Monday, May 28, 2007
NGO appeals for help for Ermita
PLEASE give them back their homes.
This was the plea of French humanitarian non-government organization (NGO) Children of Asia Aspeca for the 546 Barangay Ermita, Cebu City families displaced by fire last May 8.
“It is a matter of emergency, this is an appeal,” said Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke, Children of Asia project in-charge.
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The NGO distributed goods in the barangay’s sports complex in its second relief operation last Tuesday, May 22.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama also dropped by.
Clarke told Sun.Star Cebu that they are already on their “maximum operation capability,” and can only do so much without government and other groups’ help.
Learning
And since Children of Asia’s main goal is education, it went further than just distributing goods, which included rubber gloves and additional waste baskets.
Volunteers also conducted an information/education campaign through games that caught the attention of hundreds of Ermita’s children.
“Manghugas, manilhig, dili motunob sa hugaw nga dalan (Wash yourself, sweep away dirt, and do not walk barefoot on dirty streets),” said Laica Bayking, 11, of what she learned during the games.
“Manghugas gyud sa kamot para malimpyo (Always wash your hands to keep them clean),” eight-year-old Sherwin Sanchez chimed in.
Children are the center of the NGO’s mission to educate residents on sanitation.
Less waste
Clarke saw that cleanliness is Barangays Ermita and Carbon’s major problem, and warned of an epidemic unless something will be done about it.
Compared to their first visit last May 18, however, she noted an improvement. “There was a visible improvement, there was less waste,” she said.
When they came to Ermita, Clarke said the residents were cleaning away waste and debris from the May 8 fire, which left over 2,400 persons homeless.
The fire affected Sitios Bato and Katsilaan in Ermita, specifically at the back of Units 1 and 2 of the Carbon Public Market.
Clarke recorded two health-related incidents that happened among the fire victims due to the unsanitary environment.
One involved a woman who gave birth to a boy who developed health complications; another was of another baby boy with a deformed face.
Finding allies
Clarke said they had difficulty finding help from the government and other NGOs, which she blamed on the election season.
They found an ally on Gawad Kalinga, though, and in Sister Gertrude Imperial of the Asilo de la Milagrosa, who gathered students to help in the relief operation.
“These are very nice children,” French national Helen Fabre said while two little girls were hugging her.
Djeselle Diaz, 20, an Asilo scholar-volunteer, said that looking at the homeless children reminded her of her days in Negros Island.
She came from a poor family, but was given a chance to study by the Children of Asia. (JGA)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 28, 2007 issue)
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