A milestone viewed from different perspectives...

     http://www.manfrottoschoolofxcellence.com/2013/11/manila-city/#.U9WEDF62xFI

The following news article appeared yesterday...

MANILA: A government official on Sunday disclosed that a baby girl weighing 2.8 kilogrammes became the 100 millionth Filipino amid serious concerns raised on the adverse impact that an annual and unchecked population growth would have on the country’s limited resources.

Juan Antonio Perez, the head of the Population Commission (PopCom), disclosed the girl named Jennalyn Sentino became the symbolic 100 millionth Filipino that also made the Philippines the 12th most populous country in the world.

Jennalyn was born at 12:38am on Sunday and was among the 100 babies delivered at a government maternity hospital in the capital city of Manila, according to Perez.

At Malacanang Palace, Abigail Valte, the deputy presidential spokesman, welcomed Jennalyn’s birth and reiterated the Aquino administration’s commitment to help the poorest of the poor improve their lives.

Valte told government DzRB radio that President Benigno Noynoy” Aquino was determined to tailor-fit his programmes to benefit especially the poor in the countryside before his term is to expire in June 2016.

Secretary Enrique Ona of the Department of Health agreed with Valte, saying the increase in population was a “welcome development” as he pointed out the country’s health programme was already in place.

In particular, Ona said most of the poor Filipinos have already been enrolled in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) that would enable their families to avail of services in government hospitals free of charge or with minimum expense.

But family planning advocates took a different stance as they expressed alarm over the arrival of the 100 millionth Filipino, warning this did not augur well for the country’s economic growth.

Ben de Leon, the president of The Forum for Family Planning and Development, noted an unchecked population growth would put further strain on the country’s limited resources particularly in providing Filipinos their basic needs like education, health, housing and employment.

De Leon said: “As it is right now, the government can no longer give them jobs. That’s the reason many are leaving the country. So how much more if you have a big population.”

The Philippines already has in place a reproductive health or birth control law signed by Aquino in December 2012 despite threats and strong opposition from the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and “pro-life” groups.

http://gulftoday.ae/portal/11d314d7-4767-4d91-8364-8318b7a51405.aspx

The solution to the problem of poverty is not that we create wealth..

 

    (photo from http://frenchlivinginthephilippines.blogspot.com/2012/08/manille-inondations-squatters-et.html)

 Yesterday, on our way to the Cathedral in Antipolo, we drove past the vast squatter settlements on the shores of Laguna de Bay.  It is truly astonishing to see this much poverty in sight of the high-rises of the greater metropolitan area of Manila.  The people who live in these areas are in serious and immediate need of clean drinking water, food, medical care, education and employment.  Seeing hundreds of thousands of people in these conditions is truly disheartening and can cause one to despair of ever finding a solution.  The same disparities are present in most nations, including the US, but in few places are they as stark as here.

What is important for Lasallian educators to remember is that our mission is not to provide an education that turns poor people into wealthy people, but rather to make available to the poor an education that enables them to live safe, healthy and productive lives as well as developing their faith and their understanding of their rightful place in the world and in the kingdom of God.  There is no way, in any realistic sense, for all of us to be affluent, but it is certainly within our grasp that we can all live dignified lives with our basic needs being met, albeit through our own efforts or (when we are unable) the assistance of others.  Perhaps it was said best in Announcing the Gospel to the Poor by Brothers Michel Sauvage and Miguel Campos:


      "The Institute De La Salle founded is not at the service of social conservatism, but neither does it exist for an advancement of individuals in which the ultimate motive force is the desire for possessions or power. While De La Salle's statements on the beatitude of poverty are stern, they only emphasize the prophetic meaning of the Brother's vocation and mission. To work for the liberation of poor children doubtless means to help them become the agents of their own victory over external oppressive forces. But this result would not be achieved if the motivation brought into play were the will to become part of a ruling class or to take the place of that class. The Brother's reward is not that his pupils "are successful" according to the standards of a "world" to which his own basic choice opposes him. The Brother's aim is not to develop a society in which money is the real god, but to bring to birth a new world in which man, the child of God-every man, including the poor-is regarded as having infinite value and deserving to be recognized, honored, loved, and served.
      If this seems a utopian purpose, then the Gospel must be blamed for it. And if a religious community like the Brothers of the Christian Schools loses its prophetic power to challenge a "world" that maintains, against the Gospel, the blessedness of riches; if this community reaches the point of being simply an instrument that propertied society uses for its own maintenance and growth, then the Institute no longer has any justification for its existence, even though it be so integrated into this society that the latter allows it to prolong its existence by supplying it with new members. The resolute decision in favor of the poor and the vital faith in the blessedness of poverty are central to De La Salle's thinking, just as they were the essential motivating forces of his life and his struggles. It is doubtless in this that he was a witness to the Spirit Who caused him to enter with full realism into the mystery of the saving incarnation of Jesus Christ."

    -  from Announcing the Gospel to the Poor, by Michel Sauvage, FSC, Miguel Campos, FSC

How old are the "children in conflict with the law" at a Bahay Pag-asa Youth Center?

According to Republic Act (RA) 10630, a Bahay Pag-asa Youth Center (as the government now calls any such facility) provides services to teenagers from 15 to 17 years of age.

‘Bahay Pag-asa’ – refers to a 24-hour child-caring institution established, funded and managed by local government units (LGUs) and licensed and/or accredited nongovernment organizations (NGOs) providing short-term residential care for children in conflict with the law who are above fifteen (15) but below eighteen (18) years of age who are awaiting court disposition of their cases or transfer to other agencies or jurisdiction.

The residents of Bahay Pag-asa Dasmarinas fit this description.  However, if you visit Bahay Pag-asa Bacolod, you will see younger residents, more aptly described as "children in conflict with the law."  RA 10630 actually allows for this.

“SEC. 20. Children Below the Age of Criminal Responsibility. – If it has been determined that the child taken into custody is fifteen (15) years old or below, the authority which will have an initial contact with the child, in consultation with the local social welfare and development officer, has the duty to immediately release the child to the custody of his/her parents or guardian, or in the absence thereof, the child’s nearest relative. The child shall be subjected to a community-based intervention program supervised by the local social welfare and development officer, unless the best interest of the child requires the referral of the child to a youth care facility or ‘Bahay Pag-asa’ managed by LGUs or licensed and/or accredited NGOs monitored by the DSWD.

“If the child has been found by the local social welfare and development officer to be dependent, abandoned, neglected or abused by his/her parents and the best interest of the child requires that he/she be placed in a youth care facility or ‘Bahay Pag-asa’, the child’s parents or guardians shall execute a written authorization for the voluntary commitment of the child: Provided, That if the child has no parents or guardians or if they refuse or fail to execute the written authorization for voluntary commitment, the proper petition for involuntary commitment shall be immediately filed by the DSWD or the Local Social Welfare and Development Office (LSWDO) pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 603, as amended, otherwise known as ‘The Child and Youth Welfare Code’ and the Supreme Court rule on commitment of children: Provided, further, That the minimum age for children committed to a youth care facility or ‘Bahay Pag-asa’ shall be twelve (12) years old.”

“SEC. 20-A. Serious Crimes Committed by Children Who Are Exempt From Criminal Responsibility. – A child who is above twelve (12) years of age up to fifteen (15) years of age and who commits parricide, murder, infanticide, kidnapping and serious illegal detention where the victim is killed or raped, robbery, with homicide or rape, destructive arson, rape, or carnapping where the driver or occupant is killed or raped or offenses under Republic Act No. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) punishable by more than twelve (12) years of imprisonment, shall be deemed a neglected child under Presidential Decree No. 603, as amended, and shall be mandatorily placed in a special facility within the youth care faculty or ‘Bahay Pag-asa’ called the Intensive Juvenile Intervention and Support Center (IJISC).

This modification to the existing juvenile justice reform act (RA 9344) addresses the problem of children from 12 and 14 who, if returned home, are likely to continue being involved in criminal activities because of influences of family, friends or even crime syndicates.  It also provides an option for children charged with "rape" who may be at risk of attack if they remain in their village or neighborhood.

At the other end of the age spectrum, we also have residents who are over the age of 18 - some as old as 21 years.  (All of these residents entered the program at ages below 18 - the normal age of criminal responsibility.) This is because their court cases have not been entirely resolved and the alternative facility for them would be an adult jail or prison.  That option would be destructive of the entire rehabilitation process and is clearly one that we hope to avoid.  By the age of 21, the cases are always resolved and residents who reach this age either return home, continue as college students with some help for room and board, or find employment and begin living on their own.

Interestingly, there are cases presented to us in which the young person is 18 years of age, but is facing jail because of an alleged crime committed when they were below 18.  Some young people in this situation are also in danger of revenge from people in their towns.  The Bahay Pag-asa staff members are looking at these issues and working on policies involving these candidates for the program.

So, as you can see, no matter how carefully one defines a particular program such as a Bahay Pag-asa, cases will arise which cause one to re-evaluate admission policies in light of human needs, the safety of young people in conflict with the law, and the demands of the Gospel.

An Escape from Violence

Bahay Pag-asa is, for many of its residents, an escape from violence.  As our volunteers settle in and have time to spend with the boys, they begin to hear the stories of their lives.  Some of the stories would be hard to believe except for the fact that the staff of Bahay Pag-asa Youth Center have heard many such stories.  In our conversation with one resident we learned that, while incarcerated,  he had been badly beaten on the soles of his feet and on the back of his legs with a large wooden stick (takal).  On another occasion he was required to climb up on the bars of his cell and remain there the entire day, risking a beating if he fell down.  Violence in the police lock-ups and jails is matched by the violence in local gangs or "fraternities."  The resident whose hands are shown below has a large circular scar that is several years old.  This is the result of a gang initiation.  A coin was heated and then placed on his wrist.

As well a being extremely painful, these types of initiations mark a young person for life and create problems when they look for employment.  At Bahay Pag-asa we must show young people that there is a way of living in which violence is not the norm and where brotherhood is the product of compassion and dedication rather than intimidation and ordeal.

The Determination of Families

As the western edge of Typhoon Henry soaks the northern Philippines, we are still able to get around for some family visits.  Volunteer Albert Ahedo listens to members of the family of one of the residents of Bahay Pag-asa Dasmarinas describe some of their challenges.  We are impressed by the determination of these families to provide the best care for their children and grandchildren even in spite of very limited resources.  The small child on the bed has a condition that will require a major operation, but the procedure cannot be done for another two years.  Until then, his grandmother carefully tends to this 3-year old, monitoring his food intake and keeping him happy and healthy.  As you can see, simple homes here are often decorated with posters that you would normally find in a classroom - just another indication of how very much these families value education.

Why so serious?

Looking at the faces of our volunteers in this photo, you might wonderful what sort of serious meeting this was.  This was the final chance for the residents to thank the volunteers for their one-month stay at Bahay Pag-asa Bacolod and to wish them well and invite them to come back again.  It's always difficult, because the volunteers don't realize how much they have grown to love these kids and how much the kids have developed an affection for them.  The boys with their faces down on their desks are crying because this good and promising month has come to an end.  We remind them that more volunteers will come and that these volunteers hope to see them again someday.  But each of the boys at Bahay Pag-asa knows that healthy and supportive family life is nothing to take for granted.  They mourn the loss of even the temporary family they form with us.  The volunteers are affected more deeply than they expected and they find it very difficult to leave.  If sadness were simply the end product here, then our presence is more trouble than good - but each volunteer returns home to find new ways to help and support these boys, and each of the residents learns to find family when and where they can and to trust that God will send more good people into their lives.

A time for lechon!

What room is there for celebration in the rehabilitation of young people accused of crimes?  Can you turn the heart and mind of a juvenile offender with a joyless program of correctional lessons?  A Bahay Pag-asa, we want to teach the boys that a good life includes hard work, patience, self-sacrifice and fun.  A life without opportunities to laugh, play, and celebrate is not really worth the effort required to change one's direction.  Even the saints knew this.

A friend was once surprised to find St. Teresa of Avila gorging herself on a partridge, "What would people think?" she asked.  "Let them think whatever they want," said Teresa.  "There's a time for penance, and there's a time for partridge."

 So, once a year, we take the boys on a field trip whose purpose is enjoyment, fun, and brotherhood.  Yesterday, we did it again, taking the residents to Campuestohan Highlands Resort and giving them the opportunities to swim, zip-line, sky-cycle and feast on a wonderful picnic lunch including lechon and home-made goat stew.  We were give beautiful weather in the midst of the stormy season, and we were able to see these boys as the exuberant kids that they are...not as "children in conflict with the law."  Knowing that a life well-led has room for fun, joy and feasting is a powerful motivating force for young people working hard to change the direction of their lives.

Finding Family

Yesterday we traveled around the north end of Negros Island and then up and over the highlands to return back to Bacolod - all of this to help five boys find their families for brief reunions.  We are always amazed when a boy tells us, "Turn left here," and we find ourselves driving down a muddy path through a sugar can field.  At the other end is a small village of people living from day to day, hoping to find work, hoping to provide meals for their families and at least one family anxious to see their son again.  Unless you are looking for these villages, you will never see them.  They are out of sight of most travelers, and out of the minds of most who live in more comfortable surroundings.

Accompanied by social workers, and sometimes by family members who find us looking for their home, we often end of hiking down muddy paths or through hilly areas to bring the Pag-asa kid to their home and family.  When we arrive we almost always here the same thing from these families.  They ask to to come in out of the rain, even though it is raining in corners of their house.  They apologize for not having any food to give us as they have almost none themselves.  They thank us for taking care of their son they tell us about the difficulties that they have faced.  Sometimes the reunion is joyful and neighbors come by to greet the boy who has been away for so long.  In other places, the families are quiet and reflective, trying to imagine how good things might come out of the trials they have faced.  We the staff and volunteers, are the witnesses of these moments.

Sometimes there are moments of pain and sadness.  We visit some villages where the boy traveling with us is no longer welcomed by his neighbors because of his reputation as a problem.  Some families we visit are wounded by addiction, violence or infidelities.  Boys visiting home will often find a grandparent, parent or even a sibling affected by disease or health problems.  They also realize that they are eating much better at Bahay Pag-asa than their family members are at home.  But there are also family members that demonstrate the strength and resilience that always humbles us.  In one home yesterday, the sister of a resident told us that she wanted to give us a gift for taking care of her brother - but having nothing else to give us she sang us a song - "Ten Thousand Angels Cried."

Typhoon Glenda not expected to cause Bahay Pag-asa any trouble.

Typhoon Glenda (Rammasun) is arriving in the northern Philippines but we don't expect anything worse than some heavy rains down here on Negros Island.  We praying that we have good weather for Thursday...our field trip to Campuestohan Highlands with the residents.

Time passes a little differently here.

What is it like to be a resident here?  The volunteers try to imagine what a Bahay Pag-asa resident experiences over a period of 2 or 3 years here.  The best way to understand is to live here, seven days a week, for a few weeks (as we do) or even longer as some other volunteers have done.  You start to realize that one day passes into the next without much notice.  Sunsets follow sunrises, staff and volunteers come and go, but a resident can feel frozen in time.  It's peaceful and it's safe but it can also be numbing and frustrating, especially for residents who cannot see the progress they are making.  Fortunately, more and more residents are getting there elementary and high school diplomas through the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and some are even beginning college courses or job-related certifications.  For these residents, progress is tangible and their stay here at Bahay Pag-asa can easily be seen as a pathway to future success.  But for some, their advances come slowly and only after setbacks and difficulties - and these are the boys who need the most attention and encouragement from staff and volunteers.  Today, a former resident, now in his twenties, is coming to visit and we're going to talk about how his life is going.  And if it's not going well, if opportunities still seem elusive, then we are going to sit down and look at new possibilities.  Unlike other such centers for children in conflict with the law, the Lasallian Bahay Pag-asa Youth Centers are committed to working with the boys, even long after they have become young men.  Our concern for our students extends into their adult years and compels us to continue to help them find their way in a world that does not always reward hard work and good intentions.  We truly desire and are willing to work to ensure that, at the end of each day, we have seen some progress for each of our residents, both current and former.

Is seeing really believing?

 Using our new projector and screen, Valerie Purcell teaches a lesson on the senses to the residents at Bahay Pag-asa.  Then she helps them locate their blind spot - that place where the optic nerve joins the retina and where we all have a hole in our vision, one that our brain conveniently paints in for us. The boys learn how easy it is to not see something that is really there.  And so it goes for us, as we try out our teaching here.  We think that we have seen our students as they are, and we place them in levels and groupings.  But a slight change of perspective reveals realities that we miss and we find ourselves surprised when we discover something quite new (to us) about a boy that we thought we knew.  A child in conflict with the law arrives with a report that includes details about alleged offenses and family problems.  It's easy to focus on what isn't working.  As we spend more and more time with them, however, the surprises start coming - and these are almost always pleasant surprises.  A few of them are astonishingly good surprises.  We find out what talents are hiding behind shy faces and we are humbled by the commitment and determination that these kids can muster even in face of quite daunting challenges.  Each day we experience them a little differently and our vision improves.  To know these young people is to see them more clearly each day.

Eventually the day arrives...

Every Bahay Pag-asa resident knows that some day they will sign out of the center for the last time and reenter "the world" as they call it.  It is a day of mixed feelings - happiness at rejoining family members, sadness at leaving friends, relief in the knowledge that a big problem in their life has now been resolved, and apprehension facing the challenges that lie ahead.  This resident completed three years at Bahay Pag-asa and departed yesterday.  The boys gathered to give him their departure messages.  Most said, "Don't go back to your old ways."  The staff offered encouragement and assured him that he can count on us to help if he wants to continue his education and job training.  He leaves here with his high school education completed and with certification in culinary arts.  He returns to a small town that has no restaurant, so finding a cooking job may require a commute to the next city.  He knows that his family is living in poverty and that, at least for a while, he will rejoin them in their difficult living conditions.  He has a younger sister who requires special medical attention and he hopes to be the one to provide for her care.

As he walked away yesterday with his father and social worker and his few belongings, he went with our promises to pray for him daily.

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us...

How does your day begin?  If you step outside here at Bahay Pag-asa at 5:00 AM you will find that a group of residents is already up and preparing breakfast for the others.  You might see the planet Venus still visible against the brightening sky.  You'll hear hundreds of roosters from a breeding farm down the road.  You'll see a lone boy or two walking between the kitchen and their dormitory and they always great you..."Brother, good morning" in my case.  At 5:30 a hand bell wakes up the others who gather, sleepily, in the chapel for the Angelus:
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
    Hail Mary, full of grace,
    The Lord is with Thee;
    Blessed art thou among women,
    And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
    Holy Mary, Mother of God,
    Pray for us sinners,
    Now and at the hour of our death. AmenV. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
    Hail Mary, etc.V. And the Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
    Hail Mary, etc.V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

And so we begin our day, reminded that our God walks among us and that, although each of us suffers in ways both public and private, hope must be our constant perspective.

Batang Hamog - the children of the dew

We didn't take this photo - rather we borrowed it from http://kuro-kuro.org/batang-hamog-and-philippines-juvenile-justice/.  But this is a regular sight in highly urbanized cities in the Philippines.  Increasing numbers of street kids - known locally as "batang hamog" - the children of the dew (kids who sleep on the streets) - are causing city governments to develop various responses.  These street children are often seen begging for money from passengers in cars stuck in traffic and stealing materials from open trucks in the same traffic jams.  They are frequently rounded up by police but it is difficult to know what to do with them.  The youngest should be returned to families - the those families either don't exist or the child is unwilling to disclose any family relationships.  Those under 15 years of age cannot be held liable for any crime.  In Bacolod City, there are numbers of "badjao"  (sea gypsy) children who have gone from diving for coins at the port to climbing aboard jeepneys and begging from the passengers inside.  Cities are posting notices informing tourists that it is against city policies to give money to street kids because this discourages them from attending school.  In many cases, parents send their kids out into the streets to collect the money needed for daily meals - so not all street kids are, in fact, without a family.  Some of the residents here at Bahay Pag-asa were street children.  One that I spoke to a few days ago spent five years living as a street kid and was repeatedly taken to police lockups and then released.  Ultimately, this is not a law enforcement problem so much as a social ill which will require concerted and creative efforts to cure.  For its part, Bahay Pag-asa is committed to helping those street kids who find themselves in conflict with the law.  We are determined to provide an alternative to begging and theft - and that would be education and opportunity.  It's a big, big task...but we think that we can help.

For those who prepared this meal...

In our communities, we often pray before supper "and for those who prepared this meal."  We're usually talking about the cook or community members who provided the food for the evening.  We often forget those who toil in the fields to grow the crops.  Here at Bahay Pag-asa, we are on an agricultural island and we have fields that provide food for our table.  The boys here will spend, when it's not raining, between one and two hours a day tending their gardens.  Each of them will proudly show visitors their plants and point out, at lunch, that the vegetables in your soup were produced by their efforts.  In this photo, our volunteer Franklin, is getting gardening lessons from one of the residents.  It doesn't take long to get an appreciation for the effort that so many workers on this island put into the production of sustaining foods.  In addition to providing vegetables for our meals, the boys are also growing fresh herbs for the Institute of Culinary Arts at the University of Saint La Salle,     The ICA, in turn, helps Bahay Pag-asa and provides opportunities for the boys to get culinary arts training and certification.

Typhoon Florita Heads North (which is good for us).

As reported today in Rappler.com...

MANILA, Philippines – Typhoon Florita (international name Neoguri) may turn into a super typhoon by the afternoon of Monday, July 7, though the typhoon is not expected to make landfall in the Philippines, according to independent weather monitoring agency Weather Philippines, as of this posting.

By around 2 pm on Monday, the typhoon's one-minute maximum sustained winds may reach 250 kilometers per hour (kph), fulfilling the definition of a super typhoon which has one-minute sustained winds of at least 240 kph.

Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) registered winds of up to 315 kph.

Another forecasting model used by Weather Philippines indicates that Florita may achieve one-minute maximum sustained winds of 260 kph as early as Monday morning.

Florita is gaining strength as it approaches land masses in the Philippines. As of 7 pm on July 6, the weather system was spotted 810 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan in North Luzon.

As it continues to move northwest, it is expected to strengthen monsoon rains in Mimaropa (Region IV-B), Panay including Guimaras and Negros Occidental from Sunday to Monday. PAGASA also announced that Western Visayas, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Laguna and Batangas will experience monsoon rains.

Flash floods and landslides are likely in these areas.

Florita is forecasted to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Tuesday when it makes a sharp turn to the north towards the East China Sea.

So this is a big storm, but it's not going to land here.  Still, as we are in the province of Negros Occidental, we are experiencing the strengthening of our normal monsoon rains.  We got caught in a rainstorm yesterday while visiting the Ecopark nearby.  Last night was very rainy here and we expect today to be particularly soggy.  Fortunately, we are not in an area prone to landslides and so we will have no real problems with this storm.  And that's good news not only for us, but for the families of the kids here.  Many of them live in areas still showing damage from that last big typhoon.

Give a man a fish...

"Give a man a fish," the old saying goes, "and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man how to catch a fish and you feed him for life."  The young barber in this photo is a former resident of Bahay Pag-asa Youth Center.  Last year, he asked us if we would help him purchase professional hair clippers so that he could work as a barber.  A year later, we visited him at his place of employment and saw that he was making very good use of our gift.  It turns out that he also cuts hair, once a month, at the Bahay Pagasa Youth Center - where he learned how to do it well enough to work as a barber.  This summer, he asked if we could help him buy a blow dryer and a hair iron (for straightening and curling hair).  So we went shopping and got very curious stairs as the "follicly-challenged" Br. Dan told stunned sales ladies that he needed to buy a hair-straightening iron and a blow dryer.  We plan to visit Kabankalan, where this young barber works, and give him the tools he needs to develop his professional skills and services.  These are the kinds of gifts that we are happy to give, because they allow young people to develop professional skills and earn an income to support themselves and their families.  Thanks to all our donors - you made this possible!

What do we learn in a home visit?

When we visit the home of one of the residents we learn much more than we could ever glean from the official documents and reports that accompany a young person in conflict with the law.  As we approach the home of one of the boys here, we are already aware of the economic challenges facing his family.  Usually when we arrive at the house, we are invited inside and there we find a mother or grandmother, father or grandfather struggling to feed and care for the siblings of our resident.  We see houses damaged by storms and we enter simple dwellings without running water, electricity or any sort of kitchen, save for a few pots near a wood fire just outside.  We see medical conditions that are largely untreated: infections, injuries, respiratory ailments and cancers.  We often seen families that have disintegrated - affected by economic distress, crime and addiction.  But what is most amazing to us is that we almost always find a mother or grandmother (less often a father) who is holding on to the hope that the boy we bring home to visit will be the one who lifts his family out of poverty.  They reach out to us, always grateful and willing to share with us the very little that they have.  A visit without tears is a rare event and these occasions can tear at one's heart, but as we depart we leave our promise - that we will do whatever we can for this particular boy to make hope happen for him and for his family.

The Urgency of Education

This is serious stuff.  The mother and siblings of one of our students lives here.  When we visited yesterday, they were out of rice and had only a few fish to sell (which we purchased).  Try to image when it is like to live here during a typhoon.  Or try to imagine what life is like for this family when the mother falls ill.  We've seen this kind of thing over and over, but it never fails to shake us.  I wish that I could tell you that this is an exceptional case here at Bahay Pag-asa Youth Center, but I can't.  Nearly every family we visit is struggling to survive from day to day.  What does that mean to us, the staff and volunteers at BPYC?

It means that our work is terribly urgent.  Each day we have to educate the boy whose family lives here so that he will be able to rescue his family.  Each lesson we teach is the necessary next step in a life-saving procedure.  We look at the time we have available to us and we survey our resources.  We try to identify the motivations and hopes of our students and use those to create new possibilities for their lives and the lives of their families.  One of our volunteers said yesterday, "I think I need some time to reflect on this."  Some of us stayed up late trying to comprehend what our role could be in all of this.

As a Brother and teacher, I have left positions at schools knowing that the teacher who takes my place will most likely do a better job and that the school will be just fine.  But we can never walk away from this thinking that somehow it's all going to be okay.  Once we see, we become responsible and that means that we have to act.  What that means to Lasallian educators is that we have to take seriously our conviction that our work is part of God's plan of salvation.  All of our schools state this, but here we realize it in a way that both unnerves us and inspires us.

"Brother, your ride is here."

To "commute" here in Bacolod means to ride the local public transport vehicles.  When your starting or ending point is Bahay Pag-asa, you'll often need to use the "tricycles."  As you can see, a tricycle is a motorcycle with a sidecar.  The streets of Bacolod buzz with these things and you can pack as many people as you want into (and onto) tricycles as long as you don't weigh them down so much that they can't move.  Amazing numbers of small schoolchildren can pile onto one of these but larger American visitors (like us) usually need to call in a second tricycle.