Kaia Friedli

"From April to August, I volunteered for an organisation called Little Children of the Philippines.  It is located in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines.  LCP is a non-profit, interdenominational Christian organisation aimed at developing caring communities for children at risk.

 

For the first two months, I volunteered in an education programme geared towards children who couldn't afford public schooling.  It is called School on Wheels, and is a 2-hour long programme that takes place in 13 communities in and around Dumaguete.  I assisted a Filipino teacher and taught basic Math, English, and Science to the 'fast learners,' who were between 1st and 6th grades.  At times it was very difficult, especially since there was such a contrast in grade levels!  However, the children were wonderful and pretty attentive.  I would teach for the first hour and a half, then give the children a quiz or test to complete.

 

From the group of children that I taught, I sent 3 to public schools with the money I received from donations.  One 6th grade girl, named Josel, and two 1st grade boys, Janno and Jirson, will be attending school this next year because of those donations.  With the money, I bought them school supplies, uniforms, and paid their school fees. They, along with their families, were truly grateful. 
School on Wheels ended when regular schooling resumed in June, although the programme did start up again right before I left, which was at the end of August.  Once it stopped in June, I began working at a pre-school.  It was so much fun - we would sing songs, play games, and do lots of activities.  I taught them "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and it was so cute to watch them sing it!  Since these children were younger than those I worked with in SOW, their grasp of English was minimal.  With the teacher's help, who was fluent in English and Visayan, (the native language) and with my small knowledge of Visayan, we managed to have a good time anyway.

 

For the entire time I was there, I also served meals in a soup kitchen and tutored kids after school.  The soup kitchen was held in the poorest area of Dumaguete.  Many of the children only ate one meal a day, and that was the lunch served at the soup kitchen.  They came from broken homes and had umpteen brothers and sisters, as well as half-and stepbrothers and sisters, but they were happy all the same.  It was inspiring to work with them, as they needed little to be happy.

 

With tutoring, I would often travel to different children's homes with other volunteers.  We would prepare lessons with flash cards and worksheets, switching between Math and English.  Although the older children speak English very well, their grammar usually is in need of help. Besides helping with their schoolwork, tutoring was also a great chance to get to know the kids and the families they lived with.

 

Leaving Dumaguete was difficult. There is so much to be learned from the Filipino culture - they take each day at a time and don't spend them in a rush. They are grateful for what they have and don't constantly wish for more as Americans so commonly do.  From my experience, I have learned to appreciate a different point of view, as well as be grateful for what I have."