Street kids from different parts of the metropolis are introduced to kite-making as part of a fun-filled day in Rizal Park in celebration of the International Day for Street Children. RICHARD A. REYES
More than 500 street kids from different parts of Metro Manila were treated to a day of fun and learning on Saturday at Rizal Park in Ermita, Manila, in celebration of the International Day for Street Children.
Organized by 25 civic groups under the National Council of Social Development (NCSD), an organized network for social development in Metro Manila which provides assistance to groups serving street children, the activity gave the kids a chance to enjoy Filipino traditional games and interactive storytelling with the help of members who also supplied them with food and learning materials.
A celebratory picnic on the park grounds and the “Saranggola Challenge for Change,” a program in which the children were taught to make and fly kites, were also held as part of the celebration sponsored by Asilo de San Vicente de Paul, Bahay Tuluyan, Virlanie Foundation, Childhope Asia Philippines, Lingap Pangkabataan and other civic groups devoted to street kids.
Dolora Cardeño, executive director of Erda Foundation, a group dedicated to providing poor but deserving children access to education, said that they have been participating in the worldwide activity since it was launched in 2011.
“We prepare book reading and storytelling activities for the street kids every April 12 for them to have fun and at the same time learn a lot of things,” Cardeño told the Inquirer.
With the theme “Louder Together: Kumilos at Makialam Para sa Kapakanan ng mga Batang Lansangan (Act and Get Involved in the Welfare of Street Children),” Saturday’s activity was also the culmination of a week-long public awareness campaign in Metro Manila that called on people “to address the issues of children surviving on the streets and to recognize that a street child has the same potential as any other child, given the opportunity.”
In line with this, members of the different groups assisted by some street kids distributed pamphlets explaining the rights of children and what the public could do to help them at the different Light Rail Transit stations in Manila from April 7 to 11.
“We are encouraging our fellow citizens to refer children in the streets to appropriate agencies which can provide [their] basic needs,” NCSD officer in charge Marian Opeña said.