Child Sponsorship Leads to Realization of Medical School Dream

Reinalyn, who goes by the nickname Madel, is 23 years old and pursuing a medical degree at Manila Central University.

Sixteen years ago, Madel’s mother was looking for support to sustain the education of her children. One day she met someone from Pearl S. Buck Foundation Philippines (PSBP) who was recruiting children in the community to be sponsored. Madel’s mother immediately expressed interest and they eventually learned Madel would be joining the child sponsorship program. Madel’s relationship with her sponsor began with their very first letter exchange, starting a connection between them that has blossomed over the years.

Madel and her sponsor developed a close relationship over the years through their communication with one another, even though they lived miles away from each other. In one of Madel’s letters to her sponsor, she mentioned that “I want to become a doctor someday.” Her sponsor kept this young child’s dream in her heart.

Madel, being an intelligent and diligent student, continued her studies and graduated from elementary, high school and college with academic distinctions and awards. Her sponsor witnessed how Madel persevered in her studies and how she managed to be a consistent honor student.

After graduating from Rizal Technological University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Madel immediately got employed as a Behavior Therapist in a private psychological clinic in Manila, thus allowing her to start supporting her family on her own.

Despite now being a working adult and contributing member of society, able to care for her family thanks to the education she received thanks to her sponsor and PSBP, Madel and her sponsor continued to send letters to each other.

One fine morning, Madel received a call from the Executive Director of PSBP, who gave her the happiest news of her entire life. She learned that her sponsor wanted to continue to support her dreams and had offered to pay for medical school until she was able to graduate as a doctor. Madel remembers crying tears of joy. She realized that her sponsor had remembered and held onto her dreams as their relationship grew over the years.

While working at the private clinic, Madel decided to level up her profession by taking board examinations to become a psychometrician. During the last quarter of 2024, the list of individuals who passed to become Registered Psychometricians was released and Madel was one of them.

Madel’s story shows how sponsorship can go above and beyond in making an impact on the life of a child. This sponsorship was able to build a wonderful relationship over the years that has been full of understanding, authenticity, and love.