“Para sa akin, ang tinatawag na dignidad, ito ‘yung sumasalamin sa ating pagkatao—mga karapatan, paninindigan, at ipinaglalaban na dapat nirerespeto”
FOR ME, DIGNITY IS A REFLECTION OF MY HUMANITY – MY RIGHTS, MY ADVOCACIES, AND MY STRUGGLES, ALL OF WHICH SHOULD BE RESPECTED.)
— ALIMBAI TAHIR
OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTH
OSY FORMATOR, TAMONTAKA 4
Coming from what she calls a ‘perfect family’; Alimbai shares that she had a supportive grandmother, a father who’s always there to guide them, a mother who was just as loving, and siblings that she cared for very much. After losing her grandmother 6 years ago, and her grandfather 2 months right after her grandmother’s passing; there was mourning but it was still the same perfect family to her.
Last July 2022, Alimbai excitedly attended the Sulong, Kabataan: Formators’ Training, which is the kick-off activity of Project ABOVE (Facilitating Access & Boosting Opportunities for Out-Of-School Youth & AlternatiVe Learning System Students’ Empowerment).
For her, this was a fresh start and she wanted to learn as much as she could from the training so that she could help support her father who was running for the 2022 local barangay elections.
Alimbai recounted that she learned a lot about how to get to know herself, basic media training, and leadership. She highlighted the importance of having confidence in herself, as well as the difference between pride and self-confidence. After the training, she happily returned home with new learnings to share with her family.
However, the image of that perfect family was quickly destroyed. With the recent passing of her father, she felt like she had completely lost everything. Her father was the family’s pillar, the breadwinner, her siblings’ guardian, and her ‘superman’. She felt how everything was constantly changing, and they were the ones who were still stuck in time, left behind to pick up the pieces.
To add to her piling problems, one of her siblings also became paralyzed and cannot move. Alimbai has also stopped school completely so that she can support her siblings and help them with their school work.
Despite all this, she decided to remain firm and strong. Alimbai quoted what her father used to tell her, which has now become her source of strength: “For everything that happens, it is already written and destined. What we need to do now is to accept it so that we can fight it.” She also added that “acceptance is the best way to move on.”
Currently, Alimbai continues to actively participate in activities under the project ABOVE as one of the youth formators and to also learn more from the trainings. Furthermore, she has also joined as a guest in one of the radio episodes under the project.
As a person who has experienced the hardships of life, she mentioned that oftentimes, the dignity of a person is stripped from them and they lose all of their self-confidence. They drown in self-doubt and wonder if there is still a future in store for them. Alimbai wants to remind them that life would not be life without the struggles that come with it. Humans must overcome and fight, even though the fight is an uphill struggle.
When asked what the word ‘dignity’ means to her, she answered that “dignity is a reflection of my humanity – my rights, my advocacies, and my struggles, all of which should be respected.”
