A Gold medal for Hidilyn Diaz in Weightlifting, a Silver medal for Nesthy Petecio in Boxing, and the world’s admiration for the bubbly skateboarder, Margielyn Didal- all strong women excelling in commonly perceived masculine sports at the ultimate arena, the Olympics.
As we are still very much elated with these victories, we thought we might share with you how we, at KALIPAY, try to teach our children not to be restricted with gender stereotypes. Girls can be tough and boys can be gentle, it doesn’t always have to be the other way around!
Our shelter, Recovered Treasures, is home to a hundred children, and both boys and girls are expected to help out in the kitchen and around the home. The teen girls can manage minor lifting of supplies to and from the pantry, while the boys can cook, bake and do their own laundry.
Our teen girls are also quite deft at handling tools and equipment, they can do grass cutting around the shelter as well as any of the teen boys. While several of our boys have been found to be quite good at sewing. Some of the girls love sports while some of the boys enjoy handicrafts.
At KALIPAY, the children are encouraged to do the best of their abilities in all aspects of life and to strive for excellence. They are guided to rise above societal expectations of their gender, and most of all, they are taught to treat everybody with respect and kindness.
*All tasks undertaken by children are age-appropriate and always supervised by a Home Parent to ensure safety.