Success stories in social development have always inspired people. The beneficiaries have always had the stage set for them, the limelight focused on their smiling faces. The public just love hearing their stories, they love being inspired by how these people clawed their way out of poverty, of misery. But how about the people who made those smiles possible? Whose family life was sacrificed for making those successes happen? Who are the field workers who had to climb mountains and risk their lives in order to serve people?

You will find one of these field workers in the municipality of Barcelona, Sorsogon. One might bump into her while she wanders the streets and farmlands of Barcelona to visit the communities. She answers to the name “Sonia”. She works for Bicol Center for Community Development (BCCD), and she is the project officer of the Self-Help Approach project. Her home, however, is two hours away from Barcelona. She spends half of her time in the field, and half at BCCD’s office in Daraga, Albay.

Sonia has been a widow for seven years. As a single mother, she struggled to send her four children to school. Her two eldest daughters were able to finish college. However, her third child, a 16 year old with special needs, had to stop going to school because she could not afford to enroll him in a special education program.

One might say that these last couple of years have not been easy for this single mother. At 50, her fragile health suffers from the amount of work she has to do in the field and in fulfilling the roles of both mother and father to her children. Once, she almost collapsed during a meeting, but she insisted on finishing the meeting’s agenda, claiming that her responsibility to her project comes before her health.

Her husband, who was a political science graduate, was the one who inspired her to go into social development. “Hindi talaga ako nag-asam na mag office work kasi ang tingin ko doon matagal ang professional growth, (I never really wished to do office work, because I think professional growth is slow when you just stay in an office),” said Sonia. “Mas gusto ko nasa na-cha-challenge ako, yung nakakausap ko yung may iba-ibang katangian na mga tao. (I prefer being challenged; I get to talk to people with different personalities.)”

Monitoring 72 Self-Help Groups (SHeGs) of 892 women, Sonia traverses kilometers after kilometers of rough roads in order to reach them. Some groups are even located in conflict-affected areas. Even if there had been other opportunities outside of her chosen field, she refused to grab them. Even if field work is taxing and can sometimes be dangerous, she still finds it rewarding. “Enjoy ako sa trabaho, embrace ko din ang concept ng self-help, (I enjoy my work because I also embrace the concepts of self-help.)” she said.

Sonia is only one of the many social development workers who have dedicated their lives into serving others, even if their own needs are sometimes not met. According to her, passion is very important. She knows that field work requires a lot of sacrifice from her, but she keeps doing it because she cannot imagine herself doing anything else.

Katryn Anne Uytiepo has a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication from De La Salle University, Manila. She’s interested in writing, reading and graphic design.