Francis Samudio

FRIENDSHIP HOME, 1992, 2002 – 2007

1992 was a year of misfortune for many of us living in Singalong.  This was the year when a huge fire leveled our homes.  I was only eight years old then.  Like most of the calamity victims, the question foremost in our mind was the uncertain future:  How do we rise up from the ashes of our burnt homes, our parents’ dreams for their children? 

I was among the first group of children taken into the fold of Friendship Home when it opened in Malate in May 1992.  Because of my young age, my insecurities, my inability to live and relate with groups of children for the first time in my young life, I soon dropped out of Friendship Home.  My elementary and high school years passed by.  I looked back with a sense of regret on all the opportunities I had lost and were being enjoyed by those who remained at Friendship Home:  the care, fun, laughter, and guidance — everything that a child longs for in life.  

Thankfully, when I was in second-year college, Friendship Home offered me a second chance to finish my studies in Civil Engineering.  Knowing that this would be my lifetime ticket to support not only myself but also our family, I valued greatly this second chance.  In gratitude, I became actively involved in the day-to-day activities of my brothers and sisters in Friendship Home.  For the younger ones, I had become their “Kuya” or Older Brother.  For the others, I was the “Chairman” —chairman of this and that event, and so on.  For the rest, I was simply a friend that they could turn to.   For Friendship Home, someone they could rely on, whether it’s for Christmas caroling, USEC bazaar, Family Feast, summer outings, field trips, and others. 

What do I treasure most about Friendship Home?  It is this:  that when I was down, it raised me up. I am very thankful to Friendship Home for treating me like a son, a brother, and a friend.  For trusting me and making me a better man.

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