Supporting #GirlsCan campaign

Many women and young girls fear not being enough, being limited by their gender, or losing their basic human rights and being denied access to education.

But as the experiences of news reporter Mav Gonzales, social media personality Janina Vela, and Table Tennis athlete Zachi Chua prove, girls can overcome their fears and achieve anything if they receive the right support and guidance to reach their full potential.

During the recent school tour for World Vision’s #GirlsCan campaign held at iACADEMY Campus in Makati, Mav shared: “When I became an i-Witness reporter, I felt like I didn’t know a thing, I felt insecure. Parang minsan iniisip ko na deserve ko ba na mabigyan ng chance ng i-Witness (sometimes I wonder if I should be given the chance to be in i-Witness)” she added, referring to the popular news documentary show where she is one of the reporters.

What helped her get through those difficult moments were the words of encouragement from her peers. She said, “The veterans in the industry were generous in sharing tips and words of encouragement with me. If there are things that you don’t understand, always ask for help because a lot of the time people would be very willing to help.”

For Janina, who shared personal stories of her fear of auditioning when she once aspired to become a theater actress but didn’t get the lead, she recalled, “I was hiding behind a lens of ‘I wasn’t good enough.”

She reminded the young attendees, “Think about taking off the lenses. Think about what would life be like if I didn’t view the world through the lens of my fears?” She added, “Bravery is not the absence of fear, it’s doing what you need to do despite it.”

Lastly, Zachi showed her support for young girls by encouraging the students to join various programs of World Vision such as the Student Ambassadorship Program, a five-month program that aims to train bright young minds to become the voice of Filipino children. 

As long-time ambassadors of World Vision, Mav, Janina, and Zachi continue to support the organization’s programs, including the annual #GirlsCan campaign, which aims to secure sponsorships for 1,000 girls in celebration of the International Day of the Girl.