Twentytwo13

Domestic worker Lolita reignites passion for healthy lifestyle via futsal

Lolita Torate Fabroa grew up in the Philippines loving track and field.

Today, the 44-year-old has reignited her passion for sports and healthy living via futsal.

Lolita and Jacqueline Supnet are the co-founders of Ladies Eagle – an all-Filipina team that plays in the Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) Futsal League in Singapore.

The league is organised by D2D Sports, as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.

Founded on Jan 26, 2020, the name Ladies Eagle is in honour of the Philippine Eagle, the national bird of their home nation.

The players are relatively new to the sport, as none of them had ever played futsal or even football back home, and only started playing and training in Singapore.

The same goes for Lolita as football wasn’t really a hit in the Philippines up until recently.

Prior to working as a domestic helper, Lolita was helping her father take care of their 2ha mango plantation. Unfortunately, her marriage failed in 2005, and that’s when she decided to work in Malaysia as a domestic helper.

It was not an easy decision, to be separated from her parents and her young son. But she had to do it to secure a better future for them.

However, she soon realised that life in Malaysia was tough – having to deal with a fresh legal annulment from her ex-husband. She also couldn’t communicate with her family often as she didn’t have a mobile phone then.

Lolita was in Malaysia for two years. While in the country, she received tragic news that her father had passed away. She was so sad that she slipped into depression as she had no one to talk to about his death.

Her then-employer seemed distant and even demanded her father’s death certificate as proof so that she could return to the Philippines. Lolita got her uncle to send the certificate.

In 2008, Lolita got a job in Singapore. During her first eight months in the republic, her salary was deducted as she had to repay her processing fee while working on the island nation.

However, Lolita said her working experience in Singapore was far better than in Malaysia. She had worked for a Chinese family for six years before working for a Turkish couple who had a child with Down Syndrome. She studied nursing aid on her off days.

She is now employed by a Greek-American family who, just like her, is passionate about sports. The family members are also supportive of her activities, like running, cycling, football, and futsal.

Lolita is also a regular blood donor in Singapore, and besides playing sports, her other motivation is to help people.

She is happy that her current employer appreciates her love for an active lifestyle.

For more information on the FDW Futsal League, visit https://sg.footsy.app/tournament/website/league_details/D2D-Sports_144f0 or email rasvinder@d2dsports.com.