It takes 17 hours in the air to reach the more than 7,000 islands in the western Pacific which make up the Philippines. It’s a long journey, and it’s the furthest I’ve ever travelled to cover a story. But it is well worth the jetlag to experience the warmth of the Filipino people - warmth I encountered firsthand on the long flight.
The woman in the seat next to me on my long flight here was a Filipino nurse living in Canada, travelling home to care for her dying father. Even though her journey is a sad one, her face lit up when I mentioned that I was heading to Manila as well, and she proceeded to tell me all about her home community. Over the course of the flight (in between naps, meals, and watching movies), she taught me more than a dozen words and phrases in her native tongue (the primary language here is called Tagalog), although I will need a lot of practice!
When we parted ways at the Manila airport, it was almost 2 a.m. and she had a two-day drive ahead of her. But she still waved goodbye with a smile and a laugh, without a hint of the difficult time ahead of her.
Strength in the face of adversity is something Filipinos seem to know all too well. This country has been battered with typhoons, experienced political upheaval, and is struggling with a depressed economy. But everyone I’ve met talks about how friendly Filipino people are and how they are always willing to give what they have (even if that is very little).
It is that kind of spirit that I am here to see as I travel with World Vision to meet children and families in need, and to see how World Vision is addressing poverty, malnutrition, poor sanitation and issues around child protection (especially child labour).
Tomorrow is our first day of filming, and we will be going to a barangay (slum area) in the city of Iloilo on Panay Island. There I will be meet nine-year-old Joy Me, a little girl living with her family in a crude wooden shelter with a dirt floor, without running water or proper sanitation. World Vision is working in this area to help provide clean water and better living conditions, and while Joy Me doesn’t have a sponsor yet, the hope is that she can soon become one of the 2,040 children in Iloilo who do.
Later this week, I’ll be moving with the World Vision crew to Estancia, a rural area of the Philippines. It’s a fishing community working hard to rebuild after being hit by Typhoon Haiyan two years ago. I’ll also see how World Vision is helping the community’s economy by creating more employment opportunities in the fishery and farming industries; how it’s showing families how to grow their own food; and how it’s improving the health of children with programs that teach proper hygiene (such as one called “Little Dentists”).
I look forward to bringing these stories home to Atlantic Canada to share with all our CTV viewers – while it may be half a world away, the spirit of overcoming adversity is something that is truly universal.
