The three friends asked a street child what he wanted for Christmas to which he replied, “I need some rubber slippers so my feet wouldn’t get wet and muddy in the rain when I go to school".
The response prompted them to take action upon their return home to Central Queensland.
They decided to gather their friends for their very first weekly $2 coffee meetups, where the proceeds went towards purchasing rubber thongs for about 400 other street children.
Their initiative has grown to supporting the education of underprivileged children in the Philippines and Pacific Island nations.
Highlights
- Linda Esguerra came to Australia as a volunteer during the World Expo in Brisbane in 1988
- Together with two other Filipinas, she led the VWB in expanding its work to also provide scholarship opportunities to children in the Philippines
- Volunteers Without Borders (VWB) has been actively helping refugees and asylum seekers in Rockhampton
But this wasn't the only time the women volunteered.
Since 2007, they have been actively helping the homeless, refugees, and asylum seekers to get back on their feet and build new flourishing lives through Volunteers Without Borders (VWB) Rockhampton.
Together with two other Filipinas, Ms Esguerra expanded VWB's work to provide scholarship opportunities for children in the Philippines.
Source: Supplied
Crossing borders
Ms Esguerra first visited Australia in 1988 to represent the Philippines as Deputy Commissioner at the World Expo in Brisbane.
She still remembers her experience working with volunteers for the very first time and the contagious spirit of thousands of volunteers from all over the world.
“I had never heard of Australia before. It was an eye-opener and a great experience for me. It was the world in one place. The site [Southbank, Brisbane] was transformed and continued to be a place where people from around the world meet,” she told SBS Filipino.
“I actually got hold of the Filipino community groups in Brisbane. They helped operate the restaurants and clean the pavilion where we received over 30,000 visitors a day.”
Source: Supplied
Now a community leader herself in Rockhampton, Ms Esguerra serves as the Executive Director of the local Volunteer Without Borders chapter and has been recognised for her work in community service which included a Living Treasure award in 2012 and an Australia Day Award for Community Service in 2015.
She said her work has revealed to her the remarkable drive of local Filipinos to serve others even in impossible circumstances - sometimes even at a fault.
Sharing spaces
In Philippine culture, the concept of charity and volunteerism is quite evident in the family, particularly in the raising of children.
Ms Esguerra reflected on how Filipinos naturally shine as volunteers and how she experienced this early on in her life as a child.
“We are not just raised by our parents. Our grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins all have a hand in raising us. I am an only child, my entire extended family raised me.
“Sometimes, people say we tend to overstep and get too involved in other people’s lives. But it is innate in the Filipino to care for other people."
One extraordinary example of volunteer commitment is that of respected Filipino-Australian elder, Gaby Nagel, a source of inspiration for Ms Esguerra
Source: Supplied
Mrs Nagel regularly takes in newly arrived migrants in Rockhampton to live in her house for free to help them get a comfortable start in Australia.
“Gaby’s house is like a railway station. As soon as people arrive, they offer them food and drinks. The house is always overflowing with people.”
According to Mrs Nagel, there was a time she hosted five to six student nurses for two years until they all got their nursing certificates.
Mrs Nagel said that she just wants to “give them a leg up in life so they can also have a wonderful life here in Australia".
She spends very little time talking about such acts of kindness, preferring to talk about the dishes she loves to cook for other people.
“People like my spring rolls and sinigang. They eat everything I cook! I love to cook and serve people,” Mrs Nagel said.
Originally from Bohol, Philippines, Mrs Nagel moved to Australia from Switzerland in 1978 with her husband Gary.
“I was also working in aged care in Switzerland before we moved here.”
Mrs Nagel is now retired and devotes her time to raising funds for Volunteers Without Borders and for a local aged care home to buy the residents much-needed supplies.
As VWB’s treasurer, she makes sure that the funds are ready for when the three of them do their annual visit to the Philippines to give to their scholars.
Seeing through many eyes
Rose Swadling understands the nurturing spirit of Filipinos. She had been to the Philippines for volunteer work before even meeting Ms Esguerra and Mrs Nagel.
The current chair of VWB and Living Treasure 2020 awardee said she admires her friends’ dedication and that Filipinos “have been the forerunners within our community".
The former Deputy Mayor of the Rockhampton Regional Council has been instrumental in the creation of what has become a celebrated tradition of welcoming refugees and asylum seekers in her city.
“From being in local government, we get to see things through different eyes. Linda, Gaby, and I make sure that we bring our community together as one community regardless of our culture and how we embed them,” Mrs Swadling said.
Source: Supplied
She has lived in Rockhampton all her life and previously ran a painting contractor business. Her family understands well the importance of social inclusion and stimulation, and how it guided her to a path in volunteerism and public service.
“I was very shy myself when I first ventured out and I knew how hard it was to break into that community cycle having been a stay-at-home mum. I know how frightening that was for a young woman,” she said.
Having worked in the local council, Mrs Swadling urged the government to take its commitment to support volunteers seriously and have a bipartisan approach in doing so.
“We need to have some compassion, not just political grandstanding. I’ve seen it from where I stand. We need to push the value of volunteers in the community.”
The current pandemic and state lockdown have created various challenges in their work at Volunteers Without Borders.
But this pandemic has already highlighted the importance of empathy and how it knows no borders. The world is again reminded that when our comfortable lives are put on hold, it is volunteers that respond to the call of duty.
As Mrs Swadling put it, “volunteers are the backbone of the world, not just the community".
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