Valerie Ramos
Quiapo is not exactly my favorite place to go to. It was my second time being there; the first time being the CWTS1 exposure trip. It is a place that someone should experience, because Quiapo cannot be contained in a picture, story or even a movie.
Visiting Bahay Nakpil again, was a trip that I cannot forget.. The first time that I was there, I have to admit that I wanted the experience to end. It tugged my heartstrings, yes, but it traumatized me. Going back, however, gave me a sense of redemption.
It is amazing how the children of Bahay Nakpil never cease to lose hope and joy. Maybe, it is always like that with children, and with Filipinos, amidst hardship. Being there, I know that my dream of becoming an educator and reaching out to those who cannot afford to send their kids to school, is something worth doing.
One must invest in the young, and it saddens me that people cannot see this part of the world, this part of the country that is so full of potential. There are so many places similar to Bahay Nakpil out there that have been neglected.
The help that these projects give to these people are ultimately, short term. It is only when the government or the private sector (the super powers) truly notices and helps these people out, then change will truly happen.
Jerissa Masukat
As I spent my two days in Bahay Nakpil, Quiapo, I learn to appreciate the kids in there. We gave away prizes and taught them how to count and be familiar with the numbers. Even though the kids are so annoying, we still handled them well with the help of my group mates.
For our prizes, each one of us contributed candies, cupcakes, juice, biscuits and school supplies to inspire them to learn how to read and write. So that, as time goes by, there will be no more uneducated children in our country. With this small project, we came to realize that even though we are still young, there are a lot of things we can do to help the children be educated and prepare them for tomorrow. We hope that with our little contributions, we were able to help the children of Quiapo.
Yllana Lopez
I feel very fortunate to have my family life. But there are those who aren’t so lucky. And I was so happy to get the chance to participate in this exposure trip. I’ve learned so many things in life.
We again prepared games and prizes for the kids and it’s a good thing they were nicer than our last visit. They really listened to what we say even though they’re very naughty. It’s a good thing that they are very energetic! They participated in every activity that we have planned.
I felt very much fulfilled not only because we’re already done with our task but also because we’ve helped many children. Even though it’s not that much, at least we’ve made them happy. I expected my days with them would be fun. And it all went well. My experience in Quiapo was very tiring but I really enjoyed it.
Jorzell Virtucio
During the preparation, I can feel the pressure because I’m thinking of many ways on how to make our project successful. We gathered materials for the prizes, tutorials, story telling and artwork. But then, all preparations seem to be incomplete until the implementation dates came.
I could say that when kids are involved, I know how to deal with them better than the others. It’s because I have three little brothers. But when I encountered the kids in Bahay Nakpil, I realized that I’m so blessed. Most of the children didn’t know how to read and even count 1-10. Those kids deserve quality education. They must even know the basic lessons that will serve as a stepping stone in attaining their dreams. It really saddens me that some kids are really living with the unfriendly environment. I talked to one little boy during the implementation and he said that he already experienced how to be in a fraternity and how his body was hurt because of it. I’m so surprised with that conversation. I tried to explain that he must quit the said ‘fraternity’ but he told me that he can’t because for them, being in a fraternity means that you’re strong and popular. Well, I couldn’t blame anybody for their situation. All that I can do to the kids is to give joys through simple things.
Kristina Mae Simeon
As part of our part of our project implementation in Bahay Nakpil, we had a tutorial program for the kids. We prepared various activities like story telling, teaching basic Math and English, a talk about proper hygiene, and clay making.
After this two day activity with the kids, I realized that my patience was really tested. The children were rowdy and some didn’t pay attention to us while we were teaching. Some kids were also too young to answer our activity sheets. But I just put in my mind that they should gain something from our lessons. I also noticed that they needed reinforcement in order for them to work harder. They were motivated by our prizes, like candies and biscuits. On the other hand, we also had a hard time distributing the books that we donated because some children didn’t have the capacity to wait for their turn. They were all excited. Also, we ran out of prizes because we didn’t expect that there will be more children coming. It exceeded the number of kids we were expecting.
This activity helped me to become a better person by gaining more patience. I learned different techniques in teaching and how to motivate them to listen. As much as possible, I tried to help them with the lessons that they didn’t understand. My impression when I saw the kids and other people in the community was that they were really experiencing hardship for their living. Also, the area that surrounds Bahay Nakpil was so public. There were a lot of people selling dvd’s and gadgets. It’s like a market place. With this experience, it also made me realize how very blessed I am and learned to appreciate all I have because not everyone is as lucky as I am.