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Coming Home An Icon of My Childhood Ang Bando My Mother’s Generation Learning to Paste One’s Name

THE MEANING OF GIVING
By Mariel Fleur T. Loredo

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

- KAHLIL GIBRAN

It is said that the Christmas season is the season of love, joy, and giving.

On the morning of Christmas Eve, CARE volunteers XIAMINA and LEA ALGER, along with MICHELLE LOREDO, packed the food items, bought the previous day, for the gift-giving set in the afternoon. There were 12 bags, each containing superloaf bread, Milo, softdrinks, rice, de latas, noodles, oranges, apples, coffee, coffeemate, sugar, juice, and sandwich spread. They would be distributed to 12 families selected randomly.

At three in the afternoon, the DEAR kids and the Caparanga scholars, along with the volunteers, geared up for the distribution of the Noche Buena packages. They walked to the different puroks, with the kids singing “We Three Kings” as they went their merry way.

The recipients were either friends or neighbors, or just someone they passed by who seemed could use a small feast on Christmas Eve. A handful lived on the river bank that was affected by Typhoon Frank earlier in the year.

The first stop was a house in Rodriguez Street. The owner, a guy named PRIMO, was delighted to receive his Noche Buena present. The second house was owned by a woman called SOPHIE, who lived on the same street as Primo, except that her house was on the edge of the river bank. She was equally thankful and happy to see the children.

The volunteers and the “Magi” kids then proceeded to Brgy. Taban. There they met Manang EMILIA ALLERA, who hid inside her sari-sari store when she saw the group approaching because she thought the children and the volunteers were carolers asking for some “paskua”. After a little prodding, she came out of her small store and the kids gave her the package, for which she was very grateful.

Also living in Brgy. Taban was JULIUS ALGABRE, one of the Typhoon Frank victims. His wife welcomed the “Santas” with open arms and thanked them profusely. At this point, the volunteers and the kids hired two trisikad drivers to carry the remaining bags and some rode along with them. The next stop was Nichols Street, where they met LEMUEL LEGASPI. Lemuel got teary eyed when the kids handed him the Noche Buena package; he told them that it meant a lot to him and his family.

VIRGIE JAVIER, who lived at Salarda Street near the Aganan River, had prepared some food and invited her guests to share it with her. The traveling caravan politely refused since it was getting dark and there were more houses to visit. Virgie was equally thankful for the “blessing” she received that day.

The seventh house was owned by ROSE ALIMPUANGON at J. Puga Street. Rose was taken by surprise at seeing a group of children wearing paper crowns and singing songs and suddenly appearing at her doorstep. She thanked the children for her family being chosen as recipient of a Noche Buena package.

At this juncture, the kids had gotten very tired from the long walk; they all hopped into the trisikad for the rest of the ride. The next stop was Magallanes Street, more popularly known as the River Control. It had gotten dark by the time they arrived at Danica’s house. DANICA is a little girl who borrows books from the CARE Library. Her mother was not around, so the volunteers left the package with her.

Among Danica’s neighbors was a family with a child who had hydrocephalus; the family lived in a small barong-barong with a door that was only around 4 feet high. The family had to bend to get in and out of the house. They said they did not have food that night and they planned on just whiling away their hunger before going to bed. To them, Christmas was just an ordinary day, but the Noche Buena present changed it if only for one night. The family expressed their gratitude so movingly that they made the volunteers cry; the moment was such an overwhelming experience in what felt like a very long day, indeed.

At Sinforoso Street there was an old woman named Lola LOURDES, who was living alone, was bedridden, and was being taken cared of by some concerned neighbors. She gratefully accepted the gift that the “Magis” gave her.

The story of Lola Lourdes deserves a mention because it is appalling. She used to have a caregiver whom she trusted enough to manage her finances. To make the long story short, at some point the old woman’s savings account was closed, the money gone, and the caregiver along with it. A few months ago Lola Lourdes slipped and fell in the house, and since she had no money to seek medical attention for bone fracture (or whatever), she had remained bedridden to this very day.

After a tour of the town, ten houses, and ten families living in various circumstances and with ten different stories to share, the volunteers and the “Magis” came back to a really dark Plaza. They were very tired but still in high spirits. The last two packages were given to the trisikad drivers who followed the group around town – from Brgy. Taban to Nichols, to Salarda, to J. Puga, and to the River Control. The sikad drivers named AYING and JR were surprised to find themselves lucky to be included in the Christmas Noche Buena giving by CARE.

We had learned yet again that giving should be a part of not only the Christmas season but of our everyday lives. It is not what we give to our fellow human being that is important, but the time that we give to him to makes his life a little special – even for one brief moment.

In the course of a few hours we learned a little of the lives of a handful of our kasimanwas, most of whom we had not met up till then. They expressed their gratitude for the small gifts, their stories moved us in ways we are grasping fully only now. You can say it was not only them who received a small blessing, but we the “givers” also, probably more so.

Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors.

- Kahlil Gibran

Photos may viewed at: http://alimol.multiply.com/photos/album/47

Video may be viewed at: http://vimeo.com/8482955

Thank you very much to: LCA for spearheading the CARE Noche Buena initiative; CARE volunteers XIAXIA ALGER, LEA ALGER, CADOY QUIJANO, MICHELLE ANN LOREDO, MAY-MAY AMBUT, and DELICIA ALGABRE for organizing the event; and the DEAR/CARE kids for providing the cheers and songs.

FEEDING THE BODY AND THE MIND
By Mariel Fleur Loredo

It had been almost a month since I was home from the city, and this time I was taking a day off to visit with my family and because of a new initiative that CARE is involved in.

June 15, 2009. The day started out cloudy, there was a bit of a drizzle, but the sun was trying to pierce through the clouds. The weather was a little unpredictable at this time of the year, nonetheless one could feel the humid air.

At 9:00 o’clock in the morning, my sister MICHELLE, XIAMINA ALGER, and I went to the Gelacio Allones Memorial Elementary School in Barangay Binalud. The event was the launching of a feeding program spearheaded and organized by Tito DOOY and Tita ELVIE CASORLA, of the Alli Resource Development Corporation, in partnership with the school’s teaching staff and the parents-teachers association, and CARE. At the school we were joined by CARE volunteers SHEENA MARIE ALZATE, JUNELYN BUHAY LOREIGA, and JUVY ANIOG.

When we arrived, I saw a group of women cooking something in a huge caldero on a makeshift kitchen outside the school building. Actually, one could hardly call it a kitchen; it was simply a scaffolding of a sort that was held up by bamboo posts. The stove was improvised from a steel plank that served as the kalan; nearby was a table where the women cut the veggies on a wooden cutting board.

The menu du jour was arroz caldo, which delighted me because I love the dish, especially with native chicken as sahog. However, the cooks gave it a twist by adding mashed kalabasa (squash) and leaves of malunggay. Now this was something out of the ordinary for me! Understandably, since this is a nutrition feeding program, squash is good for healthy eyesight and malunggay is a good source of calcium and vitamin C. I wish the teachers had mentioned these food benefits to the young children.

When everything was ready at around 10:00 AM, which was the children’s recess time, together with the mothers who helped prepare the meal, we served the arroz caldo to the children. Feeding was done simultaneously for the 100 kids from Kindergarten to Grade 2 who are the beneficiaries of the program.

First we checked on the Kinder 1 and 2 classroom presided by Teacher RACHEL EMBATE. I thought some of the kids (ages 5 – 6) were a little small for their age. We told the children that if they finish their arroz caldo, they would be given frozen milk bars as reward; if they couldn’t, sorry, they won’t have any.

When a little girl cried, we thought it was because she did not want to eat. It turned out that she forgot to bring her cup and spoon (as previously instructed); the teacher lent her a set of cutlery and she stopped crying.

The children’s reactions were written all over their faces. Some were delighted because they liked arroz caldo, others seemed to force themselves to eat it because they wanted to be rewarded with a dessert, and still others, it was not hard to figure out, were simply hungry. Whatever reason was going through their young minds (if indeed they were processing the experience at all), their eyes said they were happy that we were there. Or so I thought, anyway.

We proceeded to check on the Grade 1 classroom presided by Teacher MYRAVIC ALIPAT. Some children were finishing their arroz caldo, others were starting to eat their milk bars. One child got our attention. The little boy melted his milk bar, poured it over his bottled water, shook the bottle, and drank the concoction as if it were bottled milk. We laughed at his culinary creativity!

Teacher RUBY AMBUT supervised the feeding of the Grade 2 students. After eating, the children cleaned their cups and spoons.

Before we wrapped up the simple event that day, we toured the campus of the Gelacio Allones Memorial Elementary School. We checked its “Nutrition Center,” where two women were selling candies, chocolates, biscuits, and kakanin (native cakes) like suman latik. Piso-piso was the prevailing currency, it is what the students could afford for snacks. One could only wonder how much “nutrition” can be had for one peso.

The school principal was not available, so it was Mrs. EVELINA ALGARJA, the Head Teacher, who accommodated us for this event. She was very welcoming and gracious; she was glad GAMES was a pilot school of sorts for a feeding program.

The Feed the Kids Program will run for five 5 days a week throughout the school year.

While this was going on, I couldn’t help but recall the days I spent in the Day Care School when I was five or six years old and we were living in Alta Tierra. It was not so much the things I was supposed to learn inside the classroom, since most of the time I would hide from my teacher, but the snacks they served us during the recess. I remember vividly that I would enter the classroom only if they served corn polvoron. Ahhh . . . the taste still lingers in my mind. The funny part about that day care ritual was that I shared the polvoron with a cousin, and my sister Michelle, who would come and visit me at the school, would instruct me to come back for more. In days when they would serve nilugaw, I would rather skip class and go home. Like most kids, I didn’t know any better, certainly nothing about nutrition.

The launching of the feeding program is another milestone for CARE. It is happy to support the Casorlas, the teaching staff at GAMES, and the parents and children of Barangay Binalud. It hopes that it will encourage other Alimodiananons to initiate a similar undertaking in other barangay schools in Alimodian.

It is CARE’s firm belief that as it helps feed the minds of the children through its book-lending, reading, and mentoring programs, it is equally important that it helps feed their bodies.

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Since the launching, the program has received donations to buy cups, spoons, and other utensils. Moreover, efforts are underway to build an extension of the HE room to serve as a kitchen for the feeding program. Anyone who likes to help can contact CARE c/o Leila Caparanga Amarra or Michelle Ann Loredo; Dooy and Elvie Casorla; and the teaching staff and PTA of the Gelacio Allones Memorial Elementary School in Brgy. Binalud.

We thank IFEDCO for donating the milk bars during the launching, the CARE volunteers, Dooy and Elvie Casorla, the teaching staff and PTA of GAMES, and the donors to the program.

Bringing Hope to Malamhay
By Mariel Fleur Loredo

On April 19, 2008, Saturday morning, I woke up with excitement though a little bit tired from packing the books and preparing the things needed for the Malamhay trip the previous night. At last it was happening; after many postponements, we were finally launching CARE in Malamhay.

At around 7:30 a.m, we started loading two boxes of books into the jeepney we rented for the trip. One box was for Malamhay; we had already delivered one box prior to the launching. The other box plus one set of encyclopedia were for Brgy. Abang-Abang. CARE volunteers CADOY QUIJANO, MAIMAI AMBUT, IRIS ANN ALONDAY, XIAXIA ALGER, GRACE ALITAO, JIMBOY SALAY, Tito FRANCIS ALMIRA, seven DEAR kids from the Poblacion -- ELLY ABIENDO, AIRA ALIPAT, JUNE PHILIP ALIPAT, JONA TERI LEGASPI, COLEEN MAE ANDOLOY, CHARISSE JADE ANDOLOY, and ALYSSA MARIE MELICADO – MICHELLE, and I left at exactly 8:00 a.m.

The journey was long and winding, the road was rough, but we were filled with anticipation of what lay beyond; innocence and joy were written in the eyes of our young volunteers as this was their first travel to the mountainous side of Alimodian. Irish Ann exclaimed, “Indi ko guid dya pagpalampason agud lang makasaka sa Malamhay.” For her this was the farthest she’s been to in Alimodian. As for me, it was like traveling for the first time again and reliving the moment when I first saw the scenic mountains though they were dry and arid (http://alimodian.net/new_year_in_malamhay.htm). At one point we imagined it must have been like seeing for the first time the chocolate hills in Bohol or the Banaue rice terraces in the Cordilleras.

After 40 minutes of driving under the hot sun, our driver, Manong ERWIN, turned right into a narrow, rocky road, as if entering toward oblivion. Five minutes more and there was the civilization of Brgy. Malamhay, with a population estimated at 300 and headed by Brgy. Captain ARMEN AMOYOT. The barrio thrives on farming rice, maize, peanut, and other root crops. It has a Day Care Center, a Barangay Hall that badly needs repair, and a basketball court.

The children at the Day Care Center looked surprised at seeing the jeepney, and the adult folks gawked at us. We dropped off the books at the Quia residence, the temporary site of the CARE learning resource center until the barangay hall is renovated. The Poblacion Dear kids practiced their production number while I inspected the bookshelf that I sponsored. The bookshelf was a sight to behold. I was amazed at and in awe of the intricacy of the bamboo work. It was a product of true craftsmanship in every sense of the word. I could just imagine the time spent and the skill rendered on that piece of craft over a bottle of rum, and am proud of my part in helping fashion it.

I went ahead to the Day Care Center and mingled with the kids who had gathered for the program. I joked that I was giving away candies to those who could sing some songs. Unexpectedly, a little girl volunteered to sing, followed by another, and still another until we had some kind of a singing contest going.

The presentation program started with a warm welcome from ANGIE QUIA, niece of CARE volunteer AMY QUIA, a Malamhaynon. The little girl spoke in halting but well-practiced English. Angie followed up her remarks with a song for us. I thanked Angie and the folks of Malamhay for their greetings. I then introduced them to CARE, what it is all about, and underlined the organization’s goal of getting children to develop a lifelong habit of reading. As a sample, I read to them a book written by Ed Young entitled “The Seven Blind Mice.” The kids listened intently to the story. After the book reading, I asked the children some questions from the book, and for every correct answer I gave them candies. I was glad that they were listening to the story since most of them eagerly and correctly answered my on-the-spot quiz.

After the reading session, the volunteers and the DEAR kids from the Poblacion performed their dance number. The Malamhay children participated in the presentation as well. It was a kind of a comic relief as Maimai Ambut, their dance leader, interpreted the dance steps in their repertoire in a funny and relaxed fashion, with descriptions like “sampay, panglaba, sipa etc.” After their dance production, the Poblacion DEAR kids chose who among the Malamhay children exerted the best effort in following the dance steps. The winner was JOHN PAUL CAMAYRA, who got a special prize, the cutest alphabet matting you can “impossibly” sit on.

Another book reading followed; this time Angie Quia of the Malamhay participants volunteered to read. She chose the book “Arthur’s Promise.” In some way Angie personified the promise of the CARE initiatives. With a little more practice and books to read, I am sure she will do well in the English language in due time. Then some children volunteered to sing; we gave them the alphabet matting and some candies for sharing their talent.

At around 11:00 a.m., we served snacks to the children. They were treated to arrozcaldo, bread, orange juice, and, to our delight, “nilupak nga saging” and buko (butong) juice.

Before we wrapped up the activities, I reiterated to the children and the guardians who were present to take advantage of the opportunity in enhancing their minds, stimulating their imagination, and increasing their knowledge through reading. I stressed that the CARE books were free and there was no excuse for them not to use them. I told them jokingly that just as the carabao eat grass to live, the human brain needs to be fed with information so it doesn’t shrink. They can even read a book while they look after their carabao!

I called on Brgy. Captain Armen Amoyot, Amy Quia, HELEN ANICO (a teacher at the Day Care Center), and Michelle for the formal turnover of the books. The Kapitan thanked CARE and also reminded the children to read and avail of the books they now have. We also called on the high school students to help mentor the younger ones.

At exactly 11:30 in the morning, we bade our goodbyes and thanked once again the folks of Malamhay for welcoming CARE. On the way back, we dropped off the books earmarked for Brgy. Abang- Abang at the house of the scholar of Tito GREG AMARRA.

All in all we thought it was a successful launching. The Poblacion kids enjoyed the trip and they were able to help out their young kasimanwas. As for Brgy. Malamhay, we would like to think that we left something indelible, something intangible, and yet in many ways real – HOPE and the OPPORTUNITY to change lives for the better through books.

CARE thanks the volunteers and the DEAR kids, and Alimodiananons who helped them make the trip, and Kapitan Armen Amoyot and the folks of Malamhay for their warm welcome.

EVERY CHILD IN ALIMODIAN DESERVES A BREAK

MARJO (not his real name) is an ebullient eight-year-old who came to our attention through pictures taken during the Christmas package distribution last December.

Here are some details that we’ve learned about him: He is in Grade 1. He is an only child; however, his parents are not around to raise him. He and his half-siblings live with their Lola. Their house in the river control area known as Sinikway was carried away in the flooding during a typhoon in June last year; nowadays, he sleeps most of the time on a papag in the market.

It seems that many Alimodiananons know Marjo, or know of him. Someone describes the kid as “quite ‘famous’ among those who give assistance to the indigents: pirme gid nila gina lista nga beneficiary si Marjo.” An owner of a karinderia in the tienda offers him food regularly

In pictures Marjo appears like most children his age: impish. A CARE volunteer tells us: “Marjo does not join the DEAR session but he wants to register in our Resource Center so he can borrow books. He tends to be quite naughty when you see him around with other kids, but he also listens when he is being reprimanded.”

But for a wrong turn of the screw, Marjo might have been adopted by an Alimodiananon who could have provided him a caring home and a better than fighting chance in life. We were told that, indeed, there was such an opportunity when he was an infant; unfortunately, it did not materialize.

The heartbreaking circumstance of his personal life is forcing Marjo to grow up faster than he normally would. He is practically raising himself by his bootstraps. Besides him, the grandmother is taking care of a number of other grandchildren on what one can only surmise are very limited resources.

It is probably an understatement to say that Marjo has a rough going this early in life.

Marjo is part of the increasing number of children in Alimodian who, because of poverty, are napapabayaan, and have taken to palaboy-laboy sa kalye. Oftentimes these children gatecrash birthday parties, funerals, and other paskwahan for free meals.

They are Alimodian’s street urchins.

As usually happens with children who grow up unsupervised by responsible adults, we fear it won’t be long before Marjo gets initiated into the ranks of older kids who are already smoking and drinking – and into petty theft around town. An Alimodian social worker says that Marjo needs to be “detached from his present environment” for him to have a shot at turning out into a productive adult.

“Detached from his present environment” – or he will fall into the cracks.

One cannot begin to imagine what “detachment” means.

However, it begs the question: What is the LGU doing to help “abandoned” children like Marjo?

Is it its responsibility to help raise them?

Of course, it is.

It is all OUR responsibility.

Every child is born with God-given potential; among others, the potential to do good for himself, his family, and his fellow human beings.

It is our moral obligation as a community to help children fulfill their potential – some more than others.

Moreover, it is in our best interest as a community (in economic and social terms) to help raise a child into a productive citizen of Alimodian.

At the very least, we owe children like Marjo a childhood.

EVERY CHILD IN ALIMODIAN DESERVES A BREAK.

In the Heart of a Child
By Mariel Fleur Loredo

''Sharing!" "Matulungin at matipid!" "Waay ko ka maan!" "Ma'am, ma'am, ako, ma'am!"

These were some of the shouts I heard from the enthusiastic children during our first reading session here at the Balabaw Internet Cafe yesterday, May 10, 2006.

Twenty-three kids, ages 5 to 11, a few accompanied by their yayas and guardians, registered at 9’o’clock in the morning. They were handed out IDs and they all sat on the floor mat for the session.

I introduced myself, and gave a short speech regarding the D.E.A.R program and what we were going to do for the next two hours or so.

The first story we read was The Elves and the Shoemaker. Our reader was FELIPE "Cadoy" QUIJANO; he was assisted by MELIZA JUNE ALINGASA, who held the drawings for some visual effects. After the story was read, we (the volunteers) asked the children questions. To encourage participation, we gave the child a lollipop even if his/her answer was wrong.

And we did not fail. I felt what a teacher must feel every time one sees hands up in the air and pupils are shouting, "Ma'am, ako, ma'am!” I was proud to see in their little faces an eagerness to give an answer.

One kid who amused me a lot was Pope. He raised his hand excitedly, and when I called his name, he came forward and told me he did not know the answer: "Waay ko ka maan, ma'am." We just laughed and told the other kids to help out Pope, and they did. When I asked one kid who helped the shoemaker, he answered: "ang aswang." Still, I gave him a lollipop for his “courage” to answer since he was a bit shy.

We asked if they understood and liked the reading, and what the moral lesson of the story was. The kids were zestful in their participation.

After the first reading, we took a short breather by playing a game called the Boat Is Sinking. The game went this way: When we said “the boat is sinking,” the kids reached out to one another and grouped themselves into units of 5. Their groupings in the game were used for the next reading: Si Langgam at si Tipaklong.

VERLITO MEDINA was the second reader, with MELIZA still the “holder” of the drawings. After the reading of the story, again we asked the children questions; this time we handed out group rewards (candies). We asked each group a question, the children consulted with one another, and their “representative” gave the answer.

We hoped that we were not just encouraging kids to read and participate, but actually teaching them values like sharing and helping one another.

The kids then settled into snacks of spaghetti, sandwich, juice, and chocolate.

After the kids replenished their energy, they posed for pictures and we handed out D.E.A.R T-shirts donated by the Iloilo Supermart.

We also handed out special prizes of school supplies to the five most “participative” kids, namely, Geminea, Chatea, Pope, Gian Carlos, and Sheela.

Before the children left, we reminded them to read and participate, and told them they will receive invitation cards for the next reading session.

The following morning I received a phone call from Pope's mother asking us if we have a reading session today (May 11). I told her that the parents would be informed in two weeks about the next D.E.A.R schedule.

I have realized that one of the things money cannot buy is the simple joy of seeing a child who is so eager to learn. And the biggest reward they can give us, the readers, those who CARE, is seeing the appreciation and satisfaction from the most noble heart – that of a child.

I Missed My Civic Duty
By Mariel Fleur Loredo

I had been absent from the past few DEAR sessions in as much as I had taken a job in the city and my days off did not fall on the weekends.

However, on September 2 I requested my supervisor to give me the Saturday off so I could conduct the reading session since Michelle had an exam and the other volunteers had commitments of their own.

It felt great reading to the kids again and to find them as enthusiastic as ever. I really love and enjoy being with the children; there is simply a different kind of personal fulfillment I get from reading with them.

Truth be told, I missed my civic duty.

Twenty-four kids attended the September 2 reading session. I was happy to note that more than three months after we started DEAR, there are still children who are interested in joining the program (we had 5 new participants).

I read “Philbert Frog Loses His Memory” by Vincent James. The kids found the book delightful. We all laughed and giggled to the story of a frog who cannot remember. The kids had fun imagining the bewilderment of the frog as he tries to imitate the movements and sounds of other animals he met in his confusion about who/what he really is.

Naka nga-nga gid ang ila baba sa kalantaw sa pictures while listening to the story.

Although I did not have prizes to give away, the kids answered with gusto my questions about the details in the story.

After reading to them, I let the kids color the book pages that have the characters from the Philbert Frog story. Maybe we can show the color drawings to their parents when we get a chance to have a tipon-tipon, perhaps at year’s end; if not, they will be kept as treasured mementos of one our reading sessions.

After partaking of their snacks, the kids rehearsed the “Three Little Pigs” presentation that they hope to showcase at the launching of the Binalud Book-Lending Center. I had a blast “directing” them as they acted their roles in the story.

Feeling director gid ko sang pelikula.

With my suddenly busy work life, it was refreshing to be doing something that matters to my heart.

And it became clearer that I should be able to pay the price of doing volunteer work because the reward is priceless.