Giving Back
One of the most humbling opportunities while being in the Philippines was the chance to volunteer with various organizations in the country. The income disparity in that country was, and still is, insane. Travel any distance outside of Manila and you’ll see it in droves. For that matter, go a couple city blocks in Manila and you’ll see it.
Gawad Kalinga
The first chance I got was with Gawad Kalinga, basically the local organization equivalent of Habitat for Humanity. We traveled slightly north of Manila, to the province of Bagong Silang. Our task was to help paint the province’s school and fence.
When we arrived, we noticed the school building already fully painted. Whoops. Slight miscommunication on the organization’s part, but no matter. The fence, which turned out to be more like a concrete wall, was begging for our paint brushes and rollers.
Our group of about 20 divided the wall into sections and got to painting. Under the blazing tropical sun, we rolled up, down, left, right … again and again and again. The local villagers, watching over our work, noticed our buckets of paint were more than enough for the wall.
They began to beg our assistance in helping to paint their shops and houses. Some poor souls didn’t even hesitate to await our response, slyly sneaking away with a paint bucket or two to complete the job on their own. I couldn’t find much fault with those thieves. These people were used to being ignored or let down by their leaders, and so they took matters into their own hands.
We did ultimately agree to help them, and so we wandered deeper into the province to find the way they lived. Buildings scattered all about. There did not seem to be any sort of order to how these houses got placed. A sari-sari store (convenience store) got random placed every 3 or 4 houses apart. Homes didn’t seem to have doors, leaving their private lives exposed to the whole community.
Men walked about half naked, trying to keep cool from the hot tropical sun. They watched eagerly as we painted. Women seemed to all be wearing pajamas in the middle of the day, most with a baby attached at the hip. Some folks were bathing themselves in the streets, lathering themselves with soap and then pouring a tabo over their heads.
Children ran around in groups, playing this game or that. Until they spotted the white guy in the group.
“Ang puti! Ang puti!” they would yell, pointing at me in amazement.
“They’re telling you you’re so white,” my friend told me.
“Thanks for noticing,” I’d reply back with a half smile.
We continued painting their storefronts and homes. Some of the locals joined in. Most just watched and told us how good a job we were doing. I couldn’t deny the questioning feeling of, “Why don’t you lend a hand? You look perfectly able.” But alas, I’m sure they had their reasons.
After finally running out of paint, I had a little more appreciation for the thieves. At least they went to paint it on their own. And saved my white skin another hour or two in the blazing hot sun.
Habitat for Humanity
A month later, we were at it again. This time with Habitat for Humanity, in Calauan, Laguna, a couple hours south of Manila. The area didn’t seem to have much going for it, and perhaps that’s why we were there building houses. They were homes designated for people displaced out of Manila, due to government pressure to expel people from the slums.
“You look like a scarecrow with that hat.”
My coworkers always liked commenting on my appearance whenever I’d don one of two things: my hometown farmer look, or the local provincial look. When I put them both together, I must admit, I did indeed look like a scarecrow.
“Go stand in that field and I’ll take a picture!”
This was in the middle of a charitable effort we’d taken as a company to help build houses for Habitat for Humanity. In between the laying of cinder blocks, grouting, and hauling things here and there, we found room to crack jokes. That was always the way with our team. No matter how serious the work, someone was going to try and lighten the mood with a joke or a prank.
“The great thing about Habitat for Humanity is that we aren’t just giving these homes away,” our event coordinator explained to us. “They will pay off their homes, they will own them! And so they take great pride in that, they respect their homes, they take care of them.”
I found it strange a charitable organization made people pay for things. But her explanation made sense to me. How much more do we value things when we work hard for them?
We met a couple of the tenants in some of the already completed homes.
“Before here my family lived on the streets. But now when it rains we don’t get so wet.”
Another humbling moment. The Philippines has a funny way of making those apparent.
When I arrived back at my apartment, I had new appreciation for the modern appliances I was afforded. Cool indoor air conditioning, a hot shower. Things I’d only complained about previously if they’d ever stopped working. Suddenly, they became things I had to be grateful for. Easily forgotten, of course, but something I still try to be mindful of even today.