VIP: Very Important People

(As we continue with our search for a higher purpose, we stumble on a cause close to our hearts bringing us immense joy as we share and learn from one another.)

I received today my invitation to the fourth anniversary celebration of Hands On Manila, to be highlighted again this year by the Volunteer in Person (VIP) event. My mind focused on the letters VIP, an acronym most commonly associated with Very Important People. There are VIPs in any community, town, city or organization -- the policy makers, decision-makers, big time people! But who among us are the real VIPs in this volunteer undertaking?

I had my first volunteer experience with Hands On Manila in December, 2003. Together with other volunteers, we hosted the Breakfast for Streetchildren on Roxas Boulevard. It was scheduled for nine AM. For someone used to sleeping in on a weekend it took a little bit of a sacrifice to give up a few more hours of sleep. The all too familiar sound of my high school’s morning bell buzzed in my ear and I dragged myself and my daughter from underneath our cottony soft comforters. In a few more minutes, we were off in the cool comfort of our van.

We arrived at Jollibee and listened to our orientation as we waited for the children to arrive. Having done some charity work with rehabilitated street children before, I thought I was prepared for the experience. I was sickened by their sight! Barefooted and begging to be scrubbed, they walked sleepy-eyed into the breakfast room. Their stench filled every nook and cranny. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, I told myself, trying to apply my pilates instructor’s breathing technique, at the same time trying not to catch the smell of the children surrounding me.

I learned that some of them had not slept, selling sampaguita all night. I felt guilty not willingly giving up a few hours of sleep that morning. We mingled with them, and played games. We marveled at how they treasured their prizes, guarding them hawk-eyed, ready to pounce on anyone who might try to grab it from them. Breakfast was served, and I watched as one of them ate just half of his food. Wasn’t he hungry? I wondered. My heart bled as one of the facilitators told me he was taking the other half home to his family. I tried not to think how much food was wasted in my home.

Towards the end of the breakfast, I brought in the goody bags we had prepared. "Ate, may tsinelas ba sa loob, Ate?" one child asked. It started to drizzle outside. I was only too glad to include a pair of slippers and a raincoat in their bags. As we climbed back into our van, we realized how truly lucky we are to have all the comforts of life.

Kaya mo iyan

I have been teaching arts and crafts to street children at the Kaisahang Buhay Foundation (KBF) Center since January 2004. I started out with a group of volunteers but most of the time now, I am alone. Perhaps I have been remiss in reminding the other volunteers. Or perhaps they have become busy too. Sometimes I wonder if I should just give it up, but then who else will teach them?

"Gud apternun, Ate Minnie!" they greet me as I enter the room. It’s a different experience altogether as I stand in front of 25 to 30 children, all of five or six-years old. I’m transported back in time. I see myself in my kindergarten class trying to listen to what my teacher is saying, with eyes wide trying to watch every movement of her hand. I’m the teacher now, and I remind myself each time to make myself understood by the very young children.

I don’t remember each of their names, but I remember their faces. The wide-eyed girl who taps me on the arm asking if I brought coloring sheets for them. The boy whose eyelashes curl up almost touching his eyelids when he looks up to ask me if he’s doing his work right. The dark, chubby boy who, holding up his green caterpillar chain, excitedly shouts "Tapos na ako, Ate Minnie!" Even the girl who smiles pleasingly to herself, revealing black rotten teeth. And the boy who whines, "Hindi ko kaya, Ate!" to which I reply, "Kaya mo iyan!"

It’s quite a challenge to choose projects that are not too difficult for them to do, leaving them frustrated instead. But it’s very fulfilling to see the smiles on their faces after they've done something they thought they couldn’t do in the first place. Aside from developing their motor skills, we teach them to follow instructions while at the same time challenging their creativity. Some work faster than others, and a few are quite exceptional. But with a little bit of encouragement, we show them that, with discipline and perseverance, they can come up with artwork far beyond their imagination. Hopefully this will manifest in their later years when they dream and work to be whatever they want to be.

More importantly, they teach us to be more patient.

Sign your name

Although I’m a regular volunteer for KBF, I brought along my daughter and her group of friends one Sunday morning to Talking Hands as part of their school’s community service requirement. I can’t say which is more challenging.
Here we taught arts and crafts to hearing impaired people. We introduced ourselves with the little sign language our team leader taught us, and finger spelling that the girls were all too familiar with, and were each given our very own sign names. The girls thought this was so cool, and we communicated further through writing as we were paired off with them. We learned the hand gestures of some commonly used phrases, and later said our goodbyes using sign language.

This was quite an experience. This time we learned to not look at handicapped people as any different from ourselves. Whatever we can do, they can do, too, and God grants them strength to somehow make up for what they lack.

In each and every volunteer project I have joined, I have given up a little bit of my time to teach and share a part of my privileged existence. And in return, the experiences made me realize how much we can also learn from those less privileged. So, at this year’s event, as we Volunteer in Person, let us remember that the Very Important People here, our beneficiaries, are the very same people who keep us grounded and make us thankful for what we have.