Sunday, August 17, 2008 Luab: Today, giving is not enough By Evelyn R. Luab light sunday
TWO of my street children’s families were relocated to Talamban.
However, what the city government forgot is that there is no public school up these hills. So I agreed to take care of their transportation fare from their homes to the school in Pit-os. I gave each child fare money, good for six months. Habal habal (i.e. back-rides using motorcycle as transportation) fare is not so expensive.
They came on Aug. 5, albeit sheepishly to ask for additional fare money, saying their parents used their money. Of course, I felt bad because I know it takes two hours for them to reach the school on foot.
The promises these two kids made that “they will not give their fare money anymore to their parents, etc.” are really empty promises. When push comes to shove, they will come back again for fare money knowing that I want them to go to school.
So how about building a school at the relocation site on the hills of Talamban? These children are eager to go to school. Some are already in the intermediate and high school levels. Perhaps those in charge of the relocation process can take the presence of schools into account in the respective sites of relocation.
It is so easy for people to say, “What more do you want from me? I give sacks of rice to feeding programs, or I write checks for scholars and for hospital wards!” Praise God that you do! However, that isn’t enough nowadays. We now have to get involved in the lives of our needy. The limited answer of dole outs isn’t enough! Somehow we have to clasp our neighbor’s hand, we have to break bread together and join one another in their journey for a better life!
Working in a depressed area, I’ve seen to what an extent a family can reach to be able to get out of the pit of poverty.
Sister Teresita Borromeo started a soap making factory at Villagonzalo II. It is run by the people who live in that area. There are candy factories in other depressed areas where tamarind and sweet potato candies sell in sari-sari stores. People there wake up early. They sleep late. However, they know that the proceeds of the sales go back to them through the cooperative system. People who can hold their heads up high after a life of scavenging for saleable trash now have self-worth.
Lourdes Garcia has long left her first home on Julio Llorente Street. She has transferred to a better subdivision in Cebu City. The effects of the good work she left behind are still on-going. A group of women have a sizeable income from laundry work because ma’am Lourdes, as she is fondly called there, did start a water system where water can be had at a cheap price. As of this writing, the wives in this area in Ma. Cristina have income that can help augment their husband’s earnings. Their husbands are watch-your-car boys.
At one time, I found myself in a quandary. One of my former employees was in debt to practically all the other employees. After a discreet investigation, we found out that he was gambling. After 5 p.m., he would head home but first stop by a gambling area, then go home after an hour or so. The poor wife didn’t know anything.
To tell or not to tell the wife was the question. I finally opted to confront the husband in front of the wife. After a tearful confrontation, we decided to pool all his debts and pay them off through the sinking fund of the company. Today, thank God, he is out of debt, the wife is happy and his gambling streak is curtailed.
It is a risk to do something or to meddle in other people’s lives. However, in these trying times we just have to venture outside our comfort zone if we can help in what ever small way to better people’s lives.
Getting involved and giving unsolicited advice more often than not do get us into trouble. However, the success of helping transform what otherwise could be a downward fall to poverty is worth the risk of being rebuffed or being hurt.
