Written by: Ate Charmain Tan, External Vice President
It was another rainy day as we headed to Payatas to visit the children of 2KK Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid Foundation. 2KK provides programs to children form the communities of Payatas, Escopa, and Sampaloc Manila. We have been visiting all the kids of 2KK for the last decade. Our first event with 2KK Payatas was in 2007 when we brought the kids to Museo Pambata. Since then we have partnered with the other two chapters of 2KK. Payatas is known for the 13-hectare garbage dumpsite in the area. It remains as one of the poorest communities in Metro Manila. The foundation provides learning programs for the children including kindergarten classes and supplementary tutorials to assist them in their schooling. They also have the “Yapak” program where they offer scholarships to grade school, high school, and college students who would otherwise never have the opportunity to receive a good education. These scholars, in turn, give back by volunteering as tutors for the younger kids in the centers.
It was a long drive to the Payatas community and we were all welcomed by the courteous children of 2KK. All 50 kids were so excited as they said their hellos and eagerly introduced themselves. The volunteers for today was the family of Kuya Gil who was celebrating his birthday. His daughter Ate Sam planned the event for her father. They were joined by Mommy Joy and the other two daughters Aleja and Patricia. Ate Sam’s fiancee Kuya Jasper was also there to celebrate with his future father-in-law. The Bermudez family introduced themselves through a “Voice Over” game. The men had to use female voices while the women has to use male voices. It was fun watching the crowd favorite Kuya Gil as he did a funny impersonation using a woman’s voice.
As the kids were divided into five groups of ten the volunteers joined their teams. The volunteers got to know the children in their groups by talking about what they wanted to be when they grow up. They also came up with their group names. Some of the names were Team Soldier, in line with the current TV show Ang Probinsyano, Team Baby Shark, copying the popular song Baby Shark, Team UMMH, which was short for the U! Happy Events tag line “You Make Me Happy.” Most of the kids wanted to be professionals when they group up, like architect, nurse, teacher, doctor, policeman, and others.
As the program started the kids took turns with the Face Painting. Our artist created really cool designs like dragons and butterflies. Most of the boys chose superhero symbols like Batman and Flash. The girls picked more feminine designs like flowers and hearts.
The first game we played was Dress Me Up. Each team had to form lines and three articles of clothing were provided per team. There were scarf, jacket, and skirt. The kids had to wear all three items and run all the way to the end around the chair and back to their teams. They then had to pass the clothes to the next person until everyone in they team finished. The room was full of energy as they all cheered for their teammates. It was so cute watching the kids wear the scarves and jacket as they ran so fast around the chair. They helped each other out by dressing up their teammates when it was their turn. In the end it way the team of Mommy Joy who came out as the winner.
The next activity we did was Ball Relay. Each teams were given balls. The teams had to line up in pairs with the ball in between them. They had to go around the chair without touching the ball. If the ball fell then the pair had to go back to the starting line. Before each round we gave out instructions on where the ball was to be placed. The first round the balls had to be placed in between them as they stood side to side. The second round it was head to head. It was a funny round as the kids tried walking as fast as they could with their heads tilted to the side to keep the balls in place. The last round was back to back which was also a fun round to watch as some pairs walked sideways while others were pulling the other person behind them. In the end it was Ate Sam’s team Baby Shark who came out as the winner.
The next program was the Art Workshop by the talented Teacher Blanca. For the day’s art the kids were going to learn how to make a potted paper cactus. The project was so adorable and we were all very excited ourselves to make one. Teacher Blanca gave out the materials for the workshop which included colorful paper cups, cactus plant patterns, and markers for them to use to express their creativity. The kids chose between two kinds of cactus, the traditional long cactus with several “arms” and a rounded cactus. It was interesting to observe that most of the boys chose the “armed” cactus while the girls chose the rounded cactus. They traced the pattern on the green board papers to form two halves each. They cut the patterns in the center stopping almost at the end of the paper. The paper slits were inserted into each other to form a 3D cactus plant. The bottom ends were folded as they were going to be glued into the cups, which would function as the pot. The kids drew small dots and lines on the plants for the thorns. They also attached red and purple papers on the tip that looked like flowers. They they “planted” the cactus into the pots which turned out to be so adorable. They displayed them by the windows of the center that looked like decorative plants.
After the activities we got to enjoy our liempo early dinner with the kids. The Bermudez family also gave out school supplies and balloons to the kids. The winners of the games also received prizes. We then called Kuya Gil to the front and all the kids sang a Happy Birthday song for him. It was indeed a meaningful celebration as Kuya Gil shared his blessings with these children in Payatas. These children do not get to experience a lot and we deeply appreciate the Bermudez family for choosing to spend their family’s special day with these kids. Kuya Gil was celebrating his birthday on the exact day and by giving his time to them he made a difference in the lives of these children.
