December 2, 2024
Tzu Chi awards 21 scholars in its caregiving, welding programs
By Joy Rojas
If someone had told Jan Ivory Respecia that she would one day give an inspirational talk before a group of newly awarded caregiving and welding scholars under Tzu Chi Foundation’s technical-vocational program, the 35-year-old would never have believed it. Yet there she was on November 29 at the Harmony Hall of Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila, explaining between nervous giggles and uncontrollable tears, how a decision to make something of herself led to this astounding moment.
She was, after all, very much like the 15 caregiver and six welder scholars in attendance. Born into poverty in Southern Leyte, and raised by a single mother, the fourth of six children was forced to work at an early age. To put food on the table, she and her younger siblings engaged in manual quarrying, filling sacks with gravel and sand from the river for a measly P3 per bag. “We would be so happy to make P100,” recalls Respecia, who also sold balut (fertilized duck egg) in grade school.
Married at 18 and a mother of four soon after, she eventually left her abusive spouse, taking their two daughters with her to Manila. In the big city, she worked as a house helper before accepting a job as a janitress at the University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center (UERM). The pay was small but steady, yet she knew she could do more to give her children the better life they deserved.
While browsing social media, she chanced upon a post from the Tzu Chi Foundation, inviting applicants to its technical-vocational training program. In November 2023, Respecia, who finished her basic education through the Alternative Learning System, was accepted into Tzu Chi’s eighth batch of caregiving scholars. The batch was the first to be sponsored by Lao Foundation, Inc., a non-government organization that shares Tzu Chi’s mission of empowering individuals through education.
“Balancing my roles as a mother and a student was a big challenge,” she admits in her speech, “But I didn’t waver because I was inspired by my family. I’m also thankful for the support I got from my teacher and the Tzu Chi volunteers who taught me good manners and values in Master’s Talk and the Humanity classes, as well as the staff and donors.”
Upon graduating in April 2024, she earned her national certification II from TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), and by some luck, was the first in her batch of 26 caregiving scholars to land a job. Since May 2024, she has been working as a caregiver for La Verna Aged Care and Dementia Village in Marikina.
“I may not have gone far in life, but I know I am on the right path, thanks to the support of Tzu Chi Foundation and partners like Lao Foundation, Inc.,” she says.
Respecia’s experience brings hope to those who yearn for a life beyond hardship and deprivation. Despite finishing high school as a Tzu Chi scholar, Gerald Seciban hasn’t had much luck securing a regular job.
The son of a laborer father and mother who volunteered with Tzu Chi’s recycling program, he earned his high school diploma in 2021 through Tzu Chi’s Educational Assistance Program. The ongoing pandemic changed everything: His father lost his job, and his mother, stressed by the uncertain times, was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder. Seciban scrambled to support his family but could only get menial jobs.
“I also experienced my fair share of rejection,” he says. “I felt blessed when I saw Tzu Chi’s tech-voc program announcing the welding course. I realized that there's still a chance for someone like me to have a new beginning, to start again, get stable work, and build a career.”
Like him, Josephine Cayabyab could certainly use a break. The youngest of a farmer’s 11 children, she moved to Manila with the goal of improving her family’s situation—only to experience financial struggles herself. Today, she helps make ends meet as the wife of a junk shop employee and mother to their two young children.
“I believe with the help of the Tzu Chi Foundation, I will be closer to my dreams and that our lives will be better,” says the caregiver scholar who previously worked as a factory worker, vendor, and domestic helper. “To my fellow scholars, let’s work together to finish this program. Let’s promise to do everything we can to be worthy of Tzu Chi’s scholarship.”
Nine of the 15 caregiver scholars under Tzu Chi’s technical-vocational program hold up their certificates as they pose for a photo with Tzu Chi Educational Committee Head Rosa So, Lao Foundation, Inc. Program Coordinator Carlo Racela, and Tzu Chi Head of Technical-Vocational Programs Dolly Alegado Cruz (seventh, eighth, and ninth from left, respectively). This Batch 10 of caregiving scholars is the second batch to be sponsored by Lao Foundation, Inc.
The six welding scholars under Tzu Chi’s technical-vocational program hold up their certificates as they pose for a photo with Tzu Chi Educational Committee Head Rosa So, Lao Foundation, Inc. Program Coordinator Carlo Racela, and Tzu Chi Head of Technical-Vocational Programs Dolly Alegado Cruz (fourth, fifth, and sixth from left, respectively).
Jan Ivory Respecia provides an inspiring testimony of her journey as a caregiving scholar under Tzu Chi’s technical-vocational program. “To the new tech-voc scholars, if I was able to overcome challenges, so can you. With our Achis (sisters) and Ahias (brothers), Uncles and Aunties, and the guidance of Master Cheng Yen’s teachings, we can reach our dreams while spreading goodness in the world.”
Josephine Cayabyab holds up the caregiving course certificate she received from Tzu Chi Educational Committee Head Rosa So, Lao Foundation, Inc. Program Coordinator Carlo Racela, and Tzu Chi Head of Technical-Vocational Programs Dolly Alegado Cruz (second, third, and fourth from left, respectively). “I believe with the help of the Tzu Chi Foundation, I will be closer to my dreams and that our lives will be better,” says Cayabyab, wife of a junk shop worker and mother of two.
Gerald Seciban hopes that the skills he acquires as a welding scholar of Tzu Chi’s tech-voc program will open doors to regular employment. “There's still a chance for someone like me to have a new beginning, to start again, get stable work, and build a career,” says the son of a casual laborer and mother diagnosed with general anxiety disorder.
Project Coordinator Carlo Racela says Lao Foundation, Inc. decided to sponsor Batch 10 of Tzu Chi’s caregiving scholars as a way of supporting women, who contribute much to their families, the workplace, and society. “In Lao Foundation, we believe in empowerment through education. Make the most of the opportunity that has been given to you today,” he tells scholars.
“We hope that you not only take with you the skills that you learn in caregiving and welding but also the life lessons and values as well, like respect for all living beings and the readiness to help and share what you can with others,” says Tzu Chi Head of Technical-Vocational Program Dolly Alegado Cruz.
Besides reminding caregiving and welding beneficiaries to treasure the scholarships given to them, Rosa So, head of Tzu Chi’s Education Committee, encouraged them to reach out in the event they encounter challenges during their studies. “Open up to our staff. They are willing to listen to you. Remember the donors who contributed to your scholarship. Don’t let it go to waste,” she says.
The dream of having a free and accessible education was granted to a Tzu Chi TechVoc scholar as he receives his certificate of scholarship from Tzu Chi Education Committee Head Rosa So and Lao Foundation Project Coordinator Carlo Racela.
Tzu Chi Tech-Voc scholars share their moment of success as they happily receive their certificate of scholarship.