I have just come back from Philippines and my last stop was in the flood devastated province of Laguna – just a couple hours’ drive south of Manila.
Laguna has been hit by 3 typhoons in the past month (the last being just a few days ago) and many of the villages have been under water for a month. As I drove past vast “lakes” of water that were once villages, I saw an occasional basket-ball post or an old TV antenna sticking out of the water. Under the waters of these newly formed lakes are the houses and the hard-earned belongings of thousands of people who are now gathered in evacuation centers in nearby school buildings.
A town under water
When I arrived at one of these evacuation centers in the town of Bay, I saw hundreds of people who now make this school their “home.” As the refugees occupied half of the classes (approximately 8 families to a classroom), the students had to have some their classes in make-shift “classrooms” and under the trees.
Two kind sponsors had contributed a total of PHP135,000.00 (US$2,900.00) to Goducate to start a feeding program for these people. A group of Christians from Laguna was given this fund to feed the children in different feeding centers.
This group of Christians, though poor themselves and also affected in varying degrees by the flood, networked with a kind lady who owns a nearby hot-spring resort (the Royal Palm Resort) to use the resort van to transport their workers and the food to these centers.
When we arrived at about 5pm, the kids (aged from 3 to 12) had already gathered in front of the school administrative building to have possibly their first meal of the day. Each child had a cup in his hand (some wiser ones had large plastic ice-cream containers!) eagerly waiting to get their cupful of soupy noodles (flavoured with Maggi chicken cubes). As soon as their got their cupful from the large pail of noodle soup, they rushed off to a “quiet” spot to swallow down their meal.
children being fed at evacuation center
As soon as they finished their cup, some of them tried to come around for a second cupful but were “caught” and reprimanded by the workers who had to be sure that each of the over hundred children got at least a cupful of food.
I was supposed to video the scene but found myself overwhelmed by the look of helplessness in the people around me. I had seen hunger in Africa, India, Cambodia – and I thought that I’d seen it all but a constant thought came back to me “Paul, you are the voice of these helpless ones.”
I knew that I had to be their voice to a whole world of people around me who have been blessed with plenty.
I knew that I had to tell of their plight to the many kind people who want to help but just do not know how to reach the helpless.
As I stood there with the camera in my hand, I knew that I had to record their plight because I was the “voice” of these helpless brothers and sisters of mine!
Yes, Goducate must be the voice of the helpless – to those who want to help!
More photos (click thumbnail to view photos):
Water World is a 5 months old goducate center Sabah. It was named waterworld because once it was high tide the water reaches until the floor of our elevated school house. High tide will never be a hindrance to the students to go to school as well as volunteered teachers. I’ll show you some several ways to go to school even though high tide.
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
This is just one area in Laguna where Goducate supported the feeding program. I took part in a few feeding activities of Goducate in other refugee camps where flood victims stayed there for more than a month while waiting for the waters to subside.
A big thanks to Goducate for the support!
Imagine how we often waste food in Singapore and these kids are starving out there.
If someone don’t speak for them and do something to help them what can they do? They are so helpless.