OML Distribution

I know I promised food porn, but we spent the last two days in the provinces doing distributions, so I'll talk about this first!  It was a lot to take in, especially in regards to how I feel about aid and nonprofits, but a rewarding experience nonetheless. This isn't your typical "how I was changed forever" post, though I can't guarantee complete objectiveness either.

Energizer solar powered flashlights

One of the differences I noticed between the communities we served is the children. The very first community we went to had a group of kids that were not beneficiaries (i.e. not receiving a solar powered energizer light). They were very social and unafraid, despite our inability to speak Tagalog. We played tag ("taya") and they just petted us, especially Monique whom the kids were still fascinated with.

Children from Sta Rita, Olongapo City

They kept asking us for "elow" which translates to light. When they caught on that we didn't have any to give to them, they started asking us for water. It was heart breaking at first because we couldn't give them anything, but they were very persistent, even though I could tell they understood that we weren't allowed. It was unsettling to see such calculation in kids that young, at the same time I understand in an area where foreign aid is a means of survival, it is necessary. The experience only heightened my wariness of monetary or material injection into poor communities. The kids can't do this when they grow older.

This became a measure (albeit, probably very inaccurate) for me on how much aid the village has probably gotten in the past.  In this paradigm I also discovered how much more sustainable the model OML uses needs to be. They have a great model going but need to strengthen on education and/ or infrastructure of how to use the money to better feed their families and most importantly invest in the future. Hopefully, this is an aspect our team can continue to help in.

Taken from distribution pt in Sta. Cruz (no filter) 

This is what I remember mostly from the distribution, but definitely there is more. I'll post in the following week about it as it comes to me. I am serious about the food porn post next time :)

Until then,

P.S. I tried to learn to count in Tagalog with playing cards, but major fail. Here's how you actually count in Tagalog.

Struggle bus learning to learn to count

Numbers in Tagalog--taken off google