Day 2 of our Puerto Princesa tour found us visiting the areas where a lot of the sponsored children and families live. We were also graced by the presence of Miss Universe runner-up Ms Miriam Quimbao, who is a fellow sponsor. She flew in that morning from Manila and would leave later that day as well just to attend the event and lend her support.
We visited Barangay Mangingisda and did a little hike to visit a family there who are into weaving livelihood. The woman of the house explained the process of cutting out the bariw leaves to be ready for weaving. What was ingenious was the contraption created by the father to ease the weaving process on the ”belt” portion of the bags they were doing. It was crude but it works, a little refinement and it could work better.
Then nearby there’s another family who are into farming. They were thought how to cultivate the land, plant their own vegetables which they could sell or some for their own consumption. We also got a little hands-on with some task to experience what it’s like to farm or to weave bags or baskets. These visits shed new light on what World Vision was doing. I thought that all of my monthly contribution was going to the child. It turns out part of the money goes into developing the community where the children live in. Families are thought different ways for making a living and be independent.
Bringing Better Education
Our last stop for the afternoon was the Mangingisda School Grounds where most of the ceremonies were held. Children did some dance intermissions between the programs. We also visited two new classrooms which World Vision helped build. Ms Quiambao gave her message and farewell to the community and later ending the program there.
Insights
The trip made me realize that there is more happening to child sponsorship than what I initially perceived. I chose to be a child sponsor because:
- It’s easy and hassle free (they simply deduct from my credit card)
- I know where my money is going
- I can also check the progress of my sponsored child (s)
But I also found out that my contributions goes a long way.
- Part of the fund are used to develop the community where the children are living and provide livelihood for the families
- The project has a long-term plan. Unlike simply giving to the poor which gives a temporary relief, they made sure they educate them and teach them means to live on their own.
This trip with World Vision was an eye-opener. It made being part of the organization more meaningful than just giving the monthly contribution without knowing where it would end up. It gave life to the face of a child I’ve only seen on pictures. And more importantly, it made travel more purposeful by being part of a community even for a moment.
Interested to sponsor a child? Learn more at visit www.worldvision.org.ph
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
