Malou's early life
Malou grew up in Metro Manila, the Philippines, the fifth child in a family of eight. Life was tough for her especially after her father a construction worker passed away. Her mum had to take care of all of the children alone and they had little money. They lived in a small one bedroom home built by her father at the back of her aunt’s house.
Without the money for uniforms and school supplies, Malou’s brothers and sisters had left school early. With no education they faced a bleak future and so, even though it was difficult, Malou was determined to keep going to school if she possibly could. She says ” I had a bit of maturity in understanding how I wanted to drive my life at that young age, and the eagerness to at least finish high school was always on my mind. I was fortunate to be quite good at school, and that has always guided me to understand what I wanted to achieve.”
Life at school
In 1993 Malou heard about the mission of the Sisters of Mary to educate the poorest children and she decided to try to meet them and seek a place at the school. Together with some friends she travelled to meet the Sisters at the first Philippines girls’ school in Sta. Mesa. She says “I knew that getting into SoM was super important because it gave me better chances for the future. It was a chance to change my life.”
Luckily for Malou, the Sisters were able to provide a place at the school for her and she joined the Sisters in 1994.
She was excited to arrive at the school but initially very homesick. After two weeks, Malou began to settle into her new life, making new lasting friendships and thriving in the care of the Sisters. She loved the vocational classes like electronics and typing but hated dressmaking although she diligently followed the guidance of the Sisters in making her uniforms and sports kit! She also loved the academic subjects like history and in the second year developed a passion for maths. She says ” the Sisters were always there for us and their dedication and selflessness were truly inspiring”.
When she passed her exams and completed school in 1998 she was just 17 and so returned home to her family. At 18 however she was awarded a full scholarship for St Paul’s School in Manila to study for a bachelor’s degree in maths and train as a teacher.
New beginnings
As a fully licenced teacher, Malou’s first job was teaching a multi-level syllabus to grades 4-6 in Dasmariñas. Almost immediately she was able to start helping her family financially, providing financial support and medical care for her mother and paying for education for her brothers and sisters. Their lives have been transformed because of this support.
After two years, she moved into business process outsourcing where she gained valuable customer service experience later moving to Dubai for work. She has now lived and worked in Dubai for almost 16 years and has been at financial software company, Finastra for 13 years, working as a senior level Executive Assistant. She has made a good life for herself. She continues to support her family members and in her spare time is learning to play the ukulele. She is passionate about running. She ran the Berlin Marathon in 2024 and will run the 2025 London Marathon to raise the funds needed for us to provide SoM school places for even more deprived children.
Looking forward to a better future
Malou reflects on the chance she had at the Sisters of Mary school and how her life has changed for the better. She says “I am grateful that I can use the opportunities I have been given to support my family and make a positive impact on their lives. Their success stories are a testament to the importance of education and the opportunities it can bring. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together and grateful for the chance to make a positive impact on my family’s life. The future looks bright. I am optimistic about what lies ahead for all of us”.
For the girls at school with the Sisters now she advises “the SoM education is the springboard for whatever you want to do in your life. Enjoy your school time, do your best it will help you grow and advance later in life.”