New Beginning

(Note: Sorry for the alphabet soup, but in that way this entry can serve as a primer for blogs to come. I hyper-linked many of them, so you can learn more if you choose.)

I arrived in the Philippines on Sunday night; although, it still felt like Saturday to me. I tried their local San Miguel beer that first night. I figure the best way to get a know a people is to drink with and like them. (I just made that up--like I'd have any idea if that's the best way.) Anyway, it was only one beer, and I was with Danny Urquico the CEO of Child and Family Service Philippines (CFS PI). I had already shared drinks with him in Hawaii, so I can't say this was a wholly unique experience.

However, the next day Danny made sure that I did have unique experiences. He showed me two organizations which the Philippine branch of the Consuelo Foundation (an organization I worked with in Hawaii) funded. First we met a group called Families and Children for Empowerment and Development (FCED). Based on the Healthy Start model which was created in part by Gail Breakey (the woman I worked with in Hawaii), their program aims to prevent child abuse by helping mothers and families as early in the child's life as possible, including pregnancy. FCED took me to a poor baranguay (neighborhood) where one of their family support workers (FSW) was meeting with mothers and their 3-year old children. The FSW was showing the group games to play with their children that would allow them to monitor and stimulate proper development.

For example, kicking balls is important for children's eye-body coordination, but these families are so poor, they can't afford to buy balls. So the family support worker showed them how to ball up newspaper and wrap it tightly in a plastic bag to make a ball. Watching the kids kicking it around was a highlight for me--it was as valuable as a store-bought ball in its effectiveness and was more valuable in its significance and innovativeness for people with almost nothing.

Danny then took me to the Tuloy Foundation's complex for street kids. There they feed, house, clothe, and educate kids from ages 9 to 20 who have been abandoned, abused, or orphaned and forced to live on the street. I was shown around their pristine facilities where kids who were once likely involved with crime, drugs, and prostitution were now learning to fix car engines, wire electricity through ceilings, and repair computers.

I'm not sure what to say about all this without sounding trite or sentimental. It was inspiring to see what's possible when people who care are given the resources they need to make a difference. Obviously, the choice for a better life ultimately resides with those being helped, but at least now it is more of a choice. I am thrilled and privileged to be a part of these efforts.

I am writing this at a stop on the way north from Manila to Baguio where I will be living and working at CFS PI. I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing there yet, but as I know, I'll be sure to tell you.

I apologize for the current lack of pictures. I do, somewhat shockingly, have a working camera with me... for now. There will be pictures as I become more comfortable with my surroundings and the people in them.