The below story is touching and encouraging. It is written by Isabelle Laville, a student studying Bio-Medical science. She frankly testifies about her participation in a Service Project to the Phillipines...
After a long 24 hour journey, a group of 23, including myself, tired but eager Australian girls arrived in Ilo-ilo City, the capital of the province of Ilo-ilo. Ilo-ilo forms part of the Western Vasayas, Region IV (4) of the Philippines, and south island of Manila.
We were traveling under the flag of RELEDEV Australia, a non-government organization (NGO) who foster and organize Relief, Education and Development programs around the world.
As we arrived at the airport we were greeted by Filipina women and shell necklaces as a welcome gift. The humidity and culture difference had hit: a chorus of “jeepneys” and chaotic traffic surround had soon surrounded. The jeepneys is a very popular mode of transport in the Philippines and especially in Ilo-ilo where they are painted and decorated with Bible versus, spoilers and colorful designs. Each jeepney fits approximately 13 people with a lot of “free” air to flow
Feeling like J.Lo and Puff Daddy celebrities, we waved to the locals and felt proud to represent Australia in a third world country suffering from severe poverty. How paradoxical!
We stayed in a Renewal House where retreats, conferences, camps etc are held and mainly hired out by foreigners traveling in large groups. It was fitted with security guard, cooks, beds with mattress' and cleaners. This was a truly luxurious Filipino house!
The “real work” commenced the next day beginning with two 1½ hour classes of teaching basic computer skills. The classes themselves were presented over two days, to the teachers of Ilo-ilo National Co-Ed High School which consisted of 5000 students.
During the weekend we were able to tour the island and do some site-seeing. One weekend we visited the local market, Ilo-ilo museum, centuries-old churches, the countryside and even some island hopping.
Throughout the first week we were in a baranguay, which is similar to a mini suburb, known as Lagrono, where we made 2 toilets and a well. It was amazing to see how a well is built from scratch. The Filipino men were very helpful and sometimes too helpful as we had to insist that we were ok shoveling and mixing cement. We spent three hours each morning doing these physical activities, at the same time getting to know the local people. There were children who would happily help you push a kart or carry a bag full of gravel from one place to another. Baranguay was quite far from sealed roads, trucks delivering materials found it hard to get to the construction site. After 10 minutes of carrying 5kg cement bricks for 150meters, our arms became jelly with still another 300 bags waiting in anticipation.
After returning to the Renewal House, some of the girls, including myself, taught the mothers in the community a Health Promoter’s Course. The rest of the group followed Health Care Workers to the homes and performed surveys which would be used to determine the hearing and treatment problems.. On the weekend a hearing clinic would be held on the where we assisted Ear Nose Throat (ENT) doctors would be present.
The Health Promoter’s Course consisted of classes based on good water practices, preventing or mitigating common diseases such as Tuberculosis (TB), parasites, clods and fever, good nutrition facilitated be healthy lifestyle habits. These classes were challenging, with the language barrier seemingly rising! With the help of some translators, the mothers really appreciated the classes. We were amazed to find that a lot of the mothers had already been putting these healthy lifestyle and water practices to good use.
We also visited a leper colony on one of the mornings and treated leprosy sufferers who have been dislocated from society. Being a country of termendous faith, it is also a country of tremendous superstition as leprosy is often seen as a “curse” . There were women there who made, by hand, doilies and table cloths laced with intricate designs.
The lepers themselves were enclosed in a fenced out region where both sufferers and ex-sufferers now live with their families. We were very fortunate to meet leper sufferers whom were undergoing treatment, and were non-contagious, living a simple life, happy to smiling faces.
As well as seeing Miss Ilo-ilo trials, in a local shopping centre, we also visited a charity funded hospital, and chatted to some of the patients as well as singing some classic Aussie songs. This visit was very emotional as some girls spoke to patients whom were terminally ill, yet the patients were positive and accepting of their position.
The second week in baranguay we worked in Compania. We built 5 side walks and raised the floor of a child care centre. With not much room to move, some side walks were finished within the first 2 days, with the help of the Filipino men. Due to limited amount of room, in some cases
(again)we had to mix cement. A lot of the men were very helpful in carrying heavy buckets of cement down an allay way to the end of the path. Having breaks from mixing cement meant that it would be our turn to carry these buckets and by the end of the day our shorts were no longer black, and our t-shirts no longer soft but covered in cement grey. Our motto for each day was a very enriched, “It’s all part of the experience!”
After about two weeks it was time to leave our side walks, friends, contact details and retain fond memories. Meeting so many generous, loving, lovable, happy people left a deep impression. A simple compliment towards their cooking or the prettiness of their earrings were enough for them offer a pair of “Philippino pearler's” to us.
I learnt to appreciate what I have. Helping someone in need really makes a difference, but I learned that we need to be more detached. Life is a gift and we should live it as if it were!
