OFW Shares the Saddest Part of Working Abroad: Being Away From Your Children

Every year, more and more Filipinos are leaving the country to work abroad. Whether it is by choice or they are just forced to do so, there are many underlying reasons why an Overseas Filipino Worker choose to fly to another country.

OFWs Work for the Family

Leaving the country means detachment from your family members. It means being content with long distance calls, in sending and receiving SMS or engaging in instant messaging conversations. Working in another country means depriving yourself of guiding your children and watching them grow. It means missing hanging out with your family during weekends and many other things in exchange for life abroad.

The single biggest reason why Filipinos are choosing to go abroad for work is the low salary offered by employers in the country. Even professionals such as nurses, teachers, engineers, and doctors are paid poorly. No wonder many people choose to work abroad as domestic helpers or regular office clears and leave their professional jobs behind because they are paid higher abroad.

This is the same reason why an OFW named Rhonalyn David Estarez choose to work in another country: to give her daughter a bigger and brighter future. Even if it means being apart from her precious child.

Parted For Three Years

Every OFW would surely relate to the emotions of the Filipino worker. While talking to her child, she can’t help but cry after her daughter asked her to go home.

uwi Kna mama buti p.a. ibng Bata naalagaan mo ako.

The domestic helper was supposed to go back to her family this April but her employer asked her to extend because of Ramadan. It will take the family a few more months to see each other.

Rhonalyn also added that every time she is talking to her daughter, they can’t help but cry to each other. It’s been three years since she started working in Kuwait and for three years, she can only feel the presence of her daughter through video chats.

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This is so heartbreaking. All of us would understand how it feels to get parted with our children for several years to provide their needs.