Australian vlogger surprises Pinay helper with college fund for son

An Australian vlogger has surprised her Pinay helper with a special token of appreciation: a college fund for her son!

According to the “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” episode on Sunday, 50-year-old Avelina has been an overseas worker for more than 10 years, and has been working for vlogger Alex Hirschi, also known as Supercar Blondie, for almost two years now.

Knowing how much Avelina had been working to send her son to college, Alex decided to prank her by pretending to film a documentary with all her employees as a way to surprise her with the financial aid.

Showing the money on the video, Alex said: “This is an entire college fund for a very special employee of mine. She thinks we’re filming a documentary. So all my employees are going to come through this door for their ‘interviews’ but that’s all for show. It’s actually all about her and this surprise.”

When the day finally came for the big reveal, Avelina was brought to tears.

“I’m a millionaire, sir! I’m a millionaire. Oh my goodness!” cried Avelina, who hasn’t seen her sons, aged 29 and 15, in three years.

“Actually this is not a documentary. Everyone’s interviews have been faked today. This is actually a video to appreciate you because we love you so much and you’ve done such amazing work for us over the last two years!” Alex explained. “This is enough money for you to send your son to college or to help you build the house that you want back home when you retire.”

Her journey

Avelina used to have a different life. She graduated with a degree in nutrition and dietetics, but since she wasn’t able to take the board exam, she decided to work in Hong Kong instead.

“Eight years ako doon sa Hong Kong tapos nag-Saudi ako (I stayed in Hong Kong for eight years and then I went to Saudi Arabia),” Avelina shared.

Avelina suffered maltreatment at the hands of her new employer.

“Dalawang buwan na akong walang sahod. Noong nakausap ko siya privately, ‘Sir, puwede po ba akong sahuran?’ Hanggang sa nagalit. Inuntog ako sa pader tapos kinaladkad ako (He didn’t give me my salary for two months. When I asked him about it, he got mad),” she shared.

After the abuse she endured in Saudi, she moved to Dubai in 2017 to work as a caregiver. After a while, she was accepted as an office clerk for Alex’s family.

According to Avelina, she sacrificed so much to give her two children left in Lingayen, Pangasinan, a better future.

“Si Kuya po hindi po siya nakapag-aral dahil kulang sa pera kaya nagtrabaho muna si Mama.   Nalulungkot po at nadudurog po ‘yung puso ko (My older brother wasn’t able to study because we didn’t have enough money. Mama had to work. It breaks my heart),” said CJ, one of her sons.

No matter how homesick Avelina felt, she continued to fight since she knew her sons relied on her.

“Nami-miss ko sila. Mahirap talaga na nagkakaroon sila ng pamilya tapos hindi ko sila nakikita. Hindi ko sila napalaki. Sugal lahat eh. Tatayo ako bilang ama, bilang ina nila. Hanggang malakas ako lumalaban para sa kanila (I miss them. It’s really hard that they’re having their own families and I can’t even see them. I couldn’t take care of them. Everything is a gamble. I have to raise them on my own. As long as I’m able, I’ll continue to fight for them),” Avelina said.

Even though Avelina sends money every month, most of the time it wasn’t enough to sustain CJ’s studies.

Avelina shared that Alex was her second employer since she got to Dubai. With everything she’s been through, she never expected Alex to be that kind.

“What I appreciate about Avelina is how hard she works and how positive her energy is every day. She just gives it her all every single day of the week. Even on her off-days, she’ll always offer to work. She always wants to keep helping and keep working and I think that’s a really special quality,” she added.

Knowing the sacrifices Avelina has made for her family, Alex planned the surprise for her.

Upon receiving the financial aid, Avelina and CJ couldn’t help but thank Alex again and again.

“Maraming salamat po dun sa nag-sponsor sa akin dahil makakapag-aral na po ako sa college (Thank you so much to the person who will support my studies in college),” CJ said.

To thank Alex, Avelina wrote a card for her.

“I’m very glad that you are here in my life right now and giving me such a nice job and treating me like your family.”

Meanwhile, Alex said, “To her family thank you so much for having your mom over with us. I know how much she misses you. She’s going to come home very soon. We’re arranging her flight so that she can spend some wonderful time with you.”

She joked, “You got to let us have her back.” — Kaela Malig/RC/LA, GMA News