Written by: Ate Charmain Tan, Vice President External
It was my second visit at Pangarap Foundation located in the busy area of Libertad, Pasay City. It is a non-profit organization that has been running for 28 years. It continues to provide a home for the youth and gives them the opportunity to finish schooling. They have long term programs aiming to assist these boys until they graduate. The boys living the foundation are ages 12-17. There are several house parents caring for these youth and also a couple of Catholic Brothers living in the center to provide spiritual guidance. We had basketball workshop with them previously and brought them to the movie screening of Hunger Games and Heneral Luna.
Since it was a saturday afternoon the boys were enjoying watching a movie on TV as we arrived at their home. We welcomed the sponsors Kuya Blaize and Ate Nelle as they joined us at the foundation. The event was organized by Ate Alyssa but she was not able to make it due to a work trip. They have become friends though working in Accenture and have shared a bond in volunteering. Kuya Blaize joined other volunteering activities in the past with other groups and this time he and his friends want to spend their time with the youth of Pangarap Foundation. The volunteers for the day were joined by the U! Happy core team members as well as some of our new interns as they introduced themselves. They talked about what they took up in college and what their current work. We were welcomed warmly as the boys listened to the volunteers.
Everyone was formed into groups, mix of the youth and the volunteers. The volunteers were able to know the boys in their groups as they talked about what their Christmas wishes were. The groups were Team Tibay Lakas of Ate Iris, Team Masayahin of Kuya Blaize and Ate Nelle, Team Petmalu of Ate Mon, Petmalu being an anagram of the word “Malupit”. As most of the boys enjoy playing basketball they wanted to have basketball shoes for Christmas. Aside from that their wishes were to be able to spend time with their families and to finish school.
The first activity we did was the Garter Challenge. Each team formed a straight line and held hands. Teams were given a long garter that was tied in the end to form a loop. The team members had to go through the garter without breaking the link. The first team with the garter reaching the end got a point. It was a challenge as teams had to figure out the fastest way to get the garter onto the next person. Team Tibay Lakas figured out the trick first. The person had to step on the garter and stretch it all the way to his head and pass through. As the person finished the next person then had to step on the garter to get ready for his turn. Team Tibay Lakas got a couple of points first in the early rounds but Team Petmalu caught up with them. The two teams were tied as we did a final round. In the end it was the competitive boys of Tibay Lakas who came out as the winner.
The second game we played was Paint a Picture. Ate Amy gave several scenarios and the groups had to act them out. In line with the holiday season we asked them to act out Trick or Treat and Christmas related scenes like Caroling. All teams did really well but Team Masayin won that game.
The third activity we did was Shoot the Balls. Six cups were placed in front of the teams. Each member was given two ping pong balls each. They each got a turn in trying to shoot the balls into the cups. The first to reach five balls got a point. Team Tibay Lakas got the first point fast but the other teams caught up. In the end Team Petmalu won the game.
After all the fun we enjoyed our early dinner with the boys and we got to talk to some of them. Since it is their semester break from school they will be going home to their parents until the end of the month. Some of them came form other homes before and were recently transferred to Pangarap Foundation. It was great to see them all well-behaved and disciplined. We gave out prizes to the winners of the games. They got cups, slippers, and story books. As we said our goodbyes they said they look forward to our visit again in the future.