Photo courtesy of @Wittyzell
Last Monday, the staff of HivePH visited an orphanage in Manila to hand over the donations we collected here in Hive in the Raffle that we held last March. We originally just planned on making it just a short visit, literally just hand the donation to the admins, have a short chitchat, then leave. While I was preparing to leave that day, I thought of skimming through my daughter's short story books to see if there's something that we could read to the children.
Then I found Ako si Kaliwa, Ako si Kanan. This was published by Adarna House, written by Russell Molina, illustrated by Ibarra Crisostomo. I thought this would be a perfect book for the toddlers there. I imagined they are already learning which is left and right so maybe they would be able to relate to the book.
Photo courtesy of @Wittyzell
The staff decided to have a late lunch at Robinson's Manila before heading to the Home for the Angels orphanage. As I was on my way to the meeting place, the book already in my bag, I thought book reading might not be enough with the energy that the kids have. Maybe we should have another activity. What other activity do children love other than play but to also draw and color things. I should know, my nieces and nephews, and my daughter all had a go at our walls with their "artworks".
Photo courtesy of @Wittyzell
So stopped by at National Bookstore to buy some arts supplies. It's just oslo paper and jumbo crayons. I thought buying ready drawn papers so they'll just color in but I'd really much prefer that they have a free reign when it comes to artistic expression. I thought this would be really interesting.
When we arrived at the Home for the Angels orphanage, we were met by the staff and had a bit of an orientation. They explained how the kids got there, the processes they go through before they are fostered in the home, and the process that aspiring parents will go through should they want to adopt a child. I felt mixed emotions as I heard the "origin stories" of the kids. It felt sad, but at the same time thankful that they were found and are safe, it felt angering too, but more than anything, it felt hopeful.
When we finally saw the kids, the first question I asked was "Can I be able to gather them up together and have a sit and listen to the story?" At first, it did not look as if they would stay put. All they wanted to do was play and roughhouse and whatnot. Then I did the thing I told myself I would never do. I bribed them with a toy. Desperate times, desperate measures I guess.
The crochet mushrooms worked! I got their attention. At first they just had their eyes on the toys. But after a few pages, they forgot about it. They were genuinely enjoying the story time. Well, some of them. There were some who really would just love to run around. It is what it is. Children will be children. I'm fine with just a few listening. I somehow loved the chaos. In my mind, a noisy and active child is a healthy child so it was totally fine that they were just running around.
I love how they comment on the story as I go along. They would say funny things, would raise their hands really quick so that they'll be the first to answer. They were interacting so well. I loved it.
Once the story was done, we distributed the papers and the crayons. It's funny how arts activities really does reveal a lot about a child's personality. That's why I opted for a blank paper. They'll be able to really let their inner thoughts and feelings shine. Some of them drew their right or left hand. I guess they really felt like showing that they know their left and right. There were some who drew beautifully, there were some who drew more artistically than the others.
The visit was both fun and chaotic. That's really expected when dealing with kids. But what I loved the most was when the kids called me "Teacher". It had a ring to it that really touched my heart and soul. When I told my daughter this, she just said, "Well, you are a teacher, Nanay." I don't know why, but I really love the sound of that. That visit to the orphanage was amazingly awesome. I hope that even if it was just a tiny little fraction of their life that we were there, I hope that we were able to make them feel loved and appreciated.
Photo courtesy of @Wittyzell
Special thanks to the people who shared their time for that day: 
The Home for the Angels is still in need for donations in cash and in kind. You may visit their website or call their landline on the photo if you want to make a donation.
