Diary entry: 24th July 2024

This is what I am going to change in my life to fight global inequalities

Everyday, we are all faced with hardships but as time goes on, these hardships become normalised within societies.

For example, the children of the Badjao community do not dwell on their living circumstances that are disproportionately affected by lack of access to education, healthcare and affected by water pollution. Instead, I witness them finding joy and entertainment in the little things we take for granted/advantage of.

I’ve also observed that the instruction manuals are repurposed into paper planes and plastic bottles are turned into toy boats pulled along by strings through puddles.

We as Irish are so oblivious to the impact of ‘single use’ products as we have adequate disposal resources but this issue is not as effectively resolved in developing countries like the Philippines. Instead, it is dumped onto the communities experiencing poverty where they give the waste new life and maximise its usage through innovation and creativity.

In addition to changing my shopping habits and reflecting on my materialistic ways, I am ever more motivated to continue my studies in politics and sociology.

I hope to gain more knowledge and raise awareness on the importance of preserving and protecting the culture and livelihoods of indigenous people.

This volunteer placement with SERVE has provided me with a much broader perspective of how our actions affect others and that the continual cycle of oppression must end.

About Ayanna Letcher

West Cork based, Ayanna Letcher volunteered with SERVE in 2024 with the Badjao community in Cebu, Philippines. Ayanna wrote the above diary entry while on placement.