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Volunteering in Cebu City, the Philippines

When I arrived in the Philippines at the beginning of February 2017, I was experiencing a massive shift in my approach to travel and… to life.

Exploring and relaxing on the beaches of the Philippines had once got adrenaline doing somersaults through my body, but when I arrived, I felt numb. Working on the road as a solo traveller is worlds apart from just going on a two-week holiday somewhere. The Philippines, as spoilt as this sounds, was just another destination on an on-going travel itinerary. For the last 36 months I had travelled beyond my wildest dreams and my gut was indicating that, maybe, I’d simply travelled too much.

Was travel boring me now? Would I have to seek a new career?

That thought was a little melodramatic.

What I realised is that I just needed progression. I needed to be physically and mentally challenged again. With a month still left of my five-month solo adventure, I decided (with a few teary calls to my mum) that I would work through the bigger picture when I got home.

For now, I just needed to find a new direction for my time in the Philippines…

That was when I googled volunteering, and contacted the Rise Above FoundationRead more about why I decided to volunteer here.

I had never previously considered or had the opportunity to volunteer, and the timing suddenly just felt so right. As soon as the seed was planted, my decision was made. I was going to volunteer in Cebu City, in the Philippines.

Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog

I wanted to put life into perspective, to come back down to earth, to give back. To find deep gratitude and to experience travel through a different and less glossy lens. What I experienced through volunteering did all of the above, and so much more.

Volunteering in the Philippines was one of the most, if not the most, humbling and fulfilling travel experiences that I’ve ever encountered.

The Rise Above Foundation is a charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for poor families in Cebu, Philippines. They run a number of programmes including dental missions, disaster relief, education sponsorships and they also run two care centres. Their focus is on helping children in poverty-striken areas, giving them education, food, and ultimately, hope for a brighter future.

Over 30% of the population of Cebu City live in poverty.

I went to volunteer in some of the most desperate areas.

I went to places where families couldn’t afford the basics of food, let alone education, where families had no awareness of nutrition or health, and where kids lived off of coloured sweets and sugar. Some families I met couldn’t even afford birth certificatesthey didn’t even exist.

Without the right nutrition, the brain cannot function correctly. So even if the opportunity for education came along for these families, fatigue and weakness would overshadow it.

I had never seen life from this perspective before.

If there’s one thing you take from my experience volunteering in Cebu, let it be that if you are lucky enough to have access to nutritious food and the education around it… embrace it.

Embrace the opportunity you have to have good health care, and hopefully, good health itself.

Value the opportunity you have for education and for a future. Appreciate the ability you have to follow your dreams and to have your body back you up every step of the way.

You may remember I put an opportunity on social media for you to donate to a fund that I would take to make a difference in the slums.

I wanted to directly take your money and show you how incredibly far it goes here in the Philippines. Together we sponsored a ‘big feed’ in a slum within Sangsom village, which gave a nutritious meal to over 400 children and families. We also bought the children’s centre a new double stove, stainless steel cooking pots, kitchen accessories, bowls for the feedings they host, plus skipping ropes and balls for the children.

So first and foremost, thank you to anyone that donated.

I witnessed the incredible impact your money had. In the video below I captured as much of it as I could, so that you could witness it too…

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Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog-35
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
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Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog-35
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog-35
1. Whatever you’re passionate about, you’ll find a way to make money from it. Words I’ll always remember my mum feeding me. I honestly believe there’s a career to be found for every single passion out there. It just depends on your willingness to find and pursue it. What are you waiting for? Don’t regret not doing it. The time is now. Other peoples opinions are a reflection of their own limitations and boundaries. If i’d have listened to even one of the hundreds of people that said to me, ‘so, how are you going to actually make money from that’ I wouldn’t be sat here today earning a 6 figure income from my passion for travel and capturing incredible moments through art. Dig deep. Don’t let people drive your future for you. Take the wheel and steer it yourself! Travel, explore, experience EVERYTHING. Whatever means you have to travel, whatever budget. Just go. You’ll figure it out. You’ll learn more than school every taught you and you’ll never ever regret it. I’ve never met anyone that regrets travelling even if they hated it. It only meant they had a profound appreciation for their home and they were more content than ever getting back there. That in itself is life changing. If in doubt - be grateful. Be grateful every day. I once heard Tony Robbins quote ‘Going from depression to joy can seem an impossible task. You may not have all the tools yet to take this leap but once thing we can always do is be grateful. Grateful is always accesible and leads to a much more wholesome way of living.’ Relationships come and go, build a solid foundation within yourself. Sleep when you’re dead is the worst phrase ever invented Dr chattergee podcast Listen to your gut: say no more often It’s in the depths of pain and confusion that we dig deep to discover our greatest strengths. The most attractive people are the happy ones Vibrating at a high frequency will welcome incredible things into your life.
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
Why I Chose to Volunteer, Have I travelled too much? | Where's Mollie? A Travel and Adventure Lifestyle Blog
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Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog-35
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog
My top 10 travel moments, destinations and experiences of 2017 | Where's Mollie? A Travel and Adventure Lifestyle Blog
Volunteering in the Slums Cebu City, Philippines | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog

To get involved and make a difference, either by donating money or volunteering your time in Cebu, see the Rise Above Foundation website here.

READ MORE ABOUT VOLUNTEERING ON MY BLOG HERE

EXPLORE THE PHILIPPINES ON MY BLOG HERE

Have you volunteered before?

Where did you do it? I’d love to know!

Love as always and happy adventuring,

Mollie.

Volunteering in Cebu City, the Philippines
Volunteering in Cebu City, the Philippines
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IT’S LOVELY TO MEET YOU

I’M MOLLIE AND I STARTED THIS BLOG BACK IN 2013 WHEN I HEADED OUT ON MY FIRST BACKPACKING ADVENTURE. 

I’D LOVE TO SHARE THE JOURNEY WITH YOU, WE’VE GROWN A LOT SINCE THEN!

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