A former sponsored child builds a family and a future

Change is possible. Progress is possible. Love is possible. But you have to seize it.

This is the story of Brian Quimod and the child sponsor who helped alter the trajectory of his life 35 years ago.

Out of love for others, a sponsor took Brian under her wing. Out of a desire to succeed, a 7-year-old boy accepted that love and turned it into a successful career and a thriving family.

Now 42, married with three young children—and paying things forward as a World Vision Canada volunteer—the road wasn’t easy to start. Brian grew up relatively poor in the Philippines, the eldest son of hardworking parents who did what they could for their five sons. His father was a labourer and his mother a food seller. Neither of them had finished high school.

Brian recalls of his mother: “She would go house-to-house, she would go to schools. She would walk and carry a heavy basket full of food and I would go sometimes with her when I had time. Life was very difficult.”

But they were a family of strong faith and his parents—mother Born Again, father Catholic—wanted a better life for their children. It was his mother’s church that introduced Brian to World Vision and child sponsorship. With the passage of time, he can no longer recall his sponsor’s name beyond “Judy,” or say where she was from, but he certainly hasn’t forgotten the support sponsorship provided.

The most critical support came in the form of school supplies (school bags, shoes, uniforms, notebooks, pencils and so on) that were otherwise difficult for many families to afford. There were enough supplies that he was able to share them with one of his brothers. “We were full of joy when we received those packages,” he says.

It didn’t end there though. World Vision also supported his family in other ways, such as during what Brian characterizes as “calamities.” He says, “I remember one time World Vision provided us with construction materials to build a decent toilet for a family. Those kinds of programs really improved our lives and the way we looked at life. It gave us so much hope.”

Sponsorship also included periodic communication with his sponsor where he would share with Judy how he was doing in school, his interests and special occasions such as birthdays and Christmas.

Of course, when you’re a child you don’t necessarily appreciate the stepping stones being laid for your future. You want to play outside with your friends, carefree, blissfully unaware that one day responsibility will come. That was never Brian. Even as a 7-year-old he immediately recognized the opportunity within his grasp. He seized it.

“I could see all the other kids in our community,” he recalls, emotion building in his voice. “Not everyone got this chance. I could also see their hardships and how their parents couldn’t afford school supplies. I could see that I had this engagement with World Vision, though as a kid it sometimes took away some of my time—like during weekends.

"There was this sense of community I felt I belonged to, and a community that was supporting us. Not only in school, but also the other side of our well-being. They cared about how we were living with our families. [World Vision] did constant follow-up and we shared with them how we were doing with our families. So there’s a sense of care from that side.“

It worked.

Brian went on to pile one professional accreditation upon another. He started with a degree in industrial engineering. Then he followed that up with an MBA and worked as a project manager and business analyst for United Health Group in the Philippines.

Because you can never learn too much, as of June 2025 he’s added a degree in Business and Information Systems Architecture from Fanshawe College in London, Ont. Today, he’s honing his skills as a process engineering intern at Nestle. With his skills and income he’s also been able to put two of his brothers through college.

His young family is now with him in Canada—which wasn’t always a sure thing because he had the opportunity to consider life in the U.S. as well. It might be colder on average, but Canada won out because values remain paramount to him.

“Here it’s more family-friendly," he says. "The values that I can see that I want my children to have, I can see them here. And I always tell my wife that if I have to choose between the U.S. and Canada when it comes to culture, I can say Canada fits with what I believe and with what I want my kids to have.”

So when he had the chance to show some appreciation for his new home, he didn’t hesitate. He reached out to World Vision Canada to ask how he could help. Soon he was volunteering for the 2025 Stars on Ice tour at its London stop where he handed out picture folders to attendees who had the opportunity to sponsor children.

Education remains Brian’s touchstone and he is unswerving in identifying it as the key to eliminating poverty. Children simply need the opportunity to get that education.

“I really thank you guys for all you do,” he says. “You have reached thousands, not only the sponsored children. I would say please continue to do that. And I hope one day I can be one of you guys leaving the corporate road to do more meaningful work. It’s not work if you love it, right?

“You’re making the world far, far better. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to share with you, and I hope I can inspire more children to do good with the opportunities you are giving them.”

(And Judy, wherever you are, you did good!)