wheldon curzon-hobson - inspired by manila

8/8/2019 Wheldon Curzon-Hobson - Inspired by Manila

1/29

Inspired By ManilaWheldon Curzon-Hobson

Published: 2010Categorie(s): Non-Fiction, Body, mind & spirit, Inspiration & PersonalGrowth, Self-help, Motivational & Inspirational, Personal Growth, Socialscience, Children's Studies, Poverty & Homelessness, Social Work,Developing Countries, Volunteer Work, Travel, AsiaTag(s): Motivation Inspiration Manila Philippines Children innovationtravel

1


2/29

Chapter 1Introduction

This is the story of the extraordinary people and the successful, innovat-ive projects I saw during my visit to Manila in 2010.

Prior to my visit, I thought there was little hope for the uneducated,

malnourished children living in such extreme poverty. However, I havenow seen projects that are empowering millions of these beautiful chil-dren and their families with positive values and real possibilities, and Iam filled with hope for their future.

There are still significant problems in the Philippines, but I truly be-lieve the more good news is shared, the more we can encourage eachother to believe and work together to help realise a positive future forthe urban-poor communities in the Philippines and around the world.

Please read this ebook and email it to all your friends. You have my

permission to freely reproduce in any format, but please credit myselfand include a download link.

Wheldon Curzon-HobsonWellington, New [email protected]

2
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


3/29

Chapter 2Monday

25 October 2010

I landed in Manila at 5pm on a public holiday and drove through the

relatively empty streets with my young taxi driver pointing out note-worthy sites. About us roared cars, motorbikes and buses, their horns

blaring. My driver sounded calm so I sat back and enjoyed the ride. I ap-preciated how he weaved between buses and swerved to gain an advant-age as we passed run-down shops and houses that were dwarfed bymassive bill boards displaying beautiful young people and glamorousproducts.

Huge single rain drops started hitting the windscreen, slowly at first,then they joined forces to form a torrential downpour. The motorcycles

skidded to the side of the road, but we persisted, sometimes slowing to ahalt, barely able to see the road past the squeaking windscreen wipers.

We made it to the SM EDSA mall near where I was staying. The raincontinued to pour but the driver, determined, leapt out of the car andasked the locals for directions. We proceeded slowly, while the passen-gers on the motorbikes and bicycles valiantly covered themselves withumbrellas and sheets of plastic.

Children played on the street, getting absolutely soaked. In theireagerness to help us reach our destination, two boys helpfully gestured,

one towards one end of the street and the other in the opposite direction.Then a flash of lightning revealed the green gate of my guest house. Iclambered out of the taxi and was warmly welcomed inside where Iclimbed the marble staircase to my large room with ensuite. I unpackedas the lightning flashed and a rooster crowed, infuriating the dog nextdoor who barked crossly at his neighbour to be quiet.

There were celebrations nearby as the local elections were concluded.Fireworks exploded well into the night and then the tricycles, which areold motorcycles with sidecars, transported the party-goers back to their

3


4/29

houses. The rooster-next-door, being a very sociable creature whoneeded to converse with his friends now that the firework barrage wasover, cried out to his many friends around the neighbourhood everyhour on the hour. The dog wasnt at all happy with this turn of events

and he and the rooster frequently had disagreements, the dog alwayswinning, but the rooster restarted the duel the following hour.

At 6.30am I opened the windows to reveal a fine day with sunshinefalling onto the buildings and barbed-wire fences of our alleyway. Ilooked forward to my first challenge of catching a train to Makati Citywhere I was meeting Bel, who had been very generous in helping mewith my arrangements in Manila.

On the way to the station I found more roosters tied to poles on thecorner of the road. They incessantly pecked for food and preened them-

selves as a few stray dogs gave me suspicious looks.I circumnavigated the enormous SM Mall and passed the sign inform-

ing me that transport was a breeze now they had developed the newtransit station at North Avenue. I climbed the footbridge underneathwhich hundreds of vehicles roared around the intersection, everyoneseeming to know what they were doing as they frequently changed lanesunder the stern gaze of the traffic police.

There is a hierarchy of horn blowing in Manila: the bigger you are themore you are entitled to blow your horn. So, a car doesnt tend to sound

its horn unless in mortal peril, while a jeepney uses its horn to tell a carto get out of its way, but it cannot do the same to a bus who has soleright of way regardless of pretty well everything.

I headed up to the station where I patiently waited in the significantqueue to buy a ticket and board the clean, modern train. The possibilitythat rush hour had passed quickly disappeared two stations later whenthe passengers surged in so tightly I understood why we needed air-con-ditioning to maintain oxygen levels. I had arranged to meet Bel at a largedepartment store near Ayala Avenue station but, despite the helpful ad-vice of shop assistants and police officers, I couldn't find it, so I gave upand relaxed beside a fountain between enormous shops and hotels andtexted Bel. She managed to find me, accompanied by Nelson who tookphotos and generously assisted us throughout the day.

Bel is a beautiful woman with a delightful smile who married an Eng-lish doctor and left for the UK shortly after her oldest daughter Rachelwas born. She brought her three daughters back to visit family andfriends and always encouraged her children to befriend the "outsider,"those who might not be included as part of the "in-crowd," perhaps

4


5/29

because of their ethnicity or because they were different from the otherchildren.

Bels brother Reggie was an entrepreneur who employed people fromthe slums. When he died unexpectedly, his driver told Bel their hopes of

owning decent homes were dashed because Reggie had been planning tohelp build them homes. In memory of Reggie, and another brother anduncle who also died, Bel and her cousins in the UK founded the PaduaCharitable Fund. Her family now work in collaboration with otherNGOs to relieve poverty, financial hardship, homelessness and distress,whilst advancing education and promoting good health amongst thepoor of the Philippines.

We travelled by car out of Makati to meet Jun and Fe at their church,then we followed them past the security gates to a squatter neighbour-

hood in Paranaque. These urban poor communities spring up on tractsof unoccupied land and the owners may decide to allow the people tostay, but in order to protect the neighbourhood, they put in privatesecurity.

On the left wall as we entered were dozens of individual pipes takingwater to the various households, and on the right wall were dozens ofpower lines strung up against the fence. In front of us were peopleshouses made of wood and corrugated iron. They were small and dark,sparsely furnished, and in some of the doorways mothers were sleeping

with their children. We twisted and turned along the uneven pathway,frequently having to stand back for motorcycles taking passengers orgoods further into the neighbourhood.

A smile and a warm greeting came easily to these people and it cameeasily to me also, not because they lived where they did and the streampassing their back door was obviously filthy, but because they weregenuinely friendly and wanted to convey their greetings to this tall whiteman they had not met before. There was nothing pitiable about thesepeople, there was no shame in their eyes, they were genuinely friendlyand it was a pleasure to meet them.

We carried on to the project which Bels Padua Fund had assistedCouples in Christ and the Rotary Club of Manila to develop. Jun ex-plained, with a quiet humility, how those wanting to become a part ofthe community had agreed to live together in love and respect andhadnt just built their own house, but had collaborated to build all of thehouses. They had agreed to care for the whole community and pay asmall amount per month so that in twenty years they would own theland the houses sat on.

5


6/29

These brightly painted dwellings that housed more than one hundredand fifty families were a beautiful sight after the dark, dank environmentof the squatter neighbourhood. They were small, but they were construc-ted out of concrete with secure roofs, and there was a solid pathway

between them allowing the sun to shine down and the children to play.Jun had given up his job as a banker to use his considerable expertise

to develop this neighbourhood. Jun and Fe believed that in order to helpa community succeed, they needed to be role models. So they and anumber of like-minded couples had moved into the neighbourhoods and

befriended the people who lived there. They experienced first-hand theproblems such as power blackouts, and they also understood what wasrequired for its continuing success. They saw a need for a preschool, sothey set up preschool classes. They saw a need for the community to

own its own governance, so they encouraged a number of the existingdwellers to take up leadership roles and become responsible for lookingafter other members of the community.

As we arrived, everyone came out of their houses and shook hands.The children dashed forward and pressed our hands to their foreheadsas a mark of respect. Fe and Jun frequently stopped and took their timeto hear some news or discuss an issue.

A group of five young children sang a song for us, with obvious pridein their ability to remember the words. Then we visited the three-storey

community centre which included a library and a space I thought mighthave been a garage but was, in fact, a meeting space. More people joinedus, smiling and extending their hands in greeting, and I saw how thiswas an important place for these vibrant people to meet and decide whatwas best for their community.

Bel started joking with the children and they laughed and joked back.It was this quality of loving that had enabled her to create somethinggood out of the immense grief her family had suffered. Even prior to thedeath of her brothers and uncle, she had taught poor children to speakEnglish. I imagined her classes filled with smiles, but also concentrationand a desire to do well, so they could make the most of their opportunit-ies in the future.

One of the men bought us bottled water and a crowd of women andchildren gathered. Jun explained that the teachers at public schools wereon holiday because of the local elections, so the older children were athome. He also explained that the fathers were at work and their earningscontributed towards their children's education. These people were not so

6


7/29

much the recipient of charity, as co-partners in developing the opportun-ities for their neighbourhood.

We said our farewells and made our way back out through thebrightly coloured, well-lit project to the squalor of the dark houses sitting

atop dank water. But here too the people smiled and extended warmgreetings. The teenage boys joked with Bel and she laughed with them asFe greeted the children who flocked to her. They recognised her as ateacher of both education and the values of a world where love and re-spect are held in the highest regard.

We returned to our cars and drove to another project called Cubicsite,developed by Couples for Christ/ANCOP. As we entered, three womenpushing a cart filled with linen gathered around and greetings wereshared. I was introduced and they welcomed me as if I was now a friend

because I had come to spend time with their community.They were taking beautifully made linen placemats to the retail chain

that sold them. They proudly showed me the label "Rags To Riches,"which guaranteed that every one of the placemats had been individuallychecked to ensure it was of the highest quality and was worthy to havethe label of their community. The retailer was so impressed it had placedan order for at least five thousand and had organised the supply of newlinen with which to make them. In return, the retailer was paying them agood amount per placemat which wasnt surprising as they were beauti-

fully created, hand-woven in bright colours.We entered the brightly painted community where Fe lived and we

were greeted enthusiastically, particularly by the children with gorgeousbright eyes and happy smiles. The women who were weaving enthusi-astically showed me their work. They were in the middle of fixing aplacemat that had been slightly too small and were keen to demonstratewhy it had failed their quality control. We discussed their work andlatest news before climbing a three-storey building with a pre-school onthe first floor. As we waited to find the right key, I looked out at thedensely populated neighbourhood nearby that was constructed of cheapwood and corrugated iron and was such a contrast to the simple beautyof the buildings in this project.

Finally the door opened and inside was an immaculately orderedroom filled with tables, chairs and resources. Fe explained that twice aday during the week they held lessons for sixteen children at a time. Themembers of this community also paid a small amount per month to helppay for their older childrens education.

7


8/29

I was struck by the possibilities these people were creating for them-selves. The children were being educated, everyone lived with theshared values of commitment and responsibility, and adults were work-ing outside of the community or developing their own industry along-

side their friends, thus strengthening the bonds of community.I found it hard not to open my heart to these people. They were so

generous in wanting to share their love and ideas with me, and I couldn'thelp smiling and playing games with the children. Jun asked if I wouldlike to come back, to share my life with these people? I looked aroundand realised the question was not, would I like to come back, but howcould I not?

I said goodbye to Fe and Jun at the project, then said my hurriedfarewells to Bel and Nelson at the corner of an extremely busy intersec-

tion where I leapt out of the car, enthusiastically thanking Bel for takinga day to show me the two projects. Feeling immensely privileged to havemet such amazing people, I made my way to the train station where Iqueued behind a hundred people in order to get my ticket and squashonto the train.

Bel had said my heart might break seeing the people and the world inwhich they lived. My heart had broken, not because of their plight, but

because of their love and generosity and the way in which they wereworking together to create a better life for their community, and particu-

larly for their children.After getting off at my stop I bought a few supplies in the mall, then I

passed the still open bank which requested that firearms be left with thesecurity guards at the door. The guards saw me reading the sign withsome incredulity and we all laughed. I greeted the roosters and the dogsand waved away the recommendations from the small vendors to buytheir products. Then I returned to the house, inspired by my first day inManila.

8


9/29

Chapter 3Wednesday

27 October 2010

I caught a jeepney the next day; a fantastically decorated, converted

jeep in which a driver and two passengers sit in the front and up totwenty Filipinos sit along the sides in the back. Luckily my jeepneys tripfinished at my destination of Quezon Memorial Park so I didnt run therisk of getting completely lost. I climbed on board, trying not to bumpmy head, then with a gunning of the engine we were on our way.

Suddenly there was the beat of a drum and a young boy handed outsmall brown envelopes with writing in Tagalog. He returned to the backof the jeepney and, with his back to the passengers, he danced and sangto the rhythm of the drum as we careered along. After the song had fin-

ished, he gathered up the envelopes into which people had put coins. Hepaused in front of me and I gave him a 5 pesos coin, enough to buy asmall bread roll. I hoped that wasn't too much or too little, but by theway he grinned I realised I had perhaps been overly generous. The two

boys leapt off the jeepney and the singer gestured with a smile towardsme. The driver also smiled at me with the few teeth he had left and Irealised my small gesture had been appreciated.

I enjoyed watching how close the other vehicles came to colliding withus. However, I had complete confidence in our driver and his regular,

emphatic use of the three horn system: the single horn was merely an an-nouncement he was there, two blasts instructed people to move out ofhis way, and three horns warned that a collision was imminent. At onepoint a woman requested a stop, perhaps a little late to be safe, but thedriver obligingly crossed six lanes of traffic, to the accompaniment ofmany horns, to drop her at the desired stop.

We reached our destination on the side of a vast roundabout with sev-eral lanes of traffic. I almost fell out and, after asking for directions,

9


10/29

headed for the underground tunnel, a recent addition to the area allow-ing people to cross safely.

I met Rafael, Cesar and Carlos from The Likhaan Group at The Co-conut House. It was here that I was introduced to the coconut. Now Ive

seen coconuts, Ive drunk their milk and eaten their flesh and even parti-cipated in a coconut shy or two, but I had absolutely no idea it was sucha valuable resource that could be utilised in so many different ways.There is a serious possibility that the Philippines will further developthis resource and bring wealth, particularly to the rural poor. I'm not go-ing to share all their secrets, but I am going to tell you about their icecream. It is an absolutely delicious gourmet ice cream that costs the sameto produce as normal ice cream, but the beauty of this product is it is ac-tually good for you.

Cesar enthusiastically described the many and varied uses for theamazingly under-utilised coconut. Then we started to discuss other pos-sibilities across a range of Filipino products, particularly those to do withagriculture. The Likhaan Group has been fostering innovation since theearly 1970s, when they travelled the country presenting seminars on cre-ativity and innovation. However, with a change of government adminis-tration, their message of dynamic creative innovation lost favour andgenerally they havent received any further government endorsement orencouragement. Yet they have continued to persist, despite attending

meeting after meeting where they have received a negative responsefrom local and national government. With a smile and a customaryFilipino tap on the upper arm, Cesar explained that they passionately be-lieve in their country and what they are doing, and because of this theywill never give up.

We discussed projects they have helped, and continue to help establishthroughout the country. It is amazing to read their documentation andread about the numerous successes they have achieved across so manyareas and age groups despite the difficulties. They believe Filipinos arehighly capable and intelligent people, so they continue to make presenta-tions particularly to students, encouraging them to be creative ratherthan critical during their high school and university studies. Then we leftto visit a project, the taxi driver navigating his way through the streetsfilled with vendors selling their wares, either perched on the side of theroad or darting amongst the traffic to sell to the drivers. As we travelled,Rafael explained they had become involved in this project amongst theurban poor simply because there was a need and so they had stepped in.It was the same Filipino generosity of spirit that had driven him to

10


11/29

empower business people over the decades. He had merely heard aboutthe need, said he was available, and had used his skills to encouragepeople. There was no formula, just a willingness to help others and de-vote a little time.

We stopped outside the Escopa Housing Project which was the firston-site, medium-rise housing project for low-income families in slumareas created under Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, who is now the Speakerof the House of Representatives (Congress). The project started in late2003 and was completed in early 2005, being delayed by a communityorganization which opposed its construction.

The entranceway was dark and there was a puddle of water in the cor-ridor. We climbed the stairs that were in a state of disrepair and turnedinto the next corridor whose floor was rough concrete. At the end was a

group of teenagers sitting on benches and a woman called Donna, who Ilater discovered had a sixteen year old daughter, but looked like an oldersister to the teenagers.

They all greeted me as "sir," and gestured to the long bench set upagainst the open concrete window at the end of the corridor. They in-sisted I took this comfortable seat, making me feel rather like I was sit-ting on a throne, so I asked Carlos to sit beside me. We were introducedand they outlined their project to gather up the rubbish in the apartment

building, separate it and organise for it to be collected so they could get

money for the recyclable products.The teenagers were wonderfully enthusiastic. Even those who

struggled to speak English smiled and contributed to the discussion inTagalog. They had made an application to the local council with the helpof Rafael who had designed the flier explaining the aims of the project.Rafael had told me earlier he was now too old to relate well to teenagers,given that he had just retired and had grandchildren, but he stood be-hind them with a smile on his face that showed how proud he was oftheir efforts. He had encouraged them to get together and brainstormpossibilities for projects they could develop within the building and thiswas the result of their planning.

Returning to New Zealand, I heard that as there are two youth mem-bers interested in arts and design, Rafael has arranged for two of his con-tacts who have fine arts degrees to assist the group to add value to therecycling and develop saleable products from the recycled rubbish.

We then discussed their lives and I found out that between five andeight of them lived together in family apartments so small they had touse all the space available, including sleeping under the table with

11


12/29

dividers to give them some sort of privacy. Most of them went to highschool and a couple were already at university, studying science and IT.One of the boys was a hairdresser and he charged 50 pesos per haircut,the cost of a loaf of bread. He said it would cost me four times that much

to have it at a proper shop, but he would give me a haircut for free. Weall laughed, acknowledging I have virtually no hair. Then we talkedabout all sorts of other things and laughed and joked, as teenagers do.

Donna brought out a cake she had made especially for me, plus acouple of bottles of Sprite lemonade. They insisted I have the first biteand, realising Donna wasn't going to give any cake to the others until Ihad eaten some, I had a bite and declared it was delicious. Then we wentthrough the same ritual with the Sprite which they wouldn't touch until Ihad drunk some, and they rummaged around finding cups for everyone

else.I felt completely at home, even as the rain poured down and we had to

move further and further back from the open window, into the darknessof the wet corridor. We continued talking, Carlos joining in with the

jokes, and watching him and Rafael I could see why they had not only become involved but had continued their commitment to this com-munity. It was here, in this damp and dark building that they were chan-ging the world in what may seem to be a small way. But sitting thereamongst the smiles and laughter of these wonderful people, I saw the

world changing before my eyes, and experienced again the hope for aneighbourhood that is empowered to care for each other.

The seeds of possibility had been sown here by Rafael and Carlos andCesar, not as a concept, but as a reality. These men chose to continue tovisit this community in person, rather than pass on advice from afar. Ihad been in Manila for only two days, but I had already seen how prac-tical hope could be made a reality through people who were willing topersonally invest and become a part of the communal lives of others. AsI shared their friendship, I also saw how they could help me to open myheart to love others. I realised that helping the poor could empower me; Iwouldn't just be giving out of a sense of duty, or as an act of charity tothe poor and oppressed; it was as an act of friendship, and spending timewith each other was what friends do.

The rain continued to pour down as we reluctantly stood to leave. Ra-fael gave up on finding a taxi and flagged down two tricycles. Afterwaving goodbye to the group and expressing my hope we would meetagain, I got into the sidecar, insisting that Rafael travel with me so I gotto the right place.

12


13/29

The traffic was bumper to bumper and the driver took to the footpath.We got bruised and battered, and then we headed on up to the LRT sta-tion where Rafael insisted on paying for my ticket.

When I had to change trains, Rafael and Carlos waved aside my prot-

estations and insisted they'd help me find my way through the mall tothe other station. I thanked them for my extraordinary day, then I passedthrough the turnstiles and realised there were no signs to show me theplatform to North Avenue. I turned to ask a security guard and saw Ra-fael and Carlos still in the crowd gesturing for me to go to the far plat-form. They could have so easily turned and left, but they had waited. Itmay not seem to be a big thing, but it made a powerful impression onme. I waved in thanks and headed home.

13


14/29

Chapter 4Thursday

28 October 2010

On Thursday I attended a seminar hosted by the Philippine Children's

Ministries Network. I sat beside Marge, who has a gorgeous one year oldboy and works with over three hundred families, helping them to im-prove the well-being of their various communities children.

Marges eyes are filled with passion and concern for the families. Shesees her work as giving a voice to those who don't have a voice, and tohelp them believe in themselves and make good choices. Even when shewas young she was involved with helping others; it is something thatcomes naturally to her. It isn't that she doesnt get tired and frustrated,especially while looking after the well-being of so many others as well as

a young baby, but she sees her work as being true to herself and hercountry. It is who she is; a passion burns within her to ensure these fam-ilies are well looked after so the next generation will be free and em-powered to fulfil their potential.

Marge's husband works to help eradicate child trafficking. As well asthis, he volunteers for the United Nations and does web design. He is aquiet, non-assuming man who seemed confused when I asked why hedid what he did. His response was that was what you did in life: youhelped others. He was equally nonplussed when I asked him how he

coped when faced with a problem that appeared so vast, and how did hemotivate himself to continue. He merely shrugged and said he wakes upevery morning, goes to work, and does the best he can so he can make apositive difference. He is sure he is where he is supposed to be, so hewillingly contributes his time and skills.

Josefina is the director of the Philippine Children's Ministries Net-work. Josefina, or Pine as she is known, is one of those truly beautifulpeople, with a genuine smile and a deep concern for the well-being ofthe children of the Philippines. She has been working for the Network

14


15/29

since the beginning back in 1998, when networking was uncommon. TheNetwork was inspired by Patrick McDonald, who became the Interna-tional Director of Viva Network, but at the time was a young Danishman working with street children in a project in Sta. Cruz, Bolivia.

Through his insistent talking about the possibilities of networking, thefirst Consultation on Children at Risk was held at Jagatai City, Manila inNovember 1998, and at that meeting of thirty-nine organisations, PCMNwas established with Josefina at the helm.

Josefina and others spent a number of years organising meetings andestablishing the personal relationships that are at the heart of the Net-work. This early work of exploring positive ways of collaborating wascrucial to the ongoing success of the project. It meant that the differentorganisations were assured their endeavours were empowered rather

than hindered by working alongside other organisations.The success of PCMN is in no small way due to Josefinas humility

and openness of spirit. As a result it has developed into a large nationalnetwork, organising training right across the different issues of childrenat risk. One of their recent successes is the training of workers on the is-sue of child trafficking, and the education of more than fifty-thousandchildren in areas where it is particularly prevalent, such as the provincesof Samar.

Josefina's ability to bring together different organisations has proved

highly successful. It has inspired other networks throughout Asia, andPCMN is now made up of more than two hundred member organisa-tions and networks, all collaborating at the family and community levelto transform the lives of children.

Josefina is determined that this generation of children will not be lost.In her quiet, unassuming way she advocates for the well-being of chil-dren with the government and other NGOs, developing relationshipsand ensuring that progress is achieved. She passionately believes inthese children and wants to finish the work the Network has started. Shecontinues to form new relationships with strategic partners she believescan accomplish the most, some of whom are from poor areas themselves,with limited financial resources. I realised by talking to Josefina that realprogress was being made by people who were not only passionate aboutrestoring the well-being of the poor of their country, but who were mak-ing themselves available to be on the ground, assisting at a local com-munity level.

Fe has been working for PCMN for the past ten years. She has ahumble yet determined way of speaking that leaves no doubt as to the

15


16/29

strength of her convictions. She was born in the provinces and was putto work as a child in a family business. She experienced first-hand theoppression of a young spirit and suffered the entrapment of child labour.As a result, she is determined to ensure every Filipino child will enjoy a

genuine childhood and be freed from the oppression of poverty.Fe believes that if we open our eyes we can see everyday opportunities

for sharing what we have. Her example was a visiting pastor at her localchurch who worked in the southern provinces of the Philippinesamongst the Muslim poor. He finished his presentation at their largeManila church and as he sat, she noticed that the soles of his shoes wereworn down. Fe knew she didn't have much money in her bank account,

but after checking with her husband, she passed the man some money to buy new shoes. The man was taken aback by such generosity and

thanked them for their kindness.Fe insists you don't need much to help another person, you just need

to keep your eyes open. If we close our eyes to others, we cant see thepossibilities, but if our eyes are open, we can contribute even in the smal-lest of ways.

On their Facebook accounts I have followed Josefina and Fes travelsover the past weeks around the Philippines, and seen how they areworking tirelessly to free children from the evils of poverty. These twowomen and their Network are making significant inroads into what

seemed like an insurmountable problem twenty years ago.That afternoon I was introduced to the sheer scale of change that was

taking place in the Philippines. Over the coming two weeks I would visitnumbers of other NGOs and discover that millions of people born intothe oppression of poverty are being empowered to create new lives incommunities filled with opportunities and loving relationships. All thisis possible through the work of people like Josefina and Fe who are notsatisfied with enabling the poor to merely survive, but passionately be-lieve in their potential as fellow Filipinos.

We finished our conversation and had a group photo; the Filipinoslove their photos. Then Josefina and I headed off into the light rain. Ithanked her for an inspiring afternoon and left to make my way over tothe far station.

16


17/29

Chapter 5Friday

29 October 2010

I stood at the Ayala Avenue bus station with what I thought was an

accurate map of where I wanted to go in Alabang. Each bus has a driverand another guy who encourages passengers to board his bus. I pointedat my map and asked several of these men if they could take me to mydestination. They shrugged and said no, which I couldnt understand asall the buses signs said they were heading for Alabang. Eventually aman told me his bus would take me there. I jumped on, not at all certainif he would drop me in the right place, but I didnt have a choice, so weheaded South on the congested highway.

Immediately the driver began playing the movie GI Joe on the screen

above him. We had surround sound and bass enhanced speakers so thebus rocked with the explosions on the screen, which the driver fre-quently craned his head to view.

The bus emptied as we travelled south, until I was the last person andwe pulled up to a bus station. The driver wandered away to relieve him-self against a shed and I got out and waited for him to return. He ap-peared very thoughtful as he stared at my map, then declared that Iwanted to go to the town centre and I should jump back on because thatwas where he was headed.

It was only a short trip and as a farewell gesture, he waved happilyand asked if I was American. I replied I was a New Zealander and helaughed and welcomed me to the Philippines.

I asked the guy directing the jeepneys if there was one I could catch.He assured me there was, but after several passing us by, he decided theone I needed left from a different corner. My appointment was soon, so Iasked a tricycle driver if he could take me to the SOS Village. He lookedcompletely blank, but a second driver assured me he knew where to go,so after agreeing a price, we roared away.

17


18/29

We stopped outside what appeared to be a state institution. The tri-cycle driver waited until I was informed by a security guard that thiswas not the place. The driver and the guard had an animated discussion,then we were off again, this time to the right place.

I climbed out of the tricycle, stretched my back, and entered the SOSVillage office, where I was greeted with much enthusiasm. I met Em-manuel Leyson who ushered me to a comfortable seat, expressed hisgratitude at my coming, and asked me why I wanted to write a bookabout the positive things in the Philippines.

Emmanuel is called Mr Leyson by members of his staff, and papa bythe children. I shall call him Emmanuel, in keeping with the first namesin the rest of this book, but there is something truly extraordinary abouthim that earns the respect of both the terms Mr Leyson and papa.

When he was young, his parents preferred that he stay with his pa-ternal grandparents in the provinces because he tended to wander awayfrom their house. His grandparents owned a shop where travellersstopped before they progressed into the mountains, and it was here Em-manuel discovered the wonder of listening to stories. However, as hegrew up, he was always the one listening and not the one talking, andthis bothered him. He decided he would do something about this so,while he was in seminary in New York, he got very choosy about whowould be his spiritual director. Inexplicably he was drawn to a priest

whom no one particularly liked, but there was something Emmanuelfound unique about him and so finally, with much courage, he knockedon the man's door. The priest, although initially dumbstruck that anyonewould ask him to be a spiritual director, listened to Emmanuel andlearnt of his desire to speak rather than just listen. He paused, then ex-plained that listening is as much a part of the conversation as talking, soEmmanuel was in fact conversing. Profound as this may have been, Em-manuel wasn't having any of it and insisted he wanted to be the talkerrather than the listener.

The priest suggested he should read a book. Emmanuel looked at theimpressive and beautifully bound selection of books arranged on a vast

bookshelf and was rather upset when he was passed a worn paperbackfrom the bottom level called How To Win Friends And Influence People. Itwasn't at all what Emmanuel had been expecting, but it was exactly theright book for him. And the priest, whom no one particularly liked, wasexactly the right man for his spiritual direction.

Emmanuel runs personal development seminars for staff. In these healways provides a space for people to share their stories because he was

18


19/29

once provided such an opportunity. It had been the right time for him toshare his story, and the pain and anger that had been bound up withinhim for many years was released, and he found both physical and psy-chological healing. So now he always finds time for people, and particu-

larly children, to share their stories. Often a child will stay behind after agroup session to share with him. Although he is a busy man, he will in-vite them to talk because he understands this is an important step forthese children to discover healing and new possibilities.

He is not too concerned about how many diplomas and degrees SOSchildren gain, he is more interested in whether they have developed awholesome, positive, loving way of living. And this is what he and hisstaff model. They show the children they genuinely believe in them byallowing them to share their stories and, by listening to them, they dis-

cover what is needed and what is best for them.Emmanuel shared a couple of examples of how listening or under-

standing is important before acting. He told me about a well meaningforeigner who longed to help the poor in the best way possible and so,when he discovered a family didn't have any mattresses to sleep on, hewent out and bought them mattresses without consulting the family. Hewas scheduled to return to his home country, but when he returned hevisited the family and found the mattresses had never been used. Thefamily preferred to sleep on the hard floor.

Another example Emmanuel told me was of a man who travelled tothe Southern Islands of the Philippines amongst the Moslem communitywhere there was extreme poverty. He had refused to accept the gifts ofthe villagers because he knew they couldn't even afford to share an eggwith him. Yet if he had accepted the gift he would have acknowledgedthat they were equal and at one with him.

Emmanuel and I talked for well over two hours. I have always foundstories shared face to face have a powerful validity because they are not

just about the words, but about the person telling the story. It is a uniqueexperience: the sharing of each other's humanity, the bursts of laughter,the tears that come to the eyes, the emotions swelling within, the triggersof ones own memories.

Emmanuel explained how important it is for a child to be able to telltheir story because by doing so you are saying to that child, You are al-lowed to be who you are, right here and now. In the future you mayhave a different story, but the story you want to share with me now isthe one I want to hear.

19


20/29

Many of the children at the SOS Villages throughout the Philippinesdont have happy stories. Emmanuel once asked children to draw a fam-ily tree and when he returned to the classroom he found that the chil-dren hadn't started. They explained they were ashamed of their parents

who were criminals and prostitutes and drug dealers. Yet these weretheir stories and it was through sharing them that they began the healingprocess.

Emmanuel remembered the most revered Director of SOS Villages wasa man who spent much of his time visiting the children and their famil-ies and hearing their stories. He was often found in kitchens while mealswere being prepared, listening to stories. When he left, many cried as hewas so appreciated for his ability to listen.

Emmanuel then told me about how SOS Villages were changing their

emphasis. They firmly believe in strengthening the families to ensurechildren dont reach the point where they need to live in a Village butcan be supported in their communities. They recognise that the very bestchance a child has is to remain a part of a strong, supported family. Theresult is for every child living in a Village, they are providing resourcesfor nine children in the community.

The initiative came about because people like Emmanuel listened toothers and changed their policy because of what they heard. It meansthat in a few years SOS Villages will be engaging and resourcing over a

million children throughout the Philippines.We made our way out of the office into the wonderfully pleasant sur-

rounds of the village and strolled across to the staff lunch room where Iwas served rice, meat and vegetables.

We sat down with B-Etta who has the same warm, welcoming eyes asall the other staff members I met. She was born into the middle classes,and while she was growing up, she wanted to invest her life into doingsomething for the poor. She thought that by doing law she would be ableto achieve her aim, but after two years studying she could not figure outany way in which she could use law to help the poor and so droppedout. She was thrilled when a position became vacant at this SOS Villagein Support Services where she has worked for fourteen years.

B-Etta believes that it is important to always let the children visit her inthe office and share their stories because it is not only good for them butit is good for her, keeping her focussed on her work goals. There wasnothing formulaic in her answers, she genuinely cares for her work andthe children who live around her. If she struggles to get up and go towork in the morning, she finds this is dispelled when she gets to work

20


21/29

because there is always a sense of this is where she wants to be, andwhere she finds fulfilment, amongst these extraordinary staff andchildren.

Then it was time to meet Beth who is an SOS mother. These are wo-

men who live in a house in an SOS village and care for the children. Bethopened the door and, in that beautiful Filipino way, invited us into herhome with an extraordinary sense of open generosity. We were also

joined by one of her daughters, who I immediately forgot wasn't her bio-logical daughter as they treated each other with such close warmth andfriendship. Emmanuel stayed with us for a few minutes to ensure wewere comfortable, then excused himself to return to his work.

The house had tall ceilings and was immaculately clean. Beth and herdaughter were perfectly groomed and adequately fluent in English to be

able to freely converse. Emmanuel had told me this was something thataroused concerns from those interested in supporting SOS Villages be-cause on visiting they find well nourished, educated young people livingwith positive values. On seeing this, fundraisers sometimes don't thinkthey can raise money for children that don't appear needy.

Emmanuel had shrugged and said they had made a decision not toshow images of how the children are when they arrive at the Villages be-cause they often have behavioural issues, little education, and a lowsense of self-worth. He has no interest in propagating this image of chil-

dren to the world; he wants to show what happens to a child when theyare loved and listened to, and have become a member of a healthycommunity.

Beth was an SOS child and stayed in a Village until the age of twenty-one when she started work as a medical transcriptionist. It was tough tosurvive on the small wage she earned and she had no spare money afterpaying her board and food and bills. She persisted because her realyearning was to become an SOS mother, and the organisation encour-aged people to get some experience of the world before returning towork in a Village.

She developed a bad back working long hours and was instructed totake a month off work. During this time she heard she could be a VillageAuntie, someone who fills in when a mother takes a holiday or is ill. Sheleapt at the opportunity and, after a period of time and extra training,she became a Village mother.

Beth absolutely loves her work and her children. A small boy came in-to the room and instantly jumped on her knee and they spent the rest ofthe time having cuddles. It was so obvious she was a very special person

21


22/29

and the love she shared meant that her children had an extraordinarypossibility to succeed in life.

Here again was a sign of hope. In this case it was one mother and onechild, but through the work of NGOs like SOS Villages, through the love

that so many people like Emmanuel and Beth are sharing with these chil-dren throughout the country, there are millions of children being healedand empowered to grow up with positive, generous attitudes and valueswithin supportive families and communities.

22


23/29

Chapter 6Saturday

30 October 2010

I found myself awake at 4.30am so I stumbled out of bed, keen to write

more about the new friendships I was developing in Manila. It made mefeel good to recall the young people who are learning positive valueswithin their communities, the mothers who are developing their own

businesses, the inspirational people who are befriending and empower-ing the poor, and the locals who lean out of the windows of their beat upold buses and greet me, a foreigner, with a wave and a smile.

Later the smog is thick over Makati as I approach in the train andcatch a bus to Alabang market. I don't think there are such things as setfares. But even though the man charged me more for going a shorter dis-

tance than the previous day, and I didn't have GI Joe, the driver morethan compensated by playing some long-forgotten American soft rock/pop songs at night-club volumes. We all hummed and tapped along inan ancient bus that seemed to only have three gears, and was strugglingto comply with the highway sign stating that we had to achieve a minim-um of sixty kilometres per hour. Then we were passed by a super-charged Subaru and our driver, perhaps a little envious, decided it wastime for the foreigner to experience a bus drag-race. Our driver targeteda bus slightly in front of us, and accelerated and somehow overtook it.

The other driver wasn't having any of it and he accelerated. The resultwas a race between two buses that were probably not roadworthy fordoing thirty kilometres per hour. Then I saw the real reason for the race:there was a toll bridge ahead. I have no idea why they needed to getthere first, but they were both determined to win, so with rivets popping,exhaust belching and the engine sounding like it was going to explode,we charged headlong towards the tolls. Then just as we were about towin a glorious victory, our driver suddenly applied the brakes, hurlingus back into our seats as he struggled to maintain control of his vehicle.

23


24/29

When I sat back up, I realised the other driver had gained half a buslength on us and had actually swerved across into our lane so he couldgo through the toll gate first. It was like a Formula One race where bothcars try to brake as late as possible into a corner, except in Formula One

the cars would have collided and gone spinning into the barriers. To ourdrivers credit, even though the barriers came close, we managed toavoid what appeared for a moment to be certain death.

The bus in front pulled up to the toll gate and the man in chargeleaped down and gave him a right bellowing with much gesturing.However, he let both of us through. The other driver obviously felt ad-equately rebuffed as we easily overtook him, our driver giving him anicy stare.

I didn't go into the Alabang market as Princess and Chock were meet-

ing me at the bus stop, but I enjoyed watching the locals arriving. Every-one was very friendly as I sat there on the step. The drivers offered meall sorts of transport solutions which I declined with a smile, and they al-ways smiled back and gave me a wave.

A mother was selling small sweets and cigarettes on the side of theroad. You can buy the lighter, but generally the idea is you purchase asingle cigarette, use the lighter, then toss it back into the basket. The wo-man was sitting with her toddler, and along the other end of the stairssat what might have been her older daughter or another young member

of her community, who was helping her that day.The mother brushed the little girl's hair, much to the girl's annoyance,

then went along the steps, leaving the toddler by herself. The girl wasnot at all happy with this arrangement and, after scowling in hermother's direction for some time, decided to sort things out for herself.She shuffled towards her mother, and on the way she saw me. Shestopped and stared as though I had just landed in a spaceship. Then shecarried on to her mother.

After a few minutes the mother returned to her original perch and thelittle girl followed slowly behind, taking her time so she could have an-other look at me. I smiled in greeting and she paused, this time decidingI warranted a few questions. She asked me this and that, not seeming tomind that I didn't understand a word of what she was saying, and then,when she had satisfied her curiosity, she said "Bye bye," and walked

back to her mother.By now most of the locals who had taken up residence in the area had

said hello or had waved and smiled in greeting. I was beginning to feelquite at home as bus after bus roared in, dropped off their passengers

24


25/29

and picked up whoever they could before another bus honked, demand-ing they move away from the bus stop.

I was waving in response to more greetings from a passing bus whenPrincess and Chock arrived. They lived nearby so had missed out on

both GI Joe and American pop music, however they had planned my tripto make sure I encountered all possible forms of Philippine publictransport.

The first challenge was to ride a tricycle. I had ridden a couple already,but never on the back sitting sideways with no helmet, my sandals rest-ing on a steel bar that was perilously close to the chain. They are notmade for people of my height, so my head had to bend at almost a ninetydegree angle as I was unceremoniously thrown around from one potholeto another.

Gingerly getting off at the shops, I met the other members of theRotaract Club of Manila Metro. They were either at college or highschool, studying a wide range of subjects from mass communication toIT to education. They greeted me enthusiastically, then all fourteen of us,plus another passenger and several pots of food, crammed into a vanand off we drove towards Cravat.

They joked and kidded around as a group of teenagers do in the backseat, and once again I was asked if it was true New Zealand had morecows than people. I was just explaining that it was true when I spotted a

Philippine cow eating pale grass on a sodden field. I commented that itdidnt look at all like a new Zealand cow and Chock assured me it was asmall one of its variety.

Chock is a member of a Rotary Club and had encouraged most of theboys in the group to join the Rotaract Club for people aged from theirlate teens to early thirties when he was their history teacher at his BoysHigh School. We all laughed when he said he didn't have a clue how thegirls managed to join the group. He has a quality about him that makesyou want to laugh, frequently, and with genuine happiness. He is a verypassionate man and while he is quick to laugh, he is equally quick toconfront the challenges in his society. He has recently co-written ascreenplay about the life of the poor in Manila that has been made into afull-length feature film. He is also writing books, describing the historyof the Philippines from the perspective of the Filipinos.

Chock and Princess formed this project, The Big Kuya, four years agoand here they were, yet again, travelling a significant distance to contin-ue to bring hope and positive values to the new generation of children.

25


26/29

Chock was born in the slums and his mother died when he was nine.His father lived a life in and out of prison and suffered from tuberculos-is. He always said he would make sure he lived to see the day Chockgraduated from college, and indeed he did, but died shortly afterwards.

It is to his and his mother's grave that Chock will go on Monday, a na-tional holiday called All Saints' day, when people visit the tombs of theirancestors and show their respect.

Chock goes there every year and I'm sure he's aware that his parentswould be incredibly proud of how he has positively taught and encour-aged the young people at his school and the Rotaract Group. He says hedoes what he does as a way of giving back to those who supported him;I'd say he has done that with a great deal of interest.

We reached the end of the van journey and found some tricycles to

continue into the countryside to the Rotary Village. This community ofbrightly painted houses has more than a hundred families, and there aresigns showing that at least four different charities collaborate together onwhat was previously a dumpsite.

Princess and Chock showed me the library the Rotaract Club has setup as one of their projects. They have stocked over three quarters of theroom with a wide range of fiction and non-fiction. Chock explained thatalthough the parent Rotary Club of Manila Metro helped out when thetask was substantial, they achieved pretty well everything through their

own fundraising, one example being a theatre play the previous year.The library was perfectly clean and tidy, as was the large hall where

the teenagers set up the chairs. They had everything organised by thetime the children, ranging in age from approximately four to nine, ar-rived to fill the hall.

They stormed in enthusiastically and sat waiting excitedly, then one ofthe girls turned and saw me, and commented to her friend. Then moreturned to check out the stranger, most of them smiling and waving untilthe show began, and what a show it was. It was one of the most vibrant,

beautiful, happy events I have ever witnessed. Each member of theRotaract Club had a role to play and they contributed not just with en-thusiasm, but with genuine love and affection for the children.

First up was a game. I have no idea what the rules were, but it in-volved some of the children holding hands to make an arch and otherchildren racing round to find the right arch to hide under. It brought in-stant hilarity, the children yelling and screeching, the teenagers doublingover with laughter. What was even more wonderful than the joy of thegame was that there was one little girl who looked very hesitant, and for

26


27/29

the first few times she couldn't find the right arch to stand under, buteach time she looked confused, immediately one of the Rotaract assist-ants gently showed her where to go and she gained in confidence, be-coming part of an arch and doing it all by herself.

The game went on for well over ten minutes and could have gone onfor much longer everyone was having such fun, but finally they moved

back to the seats where another member of the Rotaract Club led the re-fresher on the topic of generosity they had discussed the previous week.

During his animated talk, it was not only the comments of the teen-agers that made the presenter laugh, but also the comments by the chil-dren. They were so funny that the teenagers almost fell on the floor inlaughter. Then they presented the pictures the children had drawn dur-ing the week, making sure everyone had time to explain their drawings,

before moving on to an imaginative exercise intruducing the topic ofresponsibility.

The children were asked to keep their eyes shut and the teenagersmade sure they did, but in such a fun way that the children tried theirvery best. It was then time for Chock to do the talk in a relaxed, personalstyle and the children didn't lose concentration, even when Chock wasovercome by the hilarity of the others jokes. He is a natural story-teller,and I could see why he inspires his students with his enthusiasm andengagement.

After this the children drew their hands on a piece of paper and wrotetheir responsibilities on the fingers. At this point the teenagers gentlymoved to those who needed help to draw or write and helped them. Itseemed that the older teenagers became part of the family of the littlechildren, giving them a reassuring touch on the shoulder, or strokingtheir beautiful dark hair, or giving them a cuddle on their knee.

Not that the fun and games were over. There was still a singing ofHappy Birthday using their "woo woo" theme song, with their armswhirling around their head. And to finish it all off the girls in the frontrow had practiced a Hip Hop dance especially for me, which they per-formed brilliantly. It must have been at least five minutes long and theyremembered all the steps, while the Rotaract group applauded andyelled out encouragement whenever they did a difficult dance move.

After the children had gone, I had lunch with that amazing group ofyoung people from the Rotaract Club. I asked them why they gave upevery Saturday, even this Saturday which was a public holiday, to bewith the children. Their answers were various, ranging from one whodid it because it was his inspiration in the midst of a busy school life, to

27


28/29

another who did it because they wanted to help the children, to anotherwho said the children inspired them.

I realised there was never going to be a right answer to my questionregarding motivation. Every one of us has a different reason for caring

for others, whether they be adults or children. It isn't the reason that isimportant, it is what we do as a result. I thanked Princess and Chock for

bringing me to share in that one session, but in my heart I was thankingthem for the years of dedication and love they had sown into the futurelives of these extraordinary teenagers and children, and the hope theyare bring to the future well-being of their country.

This is the end of Part One. I am currently writing the rest of the

ebook. This will include the inspirational stories and successful projectsof Gawad Kalinga, Microventures Inc., Center For Community Trans-formation, Philippine Christian Foundation, Pangarap Foundation, JesusLoves The Little Children Foundation and Servants Asia.

Please email me [email protected] and I will send you acopy as soon as the next part of the ebook is completed with a link tophotographs.

If you would like to contact me for any other reason, including publicspeaking engagements, please email [email protected].

Wheldon Curzon-Hobson

28
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


29/29

www.feedbooks.comFood for the mind

wheldon curzon-hobson - inspired by manila

Documents