“I learned that poverty does not automatically end with misery, but hopelessness does.”
This is what Catherine “Cathy” Ricofuerto realized as she recounted the hardships of being born into a poor family. She did not stop dreaming and hoping that they would get through it someday, especially since ChildFund International (formerly Christian Children’s Fund) sponsored her education from 4th grade until she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy.
“Director Saturnina Hamili and ChildFund social workers and finance personnel became my inspiration in social development.”
Early on, Cathy was a child leader. When the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was being drafted in the 1980s, she served as a youth representative at children’s congress events and radio interviews. “I even remember memorizing the 12 children’s rights during a radio guesting,” she said.
Now, Cathy is the Finance and Admin Director of the ChildFund Japan Philippine Branch, working for change and imparting hope, faith, and positivity to the people around her.
