Foster parent tells story of 20 years

By Izah Morales INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines --When you’re single and a college graduate, would you rather be a mother of 11 kids who have come from different places and backgrounds? For 20 years now, Erlinda Lubi has been a foster parent in the SOS Children’s Village Manila, where 32 homeless kids are currently housed. Lubi, who is fondly called “Mama Erlin,” is now taking care of 11 kids from different age groups. Lubi shares her unforgettable experiences as a foster in this video interview taken by multimedia reporter Morales. Through SOS Children’s Village, the likes of Lubi are trained to become foster parents to homeless kids. Before she became an “SOS mother,” Lubi recalled taking a three-month course called initial motherhood. After two years, she again took a two-week refresher course. Lubi, however, stressed that learning to become a mother is not just limited to one course. It takes years. “Kahit college graduate ako, hindi mo masasabing, ‘Bakit yan yung pinasok mo, eh hindi mo naman linya.’ Sa isang nanay lahat ng courses nandun. Andiyan yung doctor ka, nurse ka, teacher ka, accountant ka,” Lubi said. While Lubi herself has no children, she has become emotionally attached to the children, as she admitted that she could not see herself leaving them. “Kahit sabihin mong mahirap, hindi mo na makuhang iiwan sila. Kasi para sa akin, hindi ko kino-consider na trabaho yung pagiging SOS nanay ko,” said Lubi. In her years of service, she recalled an incident that she could not forget. “Nagkaroon ako ng anak na sa isang oras mamatay na siya,” she said, stressing that prayers were what she held onto during those trying times. She made a deal with herself that when the baby girl survived, she would stay and serve the village as long as she can. After an hour, the baby cried. Today, the baby is a teenager who is in her third year in high school. Being a foster parent for 20 years, Lubi had this to say: “Walang napapagod na nanay. Walang nagrereklamo na nanay. Hindi mo ma-explain kung ano yung pakiramdam ng pagiging nanay.”