MAKE OVER YOUR LIFE
Make Over Your Life Activity: Making Over Other Lives
We asked our winner, Amie Perez, to interview 2010 Fun Fearless Female Awardee Alex Eduque and visit a Habitat for Humanity community with her. She tells us about it.
Posted on May 12, 2010 10:00 pm by Amie Perez
Photo: Sam Echavez
Posted on May 12, 2010 10:00 pm by Amie Perez
Photo: Sam Echavez
It's fun to be a Cosmo chick. So far, I've learned a lot about looking fabulous, feeling fantastic, and being on top of my game wherever I go and whatever I do. I can sum it all up in one word: empowerment. This month's activity was no exception, as I was able to get a glimpse of people whose lives needed makeovers more than you or I do. I was also given the chance to get to know someone who did just that—help give hundreds of families' lives a total makeover.
Meet Alex Eduque, one of Cosmo's Fun Fearless Female Awardees for 2010. Since she was fifteen, Alex has been volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, a Christian organization that helps build homes and communities with the help of volunteers, donors, and partners through livelihood programs aimed toward sustainable development.
Alex and Habitat's volunteers are definitely a breath of fresh air amidst the empty promises and self-serving interests of traditional politicians. Theirs, indeed, is a story of perseverance and principle. But as much as I thought that talking to Alex was inspiring enough (catch the full interview on Cosmo TV), seeing the fruits of her advocacy's labor, when I went with her to the Baseco community, moved me even more.
Everything We Do Matters
The stories of Baseco I knew of a few years ago were those of makeshift houses, unpaved roads, and endless piles of garbage. When we got there, I was surprised to see that it wasn't exactly the way I pictured it. The roads were clean, wide, and cemented, while the houses were sturdy, painted and organized in neat rows. Although Baseco is still a work in progress, it has definitely gone a long way from the seemingly uninhabitable landfill it used to be. It was refreshing to see with my own eyes how Habitat's hard work made a difference in hundreds of families' lives.
I also had the chance to interact with the children of Habitat's homeowners during the food-giving activity Alex had prepared for the kids. Suddenly, I felt like I was traveling back to my college days. Back then, I volunteered for different causes that I cared about. But that day at Baseco, I asked myself, "When did I stop caring?"
Truth is, I never really did. I guess I just stopped hoping, disillusioned by the notion that anything I do wouldn't really change the big picture. But that day, under the scorching heat, dozens of children's smiles told me otherwise. Every little thing we do—they matter.
What I Can Do
I have so much respect for people who either rise above their circumstances, or cross over to worlds that are exact opposites of their own. Most of the time, I'd wish I was like them. But I don't build homes for the homeless, push karitons to teach kids, or rescue people trapped in their flooded homes. So what can I do, then?
I once wrote that anyone can change the world, but the hard part is figuring out how. What I didn't know back then was how it doesn't matter so much if I start with a big or small part of the world. What's more important is how wholeheartedly I give a part of myself to make at least one person's world better. That's a good start, isn't it? For now, this is what I do: I write. I do this, hoping that I could make at least one person start believing in herself, or see the world from a better perspective.
Anyone can be a Fun, Fearless Female Awardee in her own way. I just hope that through this unique makeover, you, my fellow Cosmo chick, will discover how you can change someone's world. I'm sure we can, if we really try. There are so many ways to help out, and volunteering for a cause as worthy as that of Habitat for Humanity is just one of them. Besides, a real Cosmo chick does not only empower herself; she empowers others, too, in any way she can, the best way she knows how.
Meet Alex Eduque, one of Cosmo's Fun Fearless Female Awardees for 2010. Since she was fifteen, Alex has been volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, a Christian organization that helps build homes and communities with the help of volunteers, donors, and partners through livelihood programs aimed toward sustainable development.
Alex and Habitat's volunteers are definitely a breath of fresh air amidst the empty promises and self-serving interests of traditional politicians. Theirs, indeed, is a story of perseverance and principle. But as much as I thought that talking to Alex was inspiring enough (catch the full interview on Cosmo TV), seeing the fruits of her advocacy's labor, when I went with her to the Baseco community, moved me even more.
Everything We Do Matters
The stories of Baseco I knew of a few years ago were those of makeshift houses, unpaved roads, and endless piles of garbage. When we got there, I was surprised to see that it wasn't exactly the way I pictured it. The roads were clean, wide, and cemented, while the houses were sturdy, painted and organized in neat rows. Although Baseco is still a work in progress, it has definitely gone a long way from the seemingly uninhabitable landfill it used to be. It was refreshing to see with my own eyes how Habitat's hard work made a difference in hundreds of families' lives.
I also had the chance to interact with the children of Habitat's homeowners during the food-giving activity Alex had prepared for the kids. Suddenly, I felt like I was traveling back to my college days. Back then, I volunteered for different causes that I cared about. But that day at Baseco, I asked myself, "When did I stop caring?"
Truth is, I never really did. I guess I just stopped hoping, disillusioned by the notion that anything I do wouldn't really change the big picture. But that day, under the scorching heat, dozens of children's smiles told me otherwise. Every little thing we do—they matter.
What I Can Do
I have so much respect for people who either rise above their circumstances, or cross over to worlds that are exact opposites of their own. Most of the time, I'd wish I was like them. But I don't build homes for the homeless, push karitons to teach kids, or rescue people trapped in their flooded homes. So what can I do, then?
I once wrote that anyone can change the world, but the hard part is figuring out how. What I didn't know back then was how it doesn't matter so much if I start with a big or small part of the world. What's more important is how wholeheartedly I give a part of myself to make at least one person's world better. That's a good start, isn't it? For now, this is what I do: I write. I do this, hoping that I could make at least one person start believing in herself, or see the world from a better perspective.
Anyone can be a Fun, Fearless Female Awardee in her own way. I just hope that through this unique makeover, you, my fellow Cosmo chick, will discover how you can change someone's world. I'm sure we can, if we really try. There are so many ways to help out, and volunteering for a cause as worthy as that of Habitat for Humanity is just one of them. Besides, a real Cosmo chick does not only empower herself; she empowers others, too, in any way she can, the best way she knows how.
Tags: Fun Fearless Female,Amie Perez,Make Over Your Life,Alex Eduque,Habitat For Humanity,Baseco
13 Comments
Add A Comment
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13. Haha! Thanks! Nice meeting you rin. Sayang nga, wasn't able to mingle with a lot of cosmo girls kasi late ako. But yeah, I had fun dancing with him, too! Haha!
May 21, 2010 at 11:51 pm report abuse -
12. It was nice meeting u Amie @ the eyeball.At last.I'm happy that we have Armi as our common friend.Congratulations on ur promotion.Hopefully,me,you and Armi could hang out sometime.I had fun watching u dancing w/ Joseph.hehe :)
May 21, 2010 at 06:30 am report abuse -
11. I missed those times that I was on ecumenical council..kudos Amie..
May 13, 2010 at 06:39 pm report abuse -
10. go amie!!! :)
May 13, 2010 at 05:42 pm report abuse -
9. Inspiring...
May 13, 2010 at 12:19 pm report abuse -
8. nice one Amie!
May 13, 2010 at 12:06 pm report abuse -
7. sana magawa ko naman yan...namiss ko yan
May 13, 2010 at 02:41 am report abuse -
6. iba talaga feeling pag nakakatulong ka sa iba, lalo na sa mga bata at matatatanda
May 13, 2010 at 12:18 am report abuse -
5. Amie.kaka inspire kana din..:)
May 12, 2010 at 11:53 pm report abuse -
4. nice Ms Amie
May 12, 2010 at 11:52 pm report abuse -
3. I salute you both..such a kind person
May 12, 2010 at 11:01 pm report abuse -
2. wow! galing ni amie!
May 12, 2010 at 10:38 pm report abuse -
1. good job!
May 12, 2010 at 10:28 pm report abuse
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