Dream...Live...Love...

Kwentong Gawad Kalinga tayo. Last Wednesday, I did volunteer work for the Gawad Kalinga community at the Baseco compound in Tondo. GK is a project of Couples For Christ-Phils, where for a sponsorship of Php50,000, a family from the slums is helped to build their home. Baseco compound was chosen by GK after a huge fire broke out and destroyed about 3,000 homes in 2004, leaving thousands homeless. 
 
I was with about 40 other volunteers from PhilHealth, that includes some 3rd level officers. They asked us to bring gloves and paintbrushes, but other than that, i had this vague but scary picture of the community. it's one of the poorest part of Tondo, and its as notorious as its neighbor, Parola. Newbies/strangers in the place used to get "welcomed" by the bandits, while inside the tricycle, you're being frisked for cellphones, wallets, etc. The mud & the dirt clings not only to your shoes but also to your pants, and the stench of the nearby smokey mountain fills the air. it wasn't an ideal day-out, i know, but the entire experience more than makes up for it. 
 
When we got there, we were welcomed by Greg, a 30-something La Salle grad who chose to devote his time in helping GK and left his career in the US and running the family-owned insurance biz. <a humanitarian cutie....well, that's some other story> He oriented us for a few minutes, then he invited out outside to form a human chain and transfer about a thousand hollow blocks from the truck. That was around 10:30 am and the heat of the sun was exceptional...but what the heck? I had a first-hand experience of BAYANIHAN, and it was really something priceless. Ang awkward ko pa magbuhat nung hollow blocks at first, nakasanayan ko na lang. Now, i know that a wet hollow block weighs more than a dry one, and the longer you keep transferring them, the heavier they become. After that, I joined the others in painting the rails and the flower fences while some other volunteers mixed gravel, sand & cement. We rested, had a quick lunch, then went on to complete our work.

I met some onse-onse children (onse-onse because they had free flowing mucus from both nostrils which they usually sniff back..hehehe), and exchanged stories with them. At their young ages (7-12 on the average), they're already exposed to early labor...They told me that they pick up bottles and plastic cups and sell them for a meager amount..."pangdagdag sa hapunan", as they called it. I felt this distinct sting in my heart..They're young but they've felt the hardships of life. But, despite their situation, they can still laugh and play around..and they looove having their pictures taken...hahaha! Their laughter was that of kids, but their daily routine's that of a working adult. They shouldn't be going through the realities of their poverty this early but unfortunately, they were born into it.
 
How was the GK experience? I can't say...I went home drenched in sweat, with the putrid smell of the garbage on my clothes, my hands & shirt stained with paint, my rubber shoes covered in mud & dirt, and feeling the pain of the day's work on my shoulders & my entire body. Im at a loss for words..All I know is that I never felt more human.

To know more about the Gawad Kalinga project and how you might be able to help, do visit these sites:

www.gawadkalinga.org

www.gk1world.net

Volunteers are most welcome...