Presentation
Hello, I’m Rosemarie Ravano, and I’ve just retired this year, after 21 years with Tulay ng Kabataan foundation (ANAK-Tnk). I have 5 children who are now adults. Before working here, I lived in Bicol and worked as a preschool teacher for 7 years. In 2004, my husband left me… In order to support my family, I looked for another job, and moved with my aunt in Manila. I left my children in my mother’s care in Bicol.
How did you come to work at the foundation, and what did you do?
Thanks to an advert in newspaper, I joined ANK-Tnk foundation in April 2004 until today with different responsibilities over time :
>> First, house parent for 5 months at the Drop-in for Girls.
>> Then, and for 10 years, teacher for the children arriving from the street.
>> 2015, Education Coordinator for the slum program.
>> 2017 (and for 3 years), Center coordinator of the new project of the foundation : a home for elderly dependent people abandoned in the streets.
>> My last assignment in 2020 : to be in charge of the 2 homes for street children girls with disabilities.
How do you feel about this latest assignment?
This mission with girls with disabilities is very meaningful for me, because my own son faces disability. What matters to me is not the salary, but being a mother to them. They see me as such! Above all, I want to take care of these children and I get a lot of joy out of it. I love playing with them, listening to them and loving them.
Can you tell us the story of a child who has had the greatest impact on you?
The most emotional story I’ve experienced in the foundation happened at the very beginning, when I was house-parent at the Drop-in for girls. We welcomed a 16-year-old girl who was pregnant. After the baby was born, she ran away, leaving us alone with her little boy. I looked after the baby, who cried a lot and didn’t want a bottle… In the end, I was the one who fed him… I can say that he’s like a son to me! The Foundation is the only family that has nurtured and raised him since he was born. We learned about a year ago of the death of his mum, who unfortunately was caught up in drugs… Now he is 20 years old and still lives in one of our homes!
What are your plans for retirement?
My plans for retirement are to return to Bicol to look after my 88-year-old mum. She has helped me a lot by looking after my children, and now she’s the one who needs me… I’ll also have more time for my own family! But I’m happy to know that I’ll be able to come back whenever I want to visit the foundation: youth, elderly, children with disabilities.
If you had to sum up the Foundation in few words, what would you say?
I’d say it’s a loving foundation, with unlimited love! It’s my extended family, my second family, and I love it!
