Aside from our monthly educational assistance for children in the slums, our team in the Philippines also spends time with the children, whether it’s sharing a fast-food meal or going on an educational trip with them; such times help us get to know them better, get to know their stories, and also help us create a positive influence in their lives.
Gintong Aral is an NGO that focuses on empowering the youth in the Philippines. This tie-up allowed us to take 20 beneficiaries from our Manila Slum Project on an educational trip. During the trip, the Gintong Aral staff shared various income-generating opportunities with our youth and gave them a chance to be baristas for a day by letting them explore the world of coffee-making! The experience was made even more special by the fact that the Gintong Aral staff who assisted us throughout the day were also young people from the slum.
They could relate to our beneficiaries on many levels because of their shared experiences. As they toured the community, our beneficiaries compared their surroundings to their own community and found many similarities. This experience showed them that with determination, they, too, can create a better life for themselves and their families.
Most of the children we talked to shared that their families had lost hope that they could continue studying, so they were forced to sell in the streets instead. The children have also seen their other family members, neighbors, and friends who grew up begging and selling, and that’s often what’s expected of them, too. Our Manila Slum Project aims to get street children back to school, and as much as we can, we want to encourage them to thrive and succeed.
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When we first met Jemhaima and her mother, they were loitering on the streets, begging and scavenging for food from garbage cans.
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Jane’s family lived in the streets for generations. She herself grew up selling and begging. At the tender age of 15, she became pregnant with her first child.
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Jennelyn’s mom and sister got pregnant during their teenage years.
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Our Manila Slum Project in the Philippines has been monitoring the school attendance of children by working closely with their teachers since January.
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Janninah sells breakfast food in plastic bags as early as 5 a.m. Then, she would sell sampaguita flowers outside the church for the rest of the day.
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Last May, Tim, a senior manager of Unionbank, initiated an outreach for the beneficiaries of our Manila Slum Program. His group helped us encourage the children to go to school. Tim’s influence in the company grows as more branches of Unionbank reach out to us because they also want to help.
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