Ulingan Kids: Beyond their Smiles Will Drive You in Tears

Looking at these photos of the Kids of Ulingan, makes me teary-eyed all the time. We are quite lucky we are not in these kids same situation...our kids must have better things if not the best. It's no one's fault i know, nor no one to blame except the fact that like the old saying goes..."many are called, but few are chosen..." and i'd like to believe we must be grateful for we are somehow among the chosen.

Why are we considered chosen?

We have been given a lot of opportunities to have able and educated parents who reared us up in a somehow comfortable way and environment. We are blessed to have the chance to see the freshness of air to breath, lovely sweet smelling scent of flowers abloom...a nice home where we sleep safe and warm. We got books to read, food to eat, fruits and vitamins and sweets to fill up some cravings...we manage to go to good schools and probably enroll at some extra curricular activities where our skills and interests can be enhanced. All of these big and small little things that makes us considerably blessed.

What if life gives us a twist?

Did it ever occur in your mind even just by chance that we could be unfortunate like these kids and live in the same miserable community where 24 hours of dust and smoke fills the air and powder their faces with charcoal dust and grimes, a filthy place of potholes, garbage, pests and vermin? Had it ever happened in your younger years when you are faced to walk in the house without proper slippers on? Was there ever a time in your lives that you were faced by the hard fact of life that your parents cannot afford to send you to school to learn, buy you good clothes, keep them washed and cleaned at all times? Is there any time in your life that you felt so hungry and there was nothing to eat at home? And looking forward, will you as a parent be happy seeing your little kids roam around without slippers or wear big shoes or slippers anyway?...would you dare even just to think having your own kids wandering without clothes, unhealthy malnourished body fighting off aches and pains of the harsh reality of nothingness and poverty?

It gives me a chill thinking how i would take it that way if i am a hapless parent of one of those Kids in Ulingan. I dare not look much back behind searching reasons to justify the situation. Most of these people came from the far provinces, cities outside manila, hoping to find glory and a job to support themselves and their children. Unfortunately, life in the city is not as easy as it may seem to many who wish to taste the city life. Most of them are settlers who don't have their own land or homes so they chose to stay even in the filthiest place they can set up their makeshift homes made up from old wood, plastics or card boards.

And for simple people who barely have enough food to eat, clothes or slippers, shoes to wear, roof to cover from heat of the sun or from the cold of the night....to have and to hold their family inside their shanty is warm enough to be called a home.

A little plea for the Kids of Ulingan

I know this is not an easy task. I wrote what i thought and feel about these poor Kids of Ulingan ever since a fellow CSer talked to me about this side of town and having met MKM in-charge Pastor Nixon personally and saw these kids in Ulingan, i felt i had to do a part to help, even being a single mother and jobless at the moment as i am. I know i can't do much but at least giving my voluntary service and writing to spread awareness may at least open the eyes of people on the harsh truth of poverty among our own people, especially these children who need not much but will appreciate enjoying a taste of little good times in their early worn out lives.

I on behalf of the Malaya Kids Ministries of Ulingan, Tondo Manila, would like to make a little plea to everyone who happens to read till this part of my hub. I wish if anyone can help, maybe you can donate in forms of unused children's clothes, slippers, shoes, old children's books, extra pens, face towels, toothbrush, soap and toothpaste would be of much help if collected altogether and distributed to these Kids of Ulingan, Tondo Manila, Philippines.

Malaya Kids Ministries are conducting the Kids Feeding Program for almost 400 kids at Baseco and Ulingan every Saturday. Funds are voluntary contributions donated by individuals, communities or groups and is spent for this worthy cause.

If anyone is blessed enough to have some to spare, a dollar (1 USD) will be well spent to cover feeding "a healthy meal at least one time for one Kid of Ulingan". Your kind and heartfelt thoughts and voluntary contribution towards the success of this mission will be very much appreciated, not only by us...but by our Lord God Almighty.

For any support, please click on Malaya Volunteers Philippines page in Facebook or donations can be deposited to:

Account Name: Malaya Kids Ministries

Account Number: 3910125012

SwiftCode: BNO RPH MM

BANCO DE ORO Pritil - Tondo Branch

Wishing everyone a blessed and Happy Easter remembering and thanking our Lord Jesus Christ for bearing the suffering to save us ALL.