To help more street children to help themselves

Besides running a hotel of his own, Dick has one other dream. He hopes he can finally convince his 65-year old father to leave the streets and stay at a place they can call home.

“Mahirap gawin, matigas kasi ulo ni Papa. Ayaw niya umalis sa Luneta kasi nakasanayan na niya (It’s difficult because Papa is hardheaded. He does not want to leave Luneta because he is used to staying there),” said the 24-year old Dick.

“Mas gusto niya tumira sa Luneta, kahit na walang permanenteng tulugan doon (He prefers to keep Luneta as his home, even without a permanent place to sleep on.),” he added. Dick is currently renting and staying with a relative in Manila.

Dick said his father works hard as a carpenter to provide for the two of them. When the old man could not take up the cudgels, he took his son to an orphanage. Dick stayed at the Asilo de san Vicente de Paul for most of his childhood. He left when he was already in fifth grade.

Dick and his father managed to survive the streets through wit and grit, one day at a time. His father was always out during the day, looking for work.

“He got clients who needed someone to fix their roof or any part of their house. Luckily, there was always construction work,” said Dick.

Dick, for his part, tried his best to stay in school while managing the challenges of living on the streets. He was very independent and took care of his own ---- ironing and washing his clothes, finding food to eat, and looking for a place to study.

“Kailangan makipagkaibigan ako sa mga caretaker ng Luneta para makapagaral ako doon sa tinatawag namin dati na kweba, ngayon Senior Citizens Garden at Luneta park (I learned how to befriend the caretakers of Luneta so I can study at the place we called ‘cave.’ Now, it has been turned into a Senior Citizens Garden,” said Dick.

“Bawal kasi yun so tatakbo na lang kami pag may gwardya na. Pag umuulan, panangga mo kariton (That was prohibited so we had to run when the guards caught us. During stormy weather, we used cardboards to protect ourselves from the rain),” Dick said.

THE STREETS AS HIS TEACHER

Despite the hardships, Dick has learned to love the streets of Manila. It is also here where he got the inspiration and drive to pursue and finish his studies.

“I saw Kuya Jessie teaching street children in Luneta. I was very curious. My life turned for the better since then,” said Dick.

More than the basics of reading and writing, Dick had a firm grasp of his rights, responsibilities, and values ---- through Childhope Philippines’ street education program.

“Childhope’s street educators and social workers assist children through an alternative learning system ---- giving them pointers on how to protect themselves from the different kinds of abuse,” said Dr. Harvey, Executive Director of Childhope.

 “The main goal is to guide and motivate the children to pursue dreams and a life outside the streets,” Harvey added.

 “Natuto ako makisalamuha sa ibang tao, natuto akong humarap sa kanila. In my simple ways, natuto akong maging lider (I learned how to deal with different kinds of people, and handle myself around them. In my simple ways, I learned how to be a leader),” Dick said.

By consistently participating in Childhope’s programs, Dick became an active junior advocate and junior health worker. He was very passionate about sharing his experiences to other street children like him.

“Bilang junior health worker, natuto akong manggamot ng sugat ng mga bata. Bilang junior rights advocate naman, namulat ko sila sa kanilang mga karapatan at responsibilidad (As a junior health worker, I learned how to treat wounds of children. As a junior rights advocate, I was able to educate the children on their rights and responsibilities,” Dick said.

Dick was consistent and persistent in attending the sessions that slowly built his self-confidence. He eventually found himself in college, as a beneficiary of Childhope’s educational assistance program. It was a rough journey, though, juggling different jobs while trying to maintain high grades. At one point, he thought he could not make it.

“Pero lagi akong kinumbinsi ni Nanay Gerney na bumalik at tapusin ang pagaaral ko,” said Dick of his social worker Gerney whom he fondly calls “nanay.”

“Nung nasa ospital ako at kailangang operahan, di alam ng tatay ko. Si Nanay Gerney ang kasama ko. Kung wala ang Childhope, pilay ako. Di ako gagraduate (My father did not know that I was hospitalized and had to undergo surgery. It was Nanay Gerney who was with me. Without Childhope, I would be crippled. I would not be able to graduate,” said Dick. At one point, Dick had to undergo surgery because of the disease hernia. He relied on help from his Childhope family.

DREAMS, FAMILY

Dick plans to take on a number of jobs and earn money, so he can help his father and his family. He has not seen his mother and siblings for a long time since they were separated when he was young, but he hopes to be reunited with them.

Dick wants to improve his skills as a graduate of a bachelor’s degree in human resource management (HRM). He says he could not believe that he was able to finish, considering his worries on finances and expenses.

“Nagawan ng paraan ng Childhope. Ngayon, gusto kong ibalik ang tulong sa pamamagitan ng pagtrabaho ng mabuti at pagangat. Gusto ko magsimula sa baba pataas. Balang araw, gusto ko maging manager (Childhope found a way to help me finish my studies. Now, I want to give back by working well and succeeding. I want to work my way up --- I want to be a manager someday,” said Dick.

Dick says a most valuable lesson he learned in his struggles is to always give a helping hand in any way, despite the hardships.

“Kahit mahirap ka tumulong ka pa rin kahit papaano kasi babalik sa iyo yun, mas magiging blessed ka (Even when you are poor, help others in the best way you can. It will come back to you and you will blessed),” he said.

Dick says he believes that the best way to get through things is to have a mindset of not giving up even when it’s too hard and hopeless. He says it’s important to hold on to your faith because God will always make a way.

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Louie is a man of the streets, and Luneta has been his playground.

He spent his childhood scavenging for plastic bottles and selling them to help feed his family.  He would also beg for money so his family could survive.

Now, Louie still goes around the streets of Manila but with a higher purpose --- to share his passion for music with the street children he cares for.

ROCK-ED

Louie used to join Childhope Asia Philippines’ Street Education program for street children. He attended alternative education sessions --- where he learned about reading, writing, children’s rights, good values and spirituality. He enjoyed watching videos that taught him about important life lessons.

But it is in music where he truly found himself.

“I was very excited to hold a guitar. I had always wanted to be in a band and play,” Louie said.

So he tagged along when his friends invited him to join a RockEd program in 2009. It is a project created to teach music to the Childhope street kids by the employee volunteers from Deutsche Bank Group’s Deutsche Knowledge Services (DKS).

 “The lessons covered guitar, bass, piano, drums, dance, and vocals. We would go to the DKS office every Saturday to learn how to play,” Louie said.

DKS says its Rock-Ed is based on the belief that music plays an essential role in empowering children and helps them discover their own music talents as well.

Little did Louie know that he would develop a passion for music, and a yearning to share it with other children like him.

MORE THAN MERE MUSIC

Through Rock-Ed, Louie and his three friends formed a band.  But what he cherished was the bond they shared. They called themselves ‘Abstract.’

“Di ko alam na magiging solid kaming apat. Abstract yung tawag sa amin kasi magulo, kanya kanyang interpretasyon, pero may nabuong harmony (I did not think we would be that close. We called the band ‘Abstract’ because we were very different people, to each his own interpretation, but there was harmony”), Louie said.

Louie was in fourth year high school and his bandmates were also studying. There were difficulties in juggling school work with practice and personal problems, but they pursued their dream. ‘Abstract’ was able to release an extended play (EP) with four songs representing the voice of street children’s hopes and dreams.

PASSING IT FORWARD

Six years later, Louie still finds himself fascinated with the power of music. Only this time, he shares this with street children who have no idea how to play tunes. Every week, he goes around Manila to introduce the wonders of music to the street kids.

“Masaya akong ibinabahagi yung nalalaman ko, hindi lang sa music kundi paano din ako na-mold as a person. Overwhelming na makita silang natututo. (I am happy to share the knowledge and skills I have not only about music but how it helped shape me as a person. It’s overwhelming to see that they are learning,” Louie said.

Louie said the street kids are slowly building their confidence through practice and determination. He said it’s hard to get their attention at times, but they are learning the values of respect, discipline, and having a positive attitude. Louie said music also helps in protecting the kids from vices or addiction as it diverts their attention to more important things.

As a full-time teacher for Childhope Asia’s mobile music school, Louie said he has a lot of dreams for the street children he serves. He said had he decided to give up on his dream to pursue music, he would still be the same kid lost on the streets.

“Kailangan matutuo kang maikasabay sa takbo ng mundo, at sa genres ng buhay. Wag kang susuko para maabot ang pangarap (You need to learn how to go with the flow, with the genres of life. You should not give up in achieving your dreams),” Louie said.

“Mabigat naman na mawala ka sa mundo ng walang nakikinabang sa iyo. (It’s hard for me to bear leaving this world without making a difference. In my simple ways, I hope to encourage street kids to set goals, to attain a better life,” Louie added.

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