70 street children get a treat

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2015/08/15/70-street-children-get-treat-424854
• Saturday, August 15, 2015

By Earl Jon M. Rallos

WHILE many street kids were busy painting the walls of the Waterfront Police Station, SPO1 Janice Tamayo identified a few familiar faces.

“Nadakpan na namo ni sila (We caught them once),” Tamayo said, pointing at some male teens who were finishing a mural of nature.

One of them was 17-year-old Gio (real name withheld for being a minor).

He used to belong to a gang that Tamayo’s team rounded up for snatching and roaming the streets, preying on passersby.

But Gio now spends his days as a fifth grader at the Tejero Elementary School.

Monthly event

“Ganahan nako moskwela kay sa maglaroy-laroy (I now prefer going to school instead of wandering),” said Gio who was also vocal about his dreams of becoming a seaman.

He was among the 70 street kids who benefited from a series of activities initiated by the Cebu Lumad Lions (CLL), the youngest chapter of the civic group Lions Club.

Yesterday, CLL, in coordination with Police Station 3 at Pier 1 and the surrounding barangays, gathered the street kids for its “Agosto Halad Serbisyo ug Kaalam.”

After listening to “Alamat ng Lansones” and few other stories and eating the meals prepared for them, the kids went on with the day’s highlight--mural painting.

“Nalingaw kaayo mi (We really had fun),” Gio said.

CLL charter president Dr. Marilyn Campano told the media they are conducting the activities on a monthly basis primarily to promote environmental awareness.

Campano, who is a dentist, has been leading the CLL since 2014.

“Every time we have a project like the mural, we just add up few other services like feeding and storytelling,” she said.

Aim

She said their group is also trying to bring back traditional reading to prevent vision deterioration from heavy exposure to gadgets.

“In our everyday lives, it’s not just about work. Sometimes we also have to give back,” added Campano, who was also celebrating her birthday.

Tamayo said the kids were from Barangays San Roque, Sto. Niño, Tejero and Tinago.

CLL hopes to do a school-based adaptation of the activities with students of Banilad Elementary School next month.