An enlightening bus ride I’ll never forget
Website design By BotEap.comIntroduction
Website design By BotEap.comEducation is the key for one to be successful in life. Knowing how to read and knowing how to write are necessary skills to acquire knowledge. Poverty can be an obstacle. A driving force within a person is a reference point to change his life. But if a person is determined to improve his life, he must do something. There are concerns that parents don’t care enough about their family or have little determination for their children’s future, out of love. What if education was secondary to the basic necessities of life, food on the table or shelter or clothing? What would be the priority? This is the story of a young man I met inside the bus.
Website design By BotEap.comthe bus ride
Website design By BotEap.comOne day I was riding a bus to attend a school meeting for a nearby community outreach program. The distance would take an hour and a half to travel. The bus occasionally made stops to unload or pick up passengers. I watched as several young people boarded the bus and sold food, magazines, and drinks. One of them asked me to try his ‘paninda’, which means prepared sweet delicacy. As I reached for my bag to get money, I thought that this boy should be in school and wondered about the responsibility of his parents in the education of his children. I was hesitant to buy at first, but the guy insisted and said, “I have to finish selling the stuff.” I started out as if I was forcing myself to buy. I asked myself, “Do I have the right to refuse or be forced to buy out of pity?” I decided to buy 3 pieces of ‘panucha’, a sweet delicacy made with colored sugar and nuts. I was struck by his enthusiasm for his struggle to survive. I was not worried about his food, where it came from and its preparation; rather, I was concerned about his dedication to his work at his age despite the many dangers that might befall him on the often bustling streets. Since I have more time to talk with him while looking at my watch, I wanted to know more about his life, where he came from and about his family. I asked if we could talk. The boy agreed. As the conversation continued, I asked the boy to sit next to me to tell me more about his life story. I paid for the bus fare and enough for him to ride until he came home.
Website design By BotEap.comThe boy’s story
Website design By BotEap.comThe boy grew up in a remote area in Tondo, a densely populated area located in Metro Manila. You cannot collect his exact date and place of birth. As far as he can remember, the family moved from one place of residence to another until he recognized things around him. Every day early in the morning, in his first years of life (around 3-4 years old), he accompanied his father collecting garbage such as newspapers, metals, plastics and bottles in a wooden cart and collected them in bags for delivery. to a nearby junk shop which is a 30-minute walk away. After exchanging the materials for monetary value, the father has the means to provide food for the family for a day. That means another day is another fight. The mother also helps to pick up the rubbish during her free time, but mostly she is at home with the children, preparing simple meals and doing housework. This boy is about 12 years old and comes from a family of 12 members (10 children plus 2 parents). He carries a great responsibility on the young shoulders of him as the eldest son. The youngest is only 5 months old. His father is also doing the same as him, selling water and nuts on buses in other areas. For him, the challenge is there; his mind is set on work and for him to help the family’s needs.
Website design By BotEap.comEducation
Website design By BotEap.comThis boy stopped going to school when he was in fourth grade. Public primary education is free, but due to the struggle of life, he could not afford to exchange time for academic activities with the much-needed money his family spends each day. Every day he accompanied his father looking for food among the garbage. Despite his circumstances, he still has a strong desire to go to school. The dream of becoming a teacher one day is his wish.
Website design By BotEap.comHome
Website design By BotEap.comThe streets can be considered your second home. His work sometimes took him far from home and he braved the dangerous streets at night, sometimes he even fell asleep, not caring about the inherent dangers that surrounded him.
Website design By BotEap.comFriends
Website design By BotEap.comWhen this boy got on the bus, there were many of them selling different foods. In this group of young people, he is the youngest. Despite their age differences, the circumstances of his life have brought them together and they have all become friends; all of them can be considered young people out of school. Local community leaders were giving them jobs like this to help them become self-sufficient specifically for the out-of-school youth program.
Website design By BotEap.comat the end of the trip
Website design By BotEap.comBefore I knew it, the bus was close to my intended destination. I thanked the boy for the time he has given me. I gave him a book to read and another book to write at his age. When asked if we could meet again, he replied that he wasn’t sure, but he hoped that one day we would meet again. He promised that he would go to school and one day he would become a teacher. Poverty, as many others before him have shown, is not an obstacle to accessing education. Humility was shown here in history despite the danger and humiliation. Hard work regardless of age and determination in all aspects of our lives is a formula for success. Looking back as a parent who has raised two children, there are many young people today who are fortunate and blessed with a proper home, meals on the table, and most importantly, the opportunity for an education. Education is free for all and should never be denied. to any child, regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status.