My usual answer was, “Because I wanted to create a medium where the privileged can get to help the underprivileged (the street people).” But that was not the only reason why. I have two versions of answers to that question; allow me to share them with you.
The usual answer always sounded idealistic, most of the time inspiring, because I guess that’s what my branding is (for as long as I can remember), and people expect me to be that kind of individual. Sometimes, I give them answers that they expect from me to end the conversation, and we can move forward with our lives. It’s easier that way, but don’t get me wrong; I founded this one because I wanted to make a little difference in the lives of those street children. And ultimately, with the hope that when others see what we are doing, they’ll get inspired to join us too, hence the tagline of “transforming lives together.” But there’s a deeper reason why I dedicated my life to this endeavor; even my co-founders didn’t know about it. I’ll share it here because I “wanted to shed some inspiration” for you.
I’m the eldest; I lost my dad when I was fourteen; I unconsciously raised myself; and I have all that firstborn syndrome. The deeper reason why Ka-Agapay came into life is because I was helping myself. Since then, I have always felt responsible for everything. I sometimes felt like I lost my sense of self because of my responsibilities. With Ka-Agapay, providing help to others always felt like giving aid to myself, too. I was never diagnosed; I am still building up the courage to know what’s going on behind all the early-morning and late-night thoughts and writings. Nevertheless, Ka-Agapay was founded with the idea that we can be each other’s Ka-Agapay and not just for our beneficiaries. A street-family-free Philippines is what we envision, but being a Ka-Agapay is at the core of everything we do.
That was deep right? That’s why I often gave the usual answer because to be honest, I do not have the courage yet to talk about it; how Ka-Agapay is of help to me on a personal level and how it became my escape plan whenever I’m feeling a little over or under myself. Don’t feel sad about it, I kind of make my way around it so I guess the next time we cross paths, you already know why I created it, and I guess the interesting question that will come next is, “How can I be a Ka-Agapay?”.
– Shiela Catanghal