Lucena's street kids, senior citizens benefit from Smart connectivity

MANILA, Philippines - Banoy was only seven years old when policemen, who found him roaming the streets, brought him to the City Social Welfare Complex of Lucena where he has found a home for the past nine years.

Now aged 16, Banoy is in first year high school, a scholar of the city government. The industrious student, who consistently received awards in elementary, dreams of becoming a doctor.  

Getting abandoned and neglected kids off the streets and on the road to a better future is what the City Social Welfare Complex of Lucena works round the clock to accomplish.

“We are an institution that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are a branch of the main City Social Welfare Development Office (CSWDO). Our mission is to help improve lives of street children. We currently have 70 boys and girls with us, they include victims of abuse and juvenile delinquents on rehabilitation,” says center manager Chat Ebron.

According to Ebron, the combined support of donor groups paved the way for improvements in the complex in recent years, enabling them to better do their job.

These include the addition of buildings such as the Action Center for boys and the Girls Crisis Center, plus a computer learning center with Internet connection.

It is the first time since its inception in 1981, that the City Social Welfare Complex is enjoying the benefits of having access to the World Wide Web.

“The SmartBro Internet service being provided for free by Smart for one year complements the computer donation we received from Rotary Club International,” says Ebron.

“We are glad to take part and share in the growth of the CSWDO which is a valued community partner of Smart,” says Chie Marquez, Community Care Area manager for Quezon of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart).

Banoy does his research for his assignments using Google Search. He considers the Internet as a source of learning and uses it only in doing school work, “’Yon may matututunan ako,” he says.

“Grade school, high school and college students in our care use the Internet and this has helped them get ahead in their classes. It boosts their confidence. Imagine, they are among the poorest, with no parents, and yet they are more advanced than their classmates,” shares Ebron.

The Internet connection is also of huge service to the Complex and its staff. Monthly reports can be easily sent via email to the main CSWDO which is a good 15 minutes drive from the Complex. The same goes with documents that need to be submitted to the regional office in Alabang.

Emailing has also facilitated their communication with other institutions where some kids are referred for transfer.

On several occasions, lost kids or stowaways brought to the complex were reunited with their parents with the help of the search engines and mapping applications available on the Internet.

“Two kids were brought to us by the police. They were reported to have stolen food from SM where they found themselves after running away from home, apparently due to some issues with their stepmother. The girl was 14 and her younger brother just eight. We asked for their father’s name and place of work and were able to locate the father by searching the Internet. That same day, the worried father came to our Complex to pick up his kids. It was a touching reunion,” narrates Ebron.

Because the complex also houses the Office of the Senior Citizens Affair, even elders are able to enjoy the Internet. “They want to learn to chat online in order to communicate with their sons and daughters working abroad,” reveals computer trainor Edwin Buela who is in-charge of teaching computer basics and Internet to the children at the complex as well as outsiders – indigents who can’t afford to pay for lessons.

In little ways that have made a big difference, the Internet has truly benefited the Complex and the people it cares for.