La Salle Green Hills Culural Exchange

La Salle Green Hills Cultural Exchange 2012

The Philippines exchange trip was a learning experience for the entire group. Whether it was working for Gawad Kalinga or visiting the Kuya Centre for street children, or the overnight stay at Jaime Hilario Integrated School in a small fishing village in Begaac, we learnt more about appreciation and happiness than we could in a school year. Most days were spent helping people make their lives more comfortable. When we had finished and saw the smiles on their faces it was a rewarding and fulfilling moment. It taught us that you don’t need much in the world to be happy. Material possessions are not important in order to live a fulfilling life. At the Kuya Centre the kids had all their possessions in a locker the size of a computer screen. We were made welcome and the people shared with us what they could. We realized that we take so much for granted in Australia. Over two days we were taken to a very poor community whose houses were made of cast-off building materials. We were helping a group called Gawad Kalinga that helps the less fortunate. We were assigned to a housing block where some of the De La Salle ‘MAD’ money was used to fund new units. Our job was to knock down old gardening walls and remove pavers so that the whole area could be concreted. Although the job was a simple one we saved the community many days of work. We were thanked by the residents who were grateful for the manpower. Our experience in the Philippines was very rewarding. It has changed our perspective on life and how we live it.

Tom Harkin and Tom Stanfield