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A typical day of a SERVE volunteer in the Badjao community
SERVE volunteer Grace Sheehan describes a typical day in the Badjao community in Cebu, Philippines
and explains the unforgettable kindness of the people she has met.
Diary entry: 17th July 2024
About Cebu:
A popular mode of transport here in Cebu is the “jeepney”. They have no windows or doors, instead they’re completely open. They could fit up to 13 people to a side at any one time. We catch two of these every morning and two every evening after working with the Badjao community.
Inside the city, endless rows of high rise buildings hosting various establishments – businesses, schools, homes and more – reach like fingers into the sky, the streets and roads like veins within it. The city isn’t all grey, we drive through patches which hold parks and areas of greenery with numerous trees and bushes (some of which bear fruit like coconut, mango and papaya).
Arriving at Nano Nagle Centre
After our 2nd jeepney, we take tricycles and e-bikes with side cars to bring us from the side of the road to our final destination: the Nano Nagle Centre. This journey only lasts about ten minutes. To get to the Badjao community, we first drive through an area where people are experiencing extreme poverty.
Everyone here live in houses made from whatever material they can find. They do most of their living on the streets in front of their homes. When we arrive to the Nano Nagle Centre, teams of Badjao children come running to the bikes, excited for the day ahead of us all.
Meeting the children and what happens through the morning
When the children are allowed inside, they line up in their class groups (grades 1 to 5). They remove their shoes and neatly place them against the wall in front of their classrooms before going inside. They begin their day sitting in a circle on the floor. Now they are ready.
Depending on the workshop, the volunteers, and the age group, the workshops start a little differently. I like to open with exercise. Everyone stretches and jumps to get our blood pumping. The next few activities that I do are all games – e.g. what time is it mister wolf and musical statues. I’ve worked on Art and the Environment/Nature workshops.
This morning I worked on Environment/Nature with grade 3 and this evening with a high school group (ages 12 to 16 years old). In the morning, we talked about the differences between the animals and the weather in Ireland and The Philippines, made boats with recycled egg cartons, paper and sticks (for the sails). We talked about what the environment could be, and what it means to each of them and how we can look after it.
Having lunch and what we do in the afternoon
After lunch we opened the workshop with games, then moved on to what “environment” means to them, how to care for it, and what they need in theirs to be happy. Finally the group was divided into groups to think about and discuss pollution.
During the workshops I write down all the Sama Badjao words I hear, so that I’m able to communicate with the groups better in future. They test me now when I see them.
Lunch is another highlight of my day. First we pray, then comes a buffet style setup and a long table made from little tables, two to a side and a third on either end. After, everybody helps to clean up and reset the room so this can be used for a workshop. Lunch is filled with various conversations: the workshops, how people are, some differences in our cultures.
Going home after a full day
Our commute home is at 4pm and this is the same as the morning, the jeepneys are usually a little busier by now. Arriving home could be anywhere between 5.30pm and 6pm. We usually babble about various things we experiences throughout the day. Dinner is at 6.30pm, after we might have a meeting, or time to wind down and go to bed so we can do it all again tomorrow.
My reflection
I’m excited to be working here. I didn’t expect to become so attached to the experience so quickly, but here we are. I don’t believe that I’ll ever forget the people I’ve met and the welcome that I’ve received. I’ve only been met with endless kindness, it’s breathtaking.
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