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The following update is focused on the three weeks I spent in Manila visiting various Viva Network partner projects (mostly to do with Street Children). “Tell me, I will forget.
Show me, I may remember.
Involve me, I will understand.?
- Chinese Proverb

The Street Children of Manila

Rob Lilwall
2007-12-01 14:55:17

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streets to beg for his hierarchy?. But the little boy keeps walking with me and now his little hand is pointing to the convenience store stacked with cheap food which we are passing? but I will not stop, I cannot lose my guides, we are already late. And then suddenly he leaves me with my excuses and goes back, still hungry, to his begging spot by the stairs. I go to church with swimming eyes.

It would be very wrong to leave the impression that the good people with whom I am privileged to spend much time in Manila are inactive or unmoved by the horrendous inhumanity and desperation they see daily on their door steps. Firstly there are the various refuge centers and homes they run which will clothe, feed, educate and care for the children. One day I am taken on a tour of a cemetery where some of the street children live ? a place which appears not so far from hell on earth ? drugged up nine year olds sniff brain-frying glues, feverish dehydrated babies lie on concrete tombstones, adolescents sleep in the unused grave chambers. The reasons why children end up on the streets like this are varied, but very often they are running away from families where they are horrendously neglected, abused, or plain abandoned. I accompany one street children's camp out of the city for a few days ? it is hoped that by taking them straight off the street onto a camp such as this, enough trust can be built up with them that they might chose to leave their perilous street lives behind and join a refuge or home. Upon arrival the dishevelled children are given fresh clothes and a wash bag? within an hour they are transformed into clean, happy faces ? playing basketball and messing around on swings and see-saws. There is laughter everywhere. This is all only possible because of the awesome dedication of the staff. However, persuading the children to leave their hazardous street lives and come to a charity for help is only the first step in a long difficult road to them becoming whole, ...

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why the government not take the street children in the philippines
if the government we don't have care to all street children!
why we take them in the abortion house..then we have to learn the all street children!!!

steph, 2008-05-20 19:45:26

wow your story amazes me . we are doing a project on how we could get our fellow classmates to get involved on how to help the children in philippines to receive education. I would love to have a video of your testimony about your experience in the philippines if i may or probably even more pictures would be nice .
My email is keziajoy@gmail.com. Thank you so much for sharing!

Joy, 2008-03-30 05:01:01