In the eyes of the child

YESTERDAY, I WAS invited to be the resource person of a seminar on Strengthening Parent-Child Relationship. This is part of of the community organizing process of the Alay Buhay Foundation, Inc. in Barangay Pintung Bukawe in San Mateo Rizal. Despite its short distance from Metro Manila, the place is still typically poor barangay, with very few economic activities, and it is apparent that the community has been neglected. As part of the organizing process, Alay-Buhay wants to involve the whole family so that their social development interventions would become more effective.

I have not done direct community training for a long time and I thought that working with them would ground me again in the realities of poor communities.

Both parents and children attended the seminar. They all participated in the activities I have designed and introduced. What interests me more is when I asked them to write the top 10 family stresses as they experienced and observed them. It is interesting to note that they do have a noteworthy analysis of their family life.

Parents write their discussion outputs during the workshop.

The youth group present the top 10 family stresses.

They also role played what they think is most stressful for them. In this scene, they mimic their fathers during a drinking session, sans the Ginebra.

The girl (supposedly wife) enters the scene and picks up a fight with her drunkard husband (third from left).

The problems are typical that they seem to have been ingrained in their daily life. But these kids are hopeful though that they can change their lives for the better. God Bless them!

Posted in: Development Concerns