10,000 Disabled Persons on the go..wow!

“A New Hope for the Dulanas Family”

The family is a native from the City of Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte. Accordingly, a name Dulanas was one of the well-known and well-off people in the city. The Dulanas Family owned most of the land area of the City. Most of them are business holders, living in concrete and big houses while enjoying luxurious life.

Unfortunately, this fame and fortune is far from the reality for the family of Mr. and Mrs. Josefina and Pablo Dulanas III. Mr. Dulanas was once a laborer in a gold mining industry. As of now, he worked as a casual employee and a laborer in the Department Public Work and Highways Office. While his wife stays at home to take care the needs of their children. The couple was blessed with 6 children. Nevertheless, the family also lived in a big and concrete ancient house but is only allowed to occupy the vacant space under the stairway, which is a bodega. To separate them from the trash they used sacks and waste cartons as their wall. Every thing around them is dirty and dusty which is not good and not conducive to the health of their children.

Couple said that the poverty and their living condition was never been a big issue for them. As long as their children are eating thrice a day, still have dresses to wear and are going to school, since they are still elementary, they are already satisfied. But what baffled their mind and the thing that troubled them much are the conditions of their first 3 children who suffered from cerebral palsy, Glory Grace 18, Love Joy 15 and Mark Jhapet 11. Cerebral Palsy or Motor Disability, as I defined in layman’s term, is caused by an injury to the premature brain of an individual, during before and after delivery. The condition is for lifetime but can still be rehabilitated through early PT Management intervention and providing proper devices for early correction of their body posture. These children never had the chance to undergo physical rehabilitation. Now that they are already getting older and heavier, parents preferred to place them inside the room and watched their black and white T.V. They never had the chance to see school and everything outside their house.

When we first visit the family, they were very hospitable and accommodating. The 3 children despite of their awkward postures and their distorted speeches they were able to ask us on our purpose. When we explained about the wheelchair the 3 were very happy but the parents were quite hesitant of the assistance. They said, there were already lots of NGOs, GOs and Foreigners visited them and took pictures on their children but all of them just gave them false hope. Still they were kind enough to allow us to take pictures, assessed and measured the 3 children. But for them, we were also one of the many NGOs promising them to help their children.

September 13, 2007 the entire family was very surprise of our next visit, and was more surprise when we brought inside the house huge bags. When children learned that it’s their wheelchairs, they were very happy. Jhapet was already asking his mother to bring him to church this Sunday, while Love Joy was challenging Jhapet to be the first one to go inside the church. Unfortunately, Glory Grace was no longer with them. Their grandmother brought her to Manila and offered to take care of the child. Assembling the parts of the device and the fitting took us whole day before it was finally given to the children. The mother was pushing Jhapet while the father was pushing the wheelchair of Love Joy. The 2 kids were very happy. They kept smiling and waving good byes to their neighbors and little sisters. We saw tears on the eyes of the parents. Once upon a time wheelchair was just an ultimate dream and their prayers but now everything came true.

THE PROUD DANDY

Last March 3, 2008, Dandy Ybanez, LPFI scholar who’s graduating this school year at Systems Technology Institute (STI) with Diploma in Information Technology passed the competency exam set by Technical Education for Skills and Development Agency (TESDA)

Two years of hardship and struggles will now be paid off. Dandy is the first scholar of LPFI San Francisco who is going to give pride and honor not just to his PWD brethren but even to those physically abled individual who was inspired and touched by his courage and eagerness to further improve his knowledge and skills through education.

Despite his condition, Dandy still managed to compete and excel over other students. He has potentials in drawing and in lay-outing, a God-given talent he capitalized for his advantage. There are instances that his expertise is asked by the school if they have occasions and school events, in doing so, he gets paid and use the money for his school projects or even use it at home to help his family in their expenses.

Dandy like any young adult of his age would always project a positive disposition in life, he seizes to participate in every school and off campus activities that somehow helped him gain confidence

Dandy and his family may not be that well-off but their willingness to help one another directed them to institutions that somehow helped them. Their Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office have made things brighter for Dandy when they referred him to Loving Presence Foundation to avail a new pair of crutches and be one of its potential scholars. He had those old crutches since Grade 4. For a longer time being utilized it has worn out and is no longer reliable sometimes he just taped it so it will not fall down. Beginning months for dandy at school is really crucial, he underwent certain period of adjustment because he wasn’t able to enter college immediately after graduating in high school. There are even times that he wanted to give up due to academic and pressure and financial constraints but the reasons but these reasons did not hold him back yet these motivated him to study harder.

And now that he is about to graduate, he is looking forward to helping his family, who from the start has always been there to support him.