When I was a kid, my favorite song was Whitney Houston’s The Greatest Love of All. I no longer remember why it was my favorite. I just know it was my favorite.
To remind those who might have already forgotten, here are the first few lines of that song:
I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride …
Probably the perfect embodiment of what children represent.
And then, Jesus in the Bible said, “Suffer not the little children to come unto Me, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”
The growing number of child offenders
Just recently, however, primetime television had been peppered with news reports about juvenile racketeers on Guadalupe and the rest of the metropolis, the so-called “Jumper Boys” stealing from unsuspecting truck drivers.
Add to that list the bloating number of “Rugby Boys” loitering the streets of Metro Manila, plus the sheer rise in the number of child offenders being apprehended by law enforcers everyday, one couldn’t help but wonder, “Are these children the pillars of the future?”
This society is doomed if indeed they are.
It’s not yet too late
The good news is everything is not yet too late. There is still hope for the future. I believe what our children need is guidance, hope, something to look forward to, something that would make them realize that lawlessness should not be a way of life, that the good life is achieved through fair play, hard work, discipline, belief in God and in oneself.
Indeed, our children need to find their way back to school.
Image courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Now you might say, how can they go to school if they don’t even have enough food to get them going for a day? That is a discussion that merits a place of its own. As they say, poverty is a job designed for Superman.
But Superman is a make-believe character, and Superman is never going to come to life, not even if David Copperfield or David Blaine or Criss Angel and other self-professed magicians joined forces to defy that glaring fact.
Given that, it is up to us to do something to make a change. The little we can do, when combined with what little others can do will make a huge impact one day.
Paper and Pencils for a Cause
Jade of Palawan, a fellow blogger, is on a mission to keep the children of Estrella Elementary School, also in Palawan, in school.
It is because of this that she and her family initiated Paper and Pencils for a Cause. Paper and Pencils’ aim is to gather as much school supplies such as paper, pencils, bags – even used ones are welcome as long as they’re still usable – to be distributed to the children of Estrella.
Paper and Pencils even give out monetary rewards to pupils who finish the school at the top of their classes. For more information on Paper and Pencils for a Cause, please click here.
Conclusion
Juvenile delinquency is a big problem to tackle, but if you and I can help keep the children who are already in school where they are and prevent them from joining the ranks of the wayward youth of society, that, in itself, is already an accomplishment.
May the force be with us all.
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Kudos to your friend, Jade, for doing such an act. It is so rare nowadays to see someone who is able to extend their blessings, especially to those unfortunate ones…
Me and my family have done like this before. We even put up a small day-care center to have these indigent children educated. Unfortunately, due to lack of support and funding (since we just get our monetary support within the family members), we were just able to manage the day-care center for around three years.
However, we believe that whatever you did in your community, whether others can remember it or not, it will always leave a mark in you that you will always cherished within, knowing you have helped others…
Such a very inspiring story you have here, Maricel. 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Tristan. Children and their education always have a soft spot in my heart, being a mother myself. Kudos to you, too, for spearheading such a noble act, even when it didn’t last. And yes, I agree with you. It doesn’t matter whether people remembered what you did or not, what is important is that you know you tried something to correct the many mistakes of society … and that in itself is a reward worth cherishing. 😀
Inspiring story, your friend Jade remind me of a friend who did a campaign similar to this
@Semidoppel … Yes, indeed. I hope there are more people out there who are willing to do things like these … 🙂
Everything that is done to help others is a nice deed to do. I salute all of you. 🙂
@ Zen … I definitely agree with you. And thank you for the hats off. Credit also goes to Jade who started this … 😀