As you know in our last Newsletter, Kamran wrote about Kuya Center – what we do and who are the children there. In this issue I thought of giving a brief account about Kuya Center and the children. Kuya Center is for the children on the streets who are addicted to drugs or were abused by adults. Its mission is to help and accompany these children back to their own home, or to take them back to the center and give them an education. Kuya Center is doing its mission around Metro Manila. Marikina City is one of its branches. In Marikina City we can find street children close to the malls or train stations or public markets. As they say “ants go where the sugar is”. These children also go where the crowd is. There is one place that I did not mention where they come together and feel at home, that is under the bridge at Santolan, opposite SM Marikina.
Every Saturday Kamran and I leave MAPAC at 11:30 a.m. to go to our apostolic formative activity (in short we call it AFA). We usually travel by jeepney to River Banks in Barangka, Marikina and from there we walk along the riverside and eventually reach Santolan, under the bridge. Recently this place was being renovated by the Marikina City Council, as they have planned to build a bus station for Marikina City. I think, that is enough information about the place. The children are from different age groups, from babies to adults. They have their own clique, usually the same age group of boys or girls, they get on well together.
Usually, we write what we do with these children, or one of our experiences with them, but I would like to write what I have learned from them. I have been there for two whole semesters, and I would say that they are a great model for community life. If I trace back our history of Christianity, the early Christian community “lived together and all things were in common, nobody owned anything, all were treated equally as others.” I could quote the whole page about the early Christian community. Then I may not be able to tell you something about this small street community in Marikina. I do not know what religion they belong to. Do they attend daily Mass or even Sunday Mass? Do they have prayer everyday? Do they have classes to attend on week days? Do they have accompaniment or spiritual direction? I do not think that they do any of these things. But they have most of the values or qualities of a community life.
There are around 25 boys and 15 girls in this place. Girls have their own place for clothes. They put all their clothes together. Nobody owns anything. Whenever anybody needs any clothes, they can take them. Similarly the boys follow what the girls do with their clothing. If some one is sick or not well, they buy food or medicine for him and try to make him feel comfortable. Usually when they return after visiting malls, stations or markets, they get some money through their work, like begging, or selling recycling material that they have collected from the street. They buy food or drink or cigarettes or “rugby” (it is glue used for pasting together PVC pipes). When they come home under the bridge all the children even the big or small ones, gather together and it is time for sharing. They share what they have. There is no fighting (like you eat more I get less). I really felt touched by their way of life and they have taught me what it means to share and to care for my brothers who are living with me. How can I share without expecting anything from others? It really needs a lot of generosity to do it, but these children do it so easily. I am also developing what I have learned from them. I try to put this into practice in my daily life experience. 
Let me share one of my experiences. One Saturday, as usual, I went to their place. I was amazed to see them fighting. I thought, this is not normal, what is happening to them. Then I asked the social worker why they were fighting, what was the reason. Then he told me, it is not a fight; it is just to make them strong in time of persecution. Sometimes they get caught and are beaten by the police or they have to run away from the police. They do not have a gym or playground to play in to strengthen them. After the fight I saw two of them sitting in one place and talking to each other very happily. They were not upset or angry with each other. I thought it is true; they really put themselves in a difficult situation for their survival. If they are not fit they could not bear the pain that they have to go through. It is really a matter of survival. Since we get all the necessary living things, we may not be aware of the pain that we have to put into it. I really have learned how much effort I have to put into my daily activities. Sometimes we do it for the sake of doing it; I have learned to put my full effort into the things that I do. Even though it is painful and I do not want to escape from it. Even though it is difficult let us try for something to happen…………….
“It is my deepest beliefs that only by giving our lives do we find life. I am convinced that an act of courage is to sacrifice ourselves for others.” (Carlos Chavas)
Let us pray for God’s blessing on the street children, for their security, their safety, their good health and for a bright future. Thank you. – By Br. Robinston
To know more about Kuya Center plese watch the video Thanks
