Photo and caption by Michael Bovell

I am 26, born in Australia and my mum is from the Philippines. She took me back to her home village where she grew up for the first time this year. She still owns some land there and people have built houses and are squatting on her land. We had a look around and I saw these kids sitting and staring. The boy especially had a very empty look in his eyes. The people are very poor and there is little opportunity for jobs in this remote region.

Location: Laoang, Northern Samar, Philippines