Mga Larawan ng Kamusmusan

Killer Smile

Likas sa ating mga Pilipino ang maging masaya, lalo na ang magbigay ng ngiti sa ibang tao. Ngunit sa mga batang lansangan na ito paano kaya posible ang magkaroon ng magagandang ngiti sa likod ng kanilang mga pinagdadaanan. Nakakabilib na hindi nila hinahayaang maagaw ng kalupitan ng kalsada sa buhay nila ang kanilang mga ngiti, ito ang kanilang tanging panlaban sa hirap at kalungkutan, mga ngiti na pumapawi sa pagod at gutom. Sana bilang mga kapwa Pilipino, panatiliin natin ang mga ngiti sa kanilang mukha, mga ngiti ng kanilang pagka-musmos...

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According to the Philippine Resource Network there are 1.5 million street children in the Philippines. The shadow of a modern shopping mall falls on the intersection where these children and the homeless mother and child sleep. In the corner of a pedestrian underpass, hundreds, perhaps thousands, walk by them daily. This isn’t unusual either. We accommodate to it because we don’t know how to change it, so it continues.

UNICEF reported 200,000 children were victimized by human rights abuses in the Philippines. To escape grinding poverty children are joining rebel movements and taking up arms.
As usual, the Armed Forces of the Philippines denounced the report saying UNICEF had listened only to leftists and the numbers were skewed. This has become a template reaction and it reveals just how distanced from reality the established powers are. When I was in the Philippines a year ago with a human rights delegation my writing was criticized by a military officer in the same way. The Army of the Philippines’ response to human rights abuses is predictable.


The Philippine Resource Network says only 19% of children aged 4 to 6 years old are able to go to public or private pre-schools. More than one-third of the smallest municipalities cannot offer education up to the sixth grade and 60% of children drop of out school by the second grade.

http://perspectives.larryhollon.com/?p=747

Shoeshine Kids

PARA!!!


At ako'y sumakay na ng jeep, at sa aking pag-upo biglang may pumasok, isang batang maliit na may hawak na pranela. Gumagapang, pinupunasan ang lahat ng aming mga sapatos at kahit naka-tsinelas ka pa ay pupunasan ka parin. Tititig sayo at manghihingi ng konting barya, ito ang buhay ng ilang kabataan sa kalsada ng Maynila, well paraparaan lang ang kanilang pamumuhay, at kung di sa mga baryang kanilang makukuha ay patuloy na kakalam ang kanilang sikmura. Ako'y nahahabag sa kanilang mga itsura, mga musmos na kailangan ng pangangalaga sa kanilang katawan, ngunit sadyang malupit ang buhay sa mga batang ito, hindi sila nabigyan ng pagkakataong makaranas ng kahit payak na pamumuhay man lang.


At sa aking pagbaba ng jee na aking sinasakyan natanong ko sa aking sarili, kung ang mga batang ito ay mangangarap, magbibigay daan kaya ang tadhana para sa kanila? Sana nga sapat na ang mangarap para makaahon sila sa ganong kalagayan...

Yosi Kayo Dyan!

"Yosi! Yosi! Yosi kayo d'yan! TAKATAKTAKATAK!

Boy! Pabili nga ng lights at mentos."

Napaka-demanding ng batang aming napagbilhan. Gusto pa niya ang bilhin ko isang kaha na. Sabi ko nga sa kanya bankrupt na ko e, pero next time bibili na ko ng isang kaha.

I'm sure mahirap 'yung ginagawa niya, halos magdamag na nagbebenta ng sigarilyo sa park para lamang sa kakarampot na tubo. Kung mahina ang benta, ano kaya kakainin niya at ng kanyang pamilya? Samantalang ako, parang walang bukas kung maglustay ng pera. Sana dumating 'yung panahon na maka-ahon sila sa hirap. Sana rin matuto akong magpahalaga sa mga bagay-bagay na mayroon ako.

Namamasko Po!

Noong isang linggo, as usual tambay na naman ako kasama ng aking mga katropa sa simbahan. Napagkwentuhan namin ang mga ginagawa namin tuwing sasapit na ang pasko pati na rin ang aming mga plano para sa buwan na ito. Mangagaroling, magpupunta sa mga christmas party, mamimili ng mga pangregalo at magkumpara ng mga natanggap namin noong nakaraang pasko.

Nang biglang may lumapit sa aming mga bata, probably around the age of 7-10 years old. May mga hawak na tambourine na gawa sa alambre at piniping tansan, habang kumakanta ng "Ang Pasko ay Sumapit." Pero bago pa sila matapos, binigyan na namin sila ng barya para umalis na dahil naiiistorbo nila ang aming pagkukwentuhan.

After a few hours, naglalakad na ako mag-isa pauwi. Hindi ko maalis sa aking isipan ung mga batang paslit na nangaroling sa amin. Napag-isip-isip ko tuloy kung gaano ako ka-swerte. Naalala ko ung aming mga pinag-uusapan, how I take Christmas for granted. How I never really cared about the true meaning of Christmas. Samantalang 'yung mga batang paslit kanina, masaya na sa piso o dalawang piso na naibigay namin. Such simple joy in simple things. I wish I can be the same as them.

Perspectives

Walking near Rizal Park in central Manila I passed three street children sitting on the sidewalk. Separated from a beautiful, manicured golf course by a chain link fence, they were sniffing glue.

These three boys looked to be around 12-years-old. They were dirty, barefoot and dressed in worn-out, tattered ragamuffin clothing. My presence nearby was of no interest. They cupped their hands over their noses, squeezed tubes of glue and inhaled. A young adult woman, child in tow, stood nearby also sniffing from her cupped palm. The child toddled around playing in trash on the sidewalk.
Scenes such as this are not unusual. They exist in virtually every city in the developing world. Poverty knows no bounds and it erodes human dignity wherever it exists. But, as with most people I know, I never get used to it. It haunts me.A more haunting image sticks in my mind from two days later as my colleagues and I walked to our hotel along United Nations Avenue. The World Health Organization is on this street and so too are a modern hotel with a glitzy casino, the main office of a large bank, a metro police station and an upscale hospital. It’s a high rent district.

 Darkness was approaching. Trucks, motorbikes and cars jostled for position. Manila traffic is like no other. It is the ultimate in cacophonous, congestion.
In a gutter inches from this nightmarish, horn-honking turmoil a little girl in a tattered dress walked barefoot oblivious to the danger. She was no more than four-years-old. I started to move toward her but a young woman saw her and reached her first.
There was no adult nearby. It’s a reasonable guess she has been abandoned or she’s walked away from a mother high on glue, or asleep and unaware. But clearly, she’s alone like a lost kitten in this dangerously heavy traffic.
I hope the young woman takes her to the police station which calls child protective services which takes her to a safe place. But this is more than likely a fiction I’ve imagined to ease my own feelings of guilt than a practical solution.
It’s more likely she will be walked to the sidewalk and left once again. Someone will find her, perhaps an adult street person, and put her to work begging, taking her earnings and keeping her fed just enough to remain productive for them. Eventually, if she survives, she will be another child getting high or prostituting herself. Sixty thousand children are prostituted in the Philippines according to the resource network.
And I wonder how she will perceive of herself if she lives to adulthood. Having known only the streets and the harsh exploitation and abuse they serve up, will she even question whether she deserves this treatment, or will she have become so shaped by it that she accepts her lot and adjusts to less than human interaction?

 http://perspectives.larryhollon.com/?p=747

Street Children in The Philippines – Children of a Lesser God

Having a closer look at street children in the Philippines.

Deep within the streets of the Philippines are images of street children that usually go unnoticed or are just plain invisible to others.  Images that contradict to the perception of progress and development that to one they just simply don’t exist.

These children are  oftentimes products of broken families, unwanted pregnancies and runaway delinquents from  abusive parents or relatives.  They are generally left off to fend for themselves in the streets and to provide most for their family living in squatters and shanties no one could ever imagine living in.  I have also gathered how vulnerable they are to society’s ill as  many of them get  involved with drugs and vices at a very young age.
Such is the story of Roger a 14 year old boy whom I have met  during one of his learning session for the alternative learning system headed by my wife.  As a drop out, Roger’s desire  to get back to formal school outweighs  his unfortunate position in society.  Coming from a broken family, Roger is the eldest among his siblings which puts a burden upon him to provide for a family of six.
Exposed to the elements, by morning Roger goes to the streets with his wooden cart buying used bottles,  plastic containers  and old newspapers from neighborhood homes which he then sells to the junkshop earning enough to feed his family for the day. By afternoon he devotes most of his time attending his learning sessions hoping that someday he would be fortunate enough to earn a diploma and start a new life.

On our way to work or to the mall, we see them almost everyday yet hardly do we pay much attention to them.  There are many others like Roger and not many of them have the desire to help themselves.  Their lack of confidence and low self esteem serves the better part of them simply because they didn’t have any choice.
Government can do as much service for them but oftentimes most go back out into the streets again and again.  Has anyone really sat down and listen to their stories?  Sometimes serving the best of intentions doesn’t seem to be enough…


Read more: http://socyberty.com/people/street-children-in-the-philippines-children-of-lesser-god/#ixzz17CJrOdTw

The Street Children of Manila

The following update is focused on the three weeks I spent in Manila visiting various Viva Network partner projects (mostly to do with Street Children).
“Tell me, I will forget.
Show me, I may remember.
Involve me, I will understand.”
- Chinese Proverb
“If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
“When one child dies every 3 seconds just because they’re poor, you can’t stand by and let it happen”
- Make Poverty History campaigner, Berkhamsted, UK
Sunday morning in Manila: smog and noise rise from the vast elongated traffic jams which snake between glamour malls and horror slums in this hyper-congested mega-capital of The Philippines. I am struggling to push my way through a heaving mass of humans � heading for church and attempting to keep up with my Filipino pastor friend who walks ahead of me somewhere amidst the jumble. Crossing the main road on an overpass we are funneled down a one way staircase back to street level. Half way down the steps I notice a sad collection of children sitting against the wall amidst our fast moving feet. Dirty baby faces and unevenly shaven heads, aged between about
five and ten years old, their grubby hands hold up broken plastic cups for money and their big brown eyes (crusted with muck) plead, plead, plead. What is their world like?
One little boy hops to his feet as I pass and grabs hold of my trousers � he does not say anything, but he will not let go. His face is a little desperate scowl, his eyes implore at mine. “I cannot give you money little chap”, I justify to myself, “surely you are part of the begging syndicates which are well known in these parts � anything I give will be snatched away by the big man who sends you daily to the streets to beg for his hierarchy”. But the little boy keeps walking with me and now his little hand is pointing to the convenience store stacked with cheap food which we are passing� but I will not stop, I cannot lose my guides, we are already late. And then suddenly he leaves me with my excuses and goes back, still hungry, to his begging spot by the stairs. I go to church with swimming eyes.

It would be very wrong to leave the impression that the good people with whom I am privileged to spend much time in Manila are inactive or unmoved by the horrendous inhumanity and desperation they see daily on their door steps. Firstly there are the various refuge centers and homes they run which will clothe, feed, educate and care for the children. One day I am taken on a tour of a cemetery where some of the street children live � a place which appears not so far from hell on earth � drugged up nine year olds sniff brain-frying glues, feverish dehydrated babies lie on concrete tombstones, adolescents sleep in the unused grave chambers. The reasons why children end up on the streets like this are varied, but very often they are running away from families where they are horrendously neglected, abused, or plain abandoned. I accompany one street children’s camp out of the city for a few days � it is hoped that by taking them straight off the street onto a camp such as this, enough trust can be built up with them that they might chose to leave their perilous street lives behind and join a refuge or home. Upon arrival the dishevelled children are given fresh clothes and a wash bag� within an hour they are transformed into clean, happy faces � playing basketball and messing around on swings and see-saws. There is laughter everywhere. This is all only possible because of the awesome dedication of the staff. However, persuading the children to leave their hazardous street lives and come to a charity for help is only the first step in a long difficult road to them becoming whole, healed, humans. You can tell I am impressed by such efforts and achievements. But of course the scale of the problem is huge. There are estimated to be fifty to seventy thousand street kids in Metro-Manila alone (Reference: Action International Ministries) and of course there are also many more millions of children at risk around the world from starvation, preventable/deadly diseases, abuse, exploitation and war (without wanting to numb our brains with statistics, one horrifically vivid illustration is that the numerical equivalent of one jumbo jet packed with kids crashes killing all on board EVERY 15 MINUTES OF EVERY DAY� that is how many kids are dying of preventable causes as we sit at our computers�imagine how much coverage that would get in our papers if they were western kids in each plane).
On another note, from my brief glimpses of horror and grace in Manila, I am also now aware of just how difficult it must be for the workers who spend their lives trying to help street children. I have seen how tiring and emotionally draining it is for them – and they must often feel the strain is almost too much (I used to find teaching in a UK high-school tiring enough). The charity which I am endeavoring to help on this big bicycle ride, Viva Network, focuses on the huge problem of children at risk around the world � but rather than setting up new undertakings, their focus is much more on trying to support, network and encourage existing projects. Viva Network is a Christian charity which was founded upon the realization that there are already many well intentioned schemes around the world, trying in all sorts of ways to provide children with safety, healing and hope… however, many of these projects flounder and fail to achieve their potential due to lack of training, lack of support for staff, and the unfortunate inefficiency of not being connected with other similar projects in the same area. Viva Network has now set up 77 networks in 45 different countries and their effectiveness is such that in just a dozen years since they started they are now in Roster Consultative Status with the United Nations. On a large scale they help connect charities and so avoid wastage of resources � recently in Sri Lanka’s tsunami relief efforts SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND pounds (UK) was saved when one charity, intending to spend this money on school packs for kids, was networked with another charity who had just such a surplus of kits – which it was happy to pass on, thus saving the money to be spent on something else. A more local level example in Bolivia involved several urban street children feeding projects who were brought together to meet each other for the first time. They quickly discovered that they were all operating their feeding projects on the same night of the week � meaning the children had plenty of choices for food on that one night of the week, but none at all on the other nights. Having met, they were hence able to co-ordinate their efforts across the week… with further collaboration, later on, they began to purchase their food together in bulk and thus saved money to cover every night of the week.
In Manila, most of the charities I met had close ties with Viva Network. They appreciated not only the training opportunities, but also the sheer encouragement and refreshment which they benefitted from as they met fellow-workers and went on occasional retreats. A burnt out worker is no good to anyone, however good their intentions be when they start. Viva Network, as I have tried to show here, plays a vital role in enhancing and encouraging thousands of tireless and compassionate projects around the world. This explanation is naturally very condensed, so please do find out more about Viva Network and their goal of “working together to bring more children better care” at www.viva.org .
I believe it is good for us to periodically re-stir our consciences� as the Make Poverty History Campaign insightfully pointed out, the travesty of our age is not so much that a child dies every three seconds from preventable causes, but rather that a child dies every three seconds and we (rich) could stop it if we really wanted to (though of course we must acknowledge that there are other causes for poverty besides lack of money). If it is true that (in the west) we often “buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like”, perhaps we should bravely test out this Christmas whether rather it might indeed be more blessed to give than to receive�?
Since Manila, I have cycled down the length of the Philippines to the southern island of Mindanao. I now nervously await the departure of a Muslim cargo ship bound for Indonesia sometime tomorrow. This update is already too long, and I apologize (a little) if it is a bit heavy. My next update will be all about life on the road in these Eastern Archipelagos as I make my way towards (apparently rather wild) Papua New Guinea.
Finally, on a much more cheerful note (and in case you do not already know), Al Humphreys (the guy who I cycled through Siberia with and who is in many ways responsible for getting me started on this whole variety show) has finally made it home to England and completed his 46,000 mile, 4 year, spectacular Round The World By Bike expedition ( www.roundtheworldbybike.com). This quote is dedicated to his stupendous achievement, from which we can all learn.

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
- Teddy Roosevelt

http://blogs.bootsnall.com/rob/the-street-children-of-manila.html

TROPA!

Ang mga Pilipino ay likas na pala-kaibigan, at ito ang isa sa mga magagandang katangian natin. At ito ay madalas kong nakikita sa mga batang kalye, "TROPA" ang tawag nila sa kanilang mga kaibigan. Nakakatuwa na ako ay may mga katropang nakilala sa Katipunan Ave., at madalas nila akong tinutulungan na kumuha ng taxi tuwing akoý umuuwi galing doon. Okay na nga lang sa kanila minsan kung wala akong binibigay na barya eh, hindi parin nagbabago ang kanilang mabuting pakikitungo sakin at lalo na ang tawagan naming ng mga tropa ko. Ang mga kabataang ito sa kalsada ng Kamaynilaan, ay katulad din ng lahat, na gusto ng mga makakasama sa katuwaan, na magpaparamdam ng pag-tanggap sa kanila... Kaya sana ay huwag natin silang tignan bilang ibang tao, na kakatakutan at lalayuan dahil sila ay madungis tignan, sila ay mga kabataang katulad natin, batang Pinoy!

Halika na tulog na tayo...

Habang tayo ay kumportable sa pagtulog, ang mga batang ito ay nakukuntento na sa isang malamig na sahig, maruruming hagdan, at kung saan lang pwedeng makapagpahinga mula sa kalupitan ng kalsada ng Maynila. Para sa kanilang mga batang kalye ang maruruming lugar ng maynila ay tahanan at lugar ng pahingahan. Kaya sa aking pagninilay sa ganitong mga larawan ng kabataan, ang pumasok lang sa aking isipan ay... nasaan na ang kanilang mga magulang? Bakit sa kanilang murang edad ay hindi sila mabigyan ng pagkakataon na makaranas ng isang payak ngunit tahanang magpprotekta sa kanila?

Pumapatak, nanaman ang ulan...

Nung ako ay nag-aaral pa sa UST ako ay namamangha sa kasiyahan na dulot ng ulan sa mga batang kalye ng Espanya. Sila yung mga batang sumasabay sa mga bus na dumadaan, sinasalo ang mga "waves" na dulot ng malalaking gulong... ng may malalaking ngiti sa mga labi.

At naisip ko na mababaw pala talaga ang kiliti ng mga batang ito, simpleng mga bagay ang nakapagpapasaya sa kanila, katulad ng ulan.

Gutoooooom!!!

The Hungry- A young boy sniffs "rugby" to relieve his hunger...

"In terms of addiction, inhalants are ordinary household products such as household cleaners, cooking sprays, fabric protectors, paint thinner and most of all, adhesives and solvents.

Inhalants cause nausea, blurred vision, memory lapses and motor loss. These effects may be a minor discomfort to the user right after inhalation but the permanent damage inhalants bring are irreversible. Damage to the vital organs of the body such as the liver, kidneys, the brain and the heart could prove to be fatal.

In a third- world country like the Philippines, substance abuse is rampant. The impoverished population is the most common victim of addiction to dangerous and illegal substances. Why? Once they are “high” they forget the painful hunger they have been battling for days. Others though, become addicted because of family problems, poor self- esteem and peer pressure. Solvents, particularly rugby is the inhalant of choice in the Philippines for most teenagers since it can be easily accessed. Some shrewd store- owners even sell the adhesive in small portions to children and teenagers. In a recent television documentary by Karen Davila, a Filipino broadcaster, a boy they ordered to buy rugby from a store easily purchased a bottle of rugby and was even told by the store- owner that the rugby should be wrapped in paper so that no one would notice. This is because there is a law prohibiting the selling of solvents to minors without parental consent. Yet, the presence of this law did not quell the selling of this dangerous solvent to children. These inconsiderate businessmen even teach the children how to get away with buying rugby, unintentionally flaming their addiction. "