Miss I didn’t stand a chance from birth. Number 10 in a family of eleven children, there was never enough food to go around. The only food Miss I got was rice water – the leftover water after the rice was cooked.

When our staff spotted her on the floor of the small shack where the family lived, it seemed that it was already too late. Pauline gently lifted the baby into her arms and held her.

Barely alive, Miss I was taken to our Calapan Children’s Home for malnourished children. Doctors examined Miss I and suggested she had about seven days to live.

A staff member from Holland immediately bonded with Miss I and spent many hours, along with other staff members, nursing this little girl back to life. Both her parents passed away so she could not return home.

Eventually the staff member married a young man from Holland and they both moved to the Philippines permanently just so they could be in a position to apply to adopt Miss I. Years of dedication, personal sacrifice and love paid off and now Miss I is a happy little girl growing up in Holland with a loving caring family.