Retarded Pregnant Girl Update ? Living In Squalor

[Bruce]

JJ Reyes has, once again, made a donation to the Philippine Charity. As usual, I asked what would you like me to do with the money. He suggested that I make a donation to the care of the pregnant girl who is retarded.

 

She had moved so it took me 2 days to find her. But find her I did. Living in a long wood shack built on poles on the river. The shack has many rooms in it, each rented out to a family. Her room, where she and her mother and her brothers live is 7' x 7' and FULL of their belongings. They cook IN the room with a small charcoal burner!

 

The mother pays 500p a month to live in squalor. (About $12.50 USD) No electric, no water.

 

The step father who got her pregnant is now in jail. After I got the pictures from the last post on this girl several  months ago, Pam from the charity paid a visit to the barangay chairwoman who got personally involved and got the step father in custody and the family gets some minimal assistance from the government, IF funds are available. Not enough money to feed the family, but enough to pay the rent and feed them from a few weeks with rice only.

 

In talking with the mother she was asked what she would do with the donated money and she says the girls due date is June 10th and that she would spend the money on baby things. She was given the option to take the money or, assuming friends and family, who are now aware that I am paying a visit, may try to get some of the money for their own needs, the mother opted to have Pam hold the money until she needs to buy somethign and then Pam and the mother will buy it. This way, there will be no purchases of 'tuba' other things not related to baby needs.

 

When you see the pictures, from the outside you can see the girls face looking out of the window in her room. Because the room is so small, it was hard for me to take pictures that really show how small the room is. The other pictures show the narrow passageway between 2 buildings to get back to the building she lives in and then some pictures of the hall ways.

 

Between human filth, bugs, fire hazards, flooding, cooking on charcoal INSIDE and a host of other issues.... the fact that the baby's mother is retarded is not on the top of the list as to what this baby faces when born.     

 

My visit was quite a surprise for them and JJ's donation is the help they needed for baby supplies when the baby is born. While they are not any better off, at least they will have some funds to make the transition into caring for a newborn somewhat easier.

 

[JJReyes]

Thanks for the update.

 

I forwarded the information and photographs to several friends. One of them came back offering to give me razor blades to perform surgery without painkillers on the father of the baby. Something about the removal of an appendage.

 

Someone came back with an interesting question. "Is the mother and daughter living in squalor because the breadwinner is in jail?" I tried to explain that the type of housing in the photograph is fairly typical among the Philippine poor. Unless you have visited a poor area in a 3rd world country, it is something difficult to comprehend.  I guess his question relates to how the government would permit such filmsy structures without basis sanitation, water and electricity. Even the cooking arrangements are a fire hazard.

[Bruce]

Thanks for the update.

 

I forwarded the information and photographs to several friends. One of them came back offering to give me razor blades to perform surgery without painkillers on the father of the baby. Something about the removal of an appendage.

 

Someone came back with an interesting question. "Is the mother and daughter living in squalor because the breadwinner is in jail?" I tried to explain that the type of housing in the photograph is fairly typical among the Philippine poor. Unless you have visited a poor area in a 3rd world country, it is something difficult to comprehend.  I guess his question relates to how the government would permit such filmsy structures without basis sanitation, water and electricity. Even the cooking arrangements are a fire hazard.

 

 

Well I for one do NOT blame the Philippine government. The US government started a welfare program and it IS bankrupting the country with abusers and fraud. The Philippine government would be broke in 3 days if they tried the same social program for the poor in the Philippines.

 

The key, at least to my thinking, and it certainly has not work out this way... but while we all agree it is impossible to 'save the world', it is quite possible to save 'someone in the world'. Not only with this retarded girl who is like 14 or 15, but some of the other kids I have posted, it is possible for a foreign family or group such as a church group or a group of office workers to support that 1 kid (not the whole family) with as little as $60 a month and with a group effort for balikbayan box collections. This would pay for not only food, but school fees and snacks and supplies and uniforms. Getting a child up to and finished 6th grade means they can read and write and do simple math which allows them to function in society. To break it down into the basic component... unless they can read... they can't use a cell phone for txt messages and we all know how important that is in the Philippines!  

 

JJ, if you know anyone in the 'entertainment end of TV' I can offer them quite a reality show! Shot here on site using STUDENTS of the AV college courses..... Cheap! So feel free to keep forwarding those pics and stories to anyone you like... sooner or later, maybe Bill Gates will be bored one day and see one of the posts..... :hystery:

[dalidali]

Where is the Catholic church in all this?.

 

I think they call it "faith based" charities.

 

It's clear, Governments cannot provide 100% of the support needed to the poor.

 

It's my feeling that the Catholic church needs to step up to the plate and take this

girl under their wings.

[FlyAway]

Where is the Catholic church in all this?.

 

I think they call it "faith based" charities.

 

It's clear, Governments cannot provide 100% of the support needed to the poor.

 

It's my feeling that the Catholic church needs to step up to the plate and take this

girl under their wings.

Maybe the new Pope will change a few things. Unfortunately there will be no solution 100% of people will ever agree upon.

[Bruce]

Where is the Catholic church in all this?.

 

I think they call it "faith based" charities.

 

It's clear, Governments cannot provide 100% of the support needed to the poor.

 

It's my feeling that the Catholic church needs to step up to the plate and take this

girl under their wings.

 

Sorry, but you are living in the fantasy of the generated perception of the catholic church. Not in reality. Unless there is 'something' in it for the priests, expect no help. If there were TV crews here and a lot of publicity, the church and the local officials all would be tripping over themselves trying to get on camera telling all who will listen how THEY found this girl and how THEY acted to save the girl... yada yada yada..... And 6 months down the road.... she is back in the shack....

 

Are you old enough to remember Boys Town? (google) The Boys Town orphanage in the US? Mickey Rooney was in a movie about them 60 + years ago.... Well, they have (had?) one of the best publicity departments around.... with mailings and other efforts, school drives, church drives, to generate money for 'the boys'..... (so sad.... as they tried to portray it)

 

Well after the IRS and other agencies started to mandate public reporting of fund raising, it was discovered that Boys Town had over 400 MILLION in the bank and they did their best to hide that as not to spoil their fund raising machine. And Boys Town paled in fund raising when it was measured to the catholic church (before the many sex scandals).  

 

It has been my findings that any (ANY) church or charity's willingness to help the poor of the world is DIRECTLY relatd to the people in charge. Those who control the purse strings set the policies of spending. This is one reason there are so many charities.... but very little effort, once the directors are paid their salaries.... And not to get off topic here... but in past posts about United Way and their 6 figure salaries..... I GAR-AN-TEE you that there are retired individuals with experience who would work for $1 a year.... and get the same results.

 

So again, unless there is cash or free publicity in it for the church, I see no help from them. I think the best way to sum it up is that scene with Bill Murray in Caddy Shack in which his charector related on how he once was the caddy for the Dali Lama and rather than give a tip to the caddy, the Dali Lama instead told him he would find ever lasting peace.... on his death bed....... The Dali Lama gave him the illusion of something that did not exist and the Bill Murry charector was too stupid to recognize that he was cheated out of a tip.

[MikeB]

but in past posts about United Way and their 6 figure salaries..... I GAR-AN-TEE you that there are retired individuals with experience who would work for $1 a year.... and get the same results.

I'm not so sure about that last part. Some of these organizations have budgets in the billions of dollars, maybe there's a reason their boards pay these execs to manage it. Just because the head guy (or girl) is making 6 (or 7) figures doesn't necessarily mean they're not worth it.

[Bruce]

but in past posts about United Way and their 6 figure salaries..... I GAR-AN-TEE you that there are retired individuals with experience who would work for $1 a year.... and get the same results.

I'm not so sure about that last part. Some of these organizations have budgets in the billions of dollars, maybe there's a reason their boards pay these execs to manage it. Just because the head guy (or girl) is making 6 (or 7) figures doesn't necessarily mean they're not worth it.

 

No, that is a common misconception. There is no magic formula. You do not 'get more' by paying more. Business is business and there are THOUSANDS of retired business people who have run multi million $$$ companies who would jump at the chance to for for $1 a year..... Of course there are perks for the big charities like invites to the White House etc.... Once a certain level is reached, it really is just 'don't try to fit it just maintain it' thinking.

 

If you don't believe me... just read recent news about the recently ousted CEO of JC Penny. Liz Dole did NOTHING for United Way that Jackie K or Nancy Reagan or a thousand of other 'connected' people could not have done....

[MikeB]

No, that is a common misconception. There is no magic formula. You do not 'get more' by paying more.

I didn't say that. 

Liz Dole did NOTHING for United Way that Jackie K or Nancy Reagan or a thousand of other 'connected' people could not have done

Well that's true since she worked for the American Red Cross, not United Way. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

Business is business and there are THOUSANDS of retired business people who have run multi million $$$ companies who would jump at the chance to for for $1 a year.

 

Well find them and build your charity around them. Problem solved. Next case !