COAL DISTRICT OF THE METRO

ULINGAN

     Wandering in a slum area in the metro, where charcoal were produced, is a wonderful experience I had. It is totally different from hiking where I inhaled polluted air instead of fresh air, I saw garbage instead of trees. But the joy I saw in the innocent eyes of the little angels of Ulingan is just the same feeling whenever I summit a mountain....truly self - rewarding. Making other people happy is not an easy task unless what you are doing is from your heart. When I was a child my parents always taught me that we have our responsibility with the poor which is one of the important task to be accomplished as a social being...as a catholic.

     Ulingan is located in Sitio Damayan. It is somewhere in Vitas, Tondo. This slum area is near smokey mountain. Dump trucks just passed by to unload the garbage that the community there find it as one of their means of living.

     I'm with Ate Tessa, Nikki, and TM Ninya. Inspired by TM Ninya's encounters with the poor, I just came up with the idea of volunteering myself to share my wealth which is my sincerity to make those kids happy.

     A place like Ulingan, a squatters' area, is not a new environment to me because I also experienced living in a once squatters' area before that is now, surprisingly, a progressive community. So I already expected something that is like in the pictures I've taken...I even expected the worst. The scenario is really poor. The people are unhealthy, dirty,...and the children are pushed to work. They are always the victim. That's reality. That's life. In Ulingan, to survive from hunger is their main objective and the rest are just pleasures. So would you still want to complain that you don't have a latest gadget on your hand?...

     When we reached PEARLS Learning Center, the little angels of Ulingan were already waiting for our arrival. They were very welcoming. You can see to them the joy they felt the moment they saw us. It was like seeing hope in those innocent eyes. The children were unhealthy, untidy, stressed, but still can put on their most truthful smile. Some stopped from working in Ulingan, some were babysitting, etc. just to join us. These little angels were used to see the slum world as their little heaven not yet realizing the fact that they're already in the world in its worst.

A foreign photo journalist with big a heart for the Philippines.
Mr. Sidney Snoeck
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Be inspired by this person. Kindly visit is photo-blog.

MY SARI - SARI STORE: THE URBAN POOR by SIDNEY SNOECK

It is good that the children were not camera shy.
Giving their inspiring smile, they had a picture with their ATEs and KUYA.
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THE LITTLE ANGELS OF ULINGAN

THE BABY SITTER

ATE TESSA WITH THE GANG

TM NINYA's SWEET ANGEL

This angel likes photography. She always grab my camera to take photos.

L'innocente

STRIKE A POSE BRO!

TIRED ALREADY?

ART WORKSHOP

ATEs and KUYAs of PROJECT PEARLS

FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS by TM NINYA

Go TM...Kaya mu yan!!!! AJA!!!!

It seems that the kids were enjoying.
Good job Project PEARLS!!!

Kaya mu yan kuya. Suportando ka pa ng best friend mo.
Well...that's what friends are for.

I observed that this boy was just contented to watch our activities. It seems that he has lot of things to do.
BUSY KID???
WORK! WORK! WORK!
I invited him to join us but then he refused my offer.
Workaholic???!!!
He get back when were already distributing the foods.

FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS

      I wasn't able to wander the charcoal factory due to the suffocating polluted air from the charcoals. How can the children take long with this kind of environment? It's very dangerous and risky. I'm praying for their future. I hope they would be able to get out of that place.

     I wasn't born rich but my parents made sure that my siblings and I will not experience such poorness. They've strive hard to give us the best education possible, and supply our needs and wants. I'm very thankful for this comfortable life that my parents gave us. I hope that the little angels of Ulingan will had the same or better life like ours.

     Sharing ones wealth does not always talk about the money you could donate but the sincerity to share something even if it is tangible or not would be gladly appreciated.

To know more about Ulingan you could visit...

PROJECT PEARLS

Special

thanks

to

SINGLE FOR CHRIST

for

allowing

 me

to

join

this

 wonderful

event.

GOD BLESS!!!