A mother, not related to Ronnie told me the day she saw Ronnie and her sister waiting by the roadside for the bus to attend school in town, she could not stop the tears in her own eyes. She said, I feel so proud of them. I know what she meant. I bet all of us in the kampong feel the same way. Each day that this kids go out, they carry all of our dreams with them.
Last night, I was with another mother. Her daughter belongs to Ronnie’s class in the kampong. She told me each time her daughter watches Ronnie and his sister leave the kampong everyday, she knew she is hurting and she is hurting twice inside because right now, she cannot undo their circumstances. The daughter was sitting beside her Mom when we had this talk. She did not say anything. Only silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She’s the brightest in the girl’s class. I know why she’s hurting. I told her she is smart. It doesn’t mean that she is less smart because she could not go out of the kampong. I told her how I used to read books a lot all by myself. How I practiced pronouncing words, phrases, conversations in front of the mirror. That her time will come. Her Mom said in tears, yes, don’t quit, don’t quit on your dream.
I went home grateful for the pain in that girl’s heart. It is this hurt that will help them dream of breaking out from the norm of illiteracy. Of the powerlessness brought about by ignorance and poverty. It is wanting so much for a dream to come true that will propel them to work on making their dreams come true. No one else can do it for them. What we do is open opportunities for them. What they do with it is up to them.
This week I got word that Ronnie et al were asked from which school did they come from. They haven’t studied in Form 1, they just got in this year for Form 4. How come they speak very good English. In that school, it is widely known that they are the best in English and Math. They outdid the rest who were there since Form 1.
Which school did they come from? Which kampong?
If you are part of the Goducate vision, you will somehow understand why I feel so proud, why I shed tears even when writing this, why I get a lump in my throat when I talk about them. If you are already one of us, I am writing this to let you know that it is happening, sooner than what we have projected and I thank you for helping in giving this kids hope. If you you are not yet part of this, don’t miss out on your chance to make a difference. You can help not just a child dream but a community of children break free from illiteracy and have a chance to get a future.
If I could- I want to write Ronnie’s and the other kid’s name on a banner, hang it outside for everyone to see. But I cannot do that.
Which school did they come from? Which kampong? Truth is, they come from a simple school, just a roof enough to spare them from the rain. With walls the children and teachers painted together to hide the flaws. A room filled with love. Just a school of love.
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Ronnie’s story Part 1
The model farm in Laguna, Philippines was a month-old operation when I visited it with the directors of Goducate in August. Its purpose is to demonstrate to the poor to produce vegetables for their own consumption. The first thought that came to mind, as I listened to the Goducate farm worker who showed me around, was that this place is a living lab. I noticed that each vegetable plot and… Continue reading
This is a story of a boy in Laguna which will probably remain untold had the Goducate team not visited him at his home. One would have thought that Ian Mendoza is 12 years old simply because of his child-like appearance. But he is actually 18 years old. Ian suffers from meningioma – a non-aggressive cancer of the central nervous system. A slow-growing brain tumor – probably the size of… Continue reading
For urbanites in First World countries, it is perhaps correct to say that most will find it difficult to empathize with those who experience real poverty. Not that I can empathize any better or had become wiser after my short visit to a rural community in Laguna, Philippines, I think poverty is not just simply earning less than US$ 1 a day, or not having enough to eat as conventional… Continue reading
Dreams are what keep people going.
And their dreams will come alive if they keep going.