NABUNTURAN, Compostela Valley — She thought her wonderful dreams will remain dreams forever. Thanks to Operation Blessing’s Back to School program, Jhan-Jhan is just a few steps away from reaching her goals.

After a fire razed their house and all their belongings in 2007, Jhan-Jhan’s family did not know where to start again. They were left with nothing but ashes.

When she realized that everything they own was gone, great sadness filled her heart. She knew she had to stop her schooling. It was a shattering and heartbreaking truth for her.

“My other siblings did not seem to care much about it. They think school is boring so they can’t understand why I felt so bad. Instead of empathizing with me, they scoffed at me,” Jhan-Jhan said.

“I didn’t want my high school classmates to know that I wouldn’t be able to enter college. I felt so ashamed and envious at the same time.”

Jhan-Jhan values education like a precious gem. “Every night, I would cry and ask God to help me. I keep telling myself how important education is. If I finish my studies, then I would be able to help my family in future.”

And her prayers were answered. When her grandmother heard of Operation Blessing coming to their place, she pleaded her granddaughter’s case, and Jhan-Jhan became a beneficiary of OB’s Back to School program.

She was able to enter college as a scholar and is now a graduating student taking up a computer secretarial course. OB assisted her by paying her tuition fees for a two-year course offered by TESDA.

“OB has been a blessing to me and my family. Because of them, we were able to rebuild our house and my father returned to farming again. Most of all, they granted me the greatest gift I could ever ask for. My education is something that money couldn’t replace,” Jhan-Jhan gratefully said.

“If not for OB, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I would probably be living my life aimlessly. Now I’m looking forward to a brighter future ahead of me.”

Jhan-Jhan, 18, is also an active member in their church youth group. During weekdays, she stays in a boarding house in Davao City and comes home every weekend to be with her family.

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