we would have our family vacation outside of the country. Last year was her debut, and since she graduated with High Academic Honors, we watched the Eras Tour Concert of Taylor Swift in Singapore to celebrate these milestones. Again, thanks to TP, I was able to save up for that core event in our lives! Being a mother is both an honor and a big responsibility. That is why I also do my best to be a better version of myself and continue to be a role model to my daughter. Recently, I enrolled in a State University here in Bacolod City, with a course in Advanced Education Program. My subjects are so relevant in my role as a Learning and Development Advocate here at TP, as well as a mother of a young adult. With these, not only do I prac- tice what I preach, but I also live up to what I teach my daughter, some- thing I hope she will also pass on to her children someday: that learning never stops, regardless of the circumstances. Shella A. Pabon
Swati Chawla TP in India
My mother, Kamlesh Kumari: a legacy of resilience, love, and empowerment Kamlesh Kumari was born in 1944 in Sargodha, India (now Pakistan). At just three years old, she witnessed the traumatic partition of India. The violence and uncertainty of that time deeply impacted her childhood. Yet, even in the face of such hardship, Kamlesh’s resilience began to take root, shaping the remarkable woman she would become. “Challenges in life are meant to make us stronger, not to break us,” Kamlesh often says, and her life proves this to be true. When she was only four years old, Kamlesh lost her mother. As the youngest of six siblings, she was still a child, yet she clung to her sisters and found comfort in whatever education she could access. Kamlesh ex- celled in geography and mathematics despite the limited opportunities for girls in India during that time. She stood first in her class year after year and graduated, defying the odds. “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world,” Kamlesh believes, and she used education to shape her future when so many girls around her didn’t have the same opportunity. At 22, Kamlesh married my father and became the mother of five daugh - ters. In a society where daughters’ birth was often seen as a burden, Kamlesh broke cultural norms. She ensured we received an education, even enrolling us in English-medium schools. Her unwavering belief in education and financial independence as the foundation of a woman’s empowerment shaped our lives. “Before marriage, education matters,” she always told us. Today, all five of us are highly educated and have successful careers, thanks to her re- lentless pursuit of our futures.
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FOSTERING EMPOWERMENT
LETTERS TO MOTHERS
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