‘Never too late’: Filipino domestic helpers pursue degree dreams they put on hold

Having put personal ambitions aside for their families, domestic helpers are now earning degrees while working with support from Hong Kong non-profit FullPhils When Dyan Agonoy left the Philippines to work as a domestic helper in Hong Kong, she had to leave her family behind. “I’ve missed a lot of my kids’ milestones, our special occasions. I’m always the only one missing from the pictures,” she said. Agonoy left university, married young and started a family. Without the bachelor’s degree required for many jobs, she took up domestic work abroad. Gelanie Aguilario faced a similar plight. She twice tried to earn a bachelor’s degree – first in political science, hoping to become a lawyer, and then in education – but pregnancy and family obligations derailed her plans.

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