/Saturday, July 12, 2008
NUS Humanitarian Affairs – Outreach Program to Paraalang Pantao School of Humanity
Location: Erap City and Payatas, Philippines.
Duration: 10th – 21st December 2007
"This is the first time I have embarked on a humanitarian program with NUS Humanitarian Affairs (NUSHA) as an alumnus of NUS and NUSHA. This trip had definitely been one of the best humanitarian trips I ever participated in and also one with the most heart-wrenching experiences. When I was approached by Janice, our project director, to participate on this trip, I immediately jumped on this wonderful opportunity. This trip had definitely helped me to put things into perspective on the poverty situation amongst the indigenous people in Philippines. One very much commendable factor in making this trip a success was the strong teamwork and great cooperativeness displayed by my 14-member team throughout this trip. They were relentless when the team encountered difficulties in coordinating the lessons and their altruistic display of affection for the children was evident throughout the 14 days.
I believe that this trip had not only spurred me to want to do more for the children living in the “garbage colony” of Payatas and Erap City; it has also inspired the entire Project Dream team do continue their efforts in providing more sustainable help to these poverty-stricken children.
These children are in dire need of better educational resources that can better equip them for eventual schooling in public schools. The current schooling curriculum that these children receive at the Paaralang Pantao School would only equip them with basic literacy and numeracy skills. There are hardly any textbooks or workbooks used and the teachers are very much dictating lessons to these children. The children we have met from the Paaralang Pantao School were an effervescent and resilient group of children whom were all very much sheltered from the outside world. Some of the children have even experienced harsh living conditions within their families and community; making them hostile and taciturn towards people (like ourselves) that came outside of their close-knitted community.
Many of the children we met at Payatas, the “Garbage colony” of Quezon City, may eventually grow up to become garbage collectors, like their parents, and this may render education a non-option for many of these children as they can earn a decent income collecting rubbish at the giant dumpsite mountain (which had once collapsed in 11th July 2000 and caused a landslide that killed hundreds of people in Payatas). Rubbish collection is dangerous work and it is indeed very sad for me to see so many children scavenging the dump site for scrap metal and unwanted soda cans when I was in Payatas in December.
I strongly believe that a well-rounded education will better equipped a child for the real world and motivate them to want to achieve much more for the betterment of their current lifestyles and their families. A good education is a powerful tool that can enable a young child to break out of their poverty cycle by changing their values and attitudes and become more socially-responsible individuals.
It is this same belief that had led to the founding of the Paaralang Pantao School for the humanity, to be set up in Payatas 15 years ago and it has since provided subsidized schooling for many children who would otherwise end up toiling all day long in the dumpsite.
Overall, I have enjoyed myself tremendously throughout the 14 days spent in Philippines and all the new sights and sounds I have experienced there would be strongly etched in my mind. I really look forward to a follow up trip and participate in a new project that will allow us to do much more for Paaralang Pantao in the near future. "
Looking forward to meeting the new team for Project Dream 2008; Support folks, support! =)
it just ain't right @ Saturday, July 12, 2008
