What is poverty?
Safe Haven has had the wonderful pleasure of hosting a number of visitors from both Australia and Canada over the last month, including the beautiful Allwood family from Newcastle, NSW.
For 12 days, Brent, Margaret, Lachlan, Harry and Jessica journeyed with the entire Safe Haven team as we laughed, cried, cheered, strategized and navigated traffic with one another. Over these 12 days, Safe Haven admitted several new children into our care, we conducted multiple health clinics in Payatas and Montalban, and we happily held our very first staff retreat at Rizal Re-Creation Center.
Margaret, a paediatric nurse and trainer at John Hunter Hospital, pioneered Safe Haven’s participation in Feeding Programs, particularly in the Payatas Dumpsite. Margaret first visited Payatas several years ago and was thus familiar with many of the ailments and wounds commonly found amongst residents of the dumpsite.
For this visit to Manila, Margaret facilitated several health clinics at the feeding programs to provide basic wound care and Ventolin and spacer packs to those children and adults suffering from asthma. Margaret also provided simple, yet manageable techniques for cleaning and tending to wounds such as boils, cockroach bites and infected sores.
It was such a delight to host the Allwood’s and we praise God for their enormous hearts and enduring love for those people in need. Without further ado, we would like to introduce you to Margaret, Lachlan, Harry and Jessica Allwood, and read several brief accounts from their time here in the Philippines.
Margaret...
What is poverty?
How do you describe it to someone who hasn't seen it, smelt it? Can a photo describe poverty? A story? A video? How do you explain to children growing up in a society battling obesity what it means to be hungry? How do you describe living conditions in the slums to people who cannot survive without electricity for a few days?
You can't describe poverty, it is something you have to experience to believe.
It is something we can never understand.
This was my third trip to Manila, and I really wanted my children to know what poverty is. They needed to see it, smell it, taste it and feel it to understand why we need to help others; why we are so fortunate to live the lives we do. As we were walking down to Payatas Dumpsite, my son, Harry said "Mum, I don't know why you even bother taking photos of this. The photos are nothing like this, this is so bad".
He is right.
To be surrounded by such need, desperation and hardship is an unforgettable experience. Our trip to Manila will be an experience our children will never forget, as they had their first snapshot of poverty. They have now seen skin that cannot heal, bellies swollen with worms, and children living on the streets.
I pray my children will grow up to have hearts that want to help others, and become adults who are willing to sacrifice a little in order to give a lot.
Lachlan...
On our third day in the Philippines, Mum, Dad, Harry, Jess, Cherie, Dave, Kristyn, Eking and I went down to the Dumpsite in Payatas, you could see the houses getting poorer and poorer as we go. From an average house into a small one room cube. Finally, when we got to Paster Fred’s church, we all went down and set up the hall so that Mum could look at the peoples wounds and give them something to use on it. There was a lot of boils and dry skin in this smelly place full of rubbish. Soon us kids went outside and played ten pin bowling with old soft drink bottles. This did not last long as it ended up as a game of matartia (tips). All of these kids were so happy playing with so little. The photos are one thing, but being there, nothing could prepare you for this poor place. We had decided to get them a basketball and a hoop for their backboard with the money we raised from school.
Jessica...
Today we went to get Icy (a new Safe Haven kid) and her mum’s clothes from their house with Cherie and mum. We went through a whole heap of alley ways where poor people live and they were all sitting there watching us "rich" people walk through. I felt like we were showing off how lucky we are and how unlucky they were. I felt really sorry for them to be living in that way. When we got to their home, it was really weird. There were about 10 people standing there looking at us. Mum asked them what country they think we're from, and they said we were from America. But of course we're from Australia. Icy's mum then came out with a really small bag that was not just for her but for her and Icy as well. Next we left from their house and walked back to the van…a couple of kids were still following us until we drove away. In the van we were all talking about what just happened and how happy and cute the little kids were. The conversations continued until we arrived back at Safe Haven.
Harry...
In Payatas, what you would expect is smell, heat and poverty. What you wouldn’t expect is just how bad it is. The people there have no idea of what it is like away from home, especially in the area of Pastor Fred’s church [Payatas Dumpsite]. Although the people are so poor in this area, they are so happy. Playing tips (mataya-taya) with the kids in the dump was so much fun. They are so small and malnourished. When mum was doing the health clinics for the people, there were so many unhealthy people. A photo can't describe how bad it is, you need to see it with your own eyes.
