Written by: Liz Kang, 11
Child Hope Philippines, the Junior Service partner, provides opportunities for eleventh graders to interact with many underprivileged Filipino street children. According to its website, Child Hope Philippines is a non-governmental organization that aims to reach out “to children living on the streets to provide accredited alternative education and healthcare”.
On the recent Child Hope service trip, these street children were invited to ISM to play and learn how to read texts with the eleventh grade students. This not only allowed these children to be educated in a new classroom environment, but also helped ISM students connect with the local community. They played sports and games, read short picture books, painted and decorated masks, and watched cartoons together.
I was one of the few people who had the pleasure of meeting with these Filipino street children, and the encounter was very meaningful and enlightening. Through them, I witnessed another face of poverty. Many of these children were denied the attention they deserved, given less opportunities to receive proper education, which made me consider my own surrounding conditions in comparison. The eye-opening juxtaposition, the big wall between those living in poverty and those who are privileged like me, demonstrated the importance of service work to make a difference.
In my one-time encounter, I saw in the street children’s eyes the longing and hunger for more knowledge, learning and enjoyment. In my heart, I felt that these dreams should be fulfilled and as a student, that it is my duty now more than ever to share my knowledge and make even a small crack in the wall between the social classes through Child Hope.
