Written by: Ate Rica Leyritana, Board Member
I have been an active volunteer for 5 years already but nothing prepared me for my experience last October 8. My good friend, Sheila, always invites me to her yearly event, Paper and Pen, but every year, I had to decline because there is a conflict in my schedule. Finally, this year, my schedule allowed me to join her, her family, her friends and co-workers from the Alaskan Airlines in bringing smiles to the children of Helping Land in Tondo. For those who do not have an idea on where Helping Land is, Helping Land is actually in Smokey Mountain. If this now rings a bell, because it is really the community which sits on a dumpsite. The event was organized through the help of our friends from Project P.E.A.R.L.S (www.projectpearls.org).
Anyway, before I get too detailed with my experience, allow me to apologize in advance in describing the things I saw and for the things I was told and eventually believed in. I do not mean to offend anyone nor spread false information.
Getting there was not easy. I had to park my car in Manila Hotel and take an Uber along with my friends to the meeting place. I was told bringing a car is not advisable as it is not safe. When we got there, we were told to wear rain boots and I can see already why. We are not yet inside Helping Land but the pavement in the meet up place was already muddy and I can already smell the stench of the garbage from there.
While on our way inside the community, my heart sank as I saw the living conditions of the families there. They lived in shanties- along with garbage, flies, mosquitos, rats and probably even their own waste. My immediate thought: how can one live in a condition like this? I certainly cannot. I was even told that most of the families survive by eating “pagpag”- leftover food from fast food restaurants scavenged from garbage sites. Also, the kids I saw were wearing tattered clothes and they did not have any footwear on. My heart sank further to the point of shedding a tear.
Finally, we got to the place of our event. The kids who were participating in the event were already there and they were so happy to see us! Some of the kids even went to some of the volunteers we were with and gave them hugs. They remember them even only if they only visit every year.
We handed out the food first before we began any of the activities lined up for the day. After that, we let the kids dance to the latest dance craze, “Baby Shark” and sing some Christian worship songs. This time, my heart melted as I was extremely touched to see the kids, who, despite living practically in a dumpsite are joyful and can still sing praises to God. After the dancing and the singing, we had some games for the kids and the volunteers which made the atmosphere happier. After being tired from the all the games, we then proceeded to the last activity of the day which was the tutorial of the kids. Subject of the day was math and I was lucky enough I got assigned to Grade 2 students. I don’t think I would have managed if I was assigned to the Grade 7 students (haha). Anyway, this for me was the highlight of the event as this was the time I got to really bond with some of the kids. I got to ask them questions, and let them tell me stories. Plus, the kids were really sweet! I was always given hugs and attention. I also felt that whatever knowledge I imparted to them that day will to stick to them. I gave them a few tricks to make math easier (wink, wink).
