A common sight in the streets of Manila during the Christmas season is this image of a street child tapping a makeshift drums made from empty Bonna milk cans, and singing an out-of-tune Christmas carol while hanging on to the rear of rushing jeepneys.
This particular boy you are looking at now is Jimboy, 10 years old, an orphan, and very determined to earn some real money and enjoy a bit of this year's Christmas. For nine straight days of doing street caroling, Jimboy had already accumulated some 287.50 pesos in coins, something that will be enough to buy some nice bread and butter for tonight's Noche Buena. Although homeless, Jimboy enjoys the company of other homeless children and paupers in Avenida Rizal, camping inside makeshift karitons and tents in many street corners. Meanwhile, he keeps his money safely tucked inside his short pockets, which he doubly protected with rubber bands.
A new shirt and a pair of shoes are not so important for Jimboy because he couldn't afford them anyway even how many Christmas carols he sing this season. But then, he dreams that someday he would be able to buy a new pair of tsinelas (flip-flop sandals/havaianas). His old pair has been worn down in time for Christmas and the boy was quite sad he would not have a new pair for Christmas.
I am not a rich man, but one of the few things that I really enjoy doing is to help poor children like Jimboy, and so, after telling me his dream of owning a pair of tsinelas, I handed him some cash and told him to buy a Spartan ( a good local brand of tsinelas which is useful rather than stylish). It would have been wonderful if I could just buy him a pair rather than give him the money, but alas, my time was very limited! Anyway, I am looking forward seeing him again soon wearing his new pair of tsinelas.
It is a wonderful experience to see this kid realize his dream, and you can see it now in his eyes. The kindness that he gets from strangers can give him a good idea that the world isn't cruel after all. That the world is a good place to live in, despite the harsh realities of everyday living. And it is because the well-off can share their blessings with the poor, and most especially the children. Christmas is, after all, for children, and as we have all been children once in our lives, then it is for all of us.
Merry Christmas!
This particular boy you are looking at now is Jimboy, 10 years old, an orphan, and very determined to earn some real money and enjoy a bit of this year's Christmas. For nine straight days of doing street caroling, Jimboy had already accumulated some 287.50 pesos in coins, something that will be enough to buy some nice bread and butter for tonight's Noche Buena. Although homeless, Jimboy enjoys the company of other homeless children and paupers in Avenida Rizal, camping inside makeshift karitons and tents in many street corners. Meanwhile, he keeps his money safely tucked inside his short pockets, which he doubly protected with rubber bands.
A new shirt and a pair of shoes are not so important for Jimboy because he couldn't afford them anyway even how many Christmas carols he sing this season. But then, he dreams that someday he would be able to buy a new pair of tsinelas (flip-flop sandals/havaianas). His old pair has been worn down in time for Christmas and the boy was quite sad he would not have a new pair for Christmas.
I am not a rich man, but one of the few things that I really enjoy doing is to help poor children like Jimboy, and so, after telling me his dream of owning a pair of tsinelas, I handed him some cash and told him to buy a Spartan ( a good local brand of tsinelas which is useful rather than stylish). It would have been wonderful if I could just buy him a pair rather than give him the money, but alas, my time was very limited! Anyway, I am looking forward seeing him again soon wearing his new pair of tsinelas.
It is a wonderful experience to see this kid realize his dream, and you can see it now in his eyes. The kindness that he gets from strangers can give him a good idea that the world isn't cruel after all. That the world is a good place to live in, despite the harsh realities of everyday living. And it is because the well-off can share their blessings with the poor, and most especially the children. Christmas is, after all, for children, and as we have all been children once in our lives, then it is for all of us.
Merry Christmas!
No comments:
Post a Comment