support dads like Marvin, Felimon and every other dad like ‘em (as well as moms, kids, families, and on and on) in communities today by making a donation to Outreach. You should!
