Haus of help & hope

MANILA, Philippines - There are two kinds of days at 35 Ofelia St. in Project 8, Quezon City.

Some days see kids playing in the spacious garage and small grotto or reading books and sharing toys in the activity area. The three-floor, white-walled house resounds with laughter then and to the children and adult residents, the world appears like new.

And then there are days when silence falls on the place like iron drapes; punctuated only by muffled sobs, deep sighs, whispers in choked voices. It’s when the third letter in the alphabet dwarfs the rest and strikes the heart with unfathomable sadness.

Welcome to Child Haus.

Established by hairdresser and businessman Ricky Reyes, Child Haus has been home away from home for children undergoing chemotherapy. For eight years now, it has cradled kids and their parents from the provinces who bravely battle it out with the Big C, with some staying in the shelter for as long as a year.

According to Ricky, Child Haus survives on donations by kind-hearted souls. Those who can’t offer financial assistance show their love through other ways.

The volunteer teachers who conduct classes. The nuns and priests who give catechetical guidance. The media practitioners who inform the public about it. Strangers who give their precious time and share their uplifting presence with the kids.

Indeed, everyone has means of contributing as long as heart is in the right place.

But it’s not always good news. Ricky recalls the difficult six-month process of relocating Child Haus from the old Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office compound to its current, albeit temporary, address that can accommodate up to 100 people. Apparently, many still have an unwarranted fear of cancer, refusing to rent out their place as soon as they learn about the health condition of the potential residents.

“They don’t realize that cancer is not contagious,” Ricky was quoted as saying in an article. “If a kid’s condition starts to worsen, we immediately take him or her to the hospital.”

Still, such things are eclipsed by the sense of community the residents demonstrate. At Child Haus, the parents group themselves to do the household chores so that everything is spic and span by the time they retire to their double-deck beds. Dr. Rachel Rosario, a cancer survivor herself, heads the staff and oversees the operation as well as medical care of the children.

 “They help each other out,” Ricky noted. “They have proper rooms, they live comfortably.”

To date, Child Haus has 16 partner hospitals and institutions and some 8,000 children have benefited from the shelter.

Asked why he chose to champion this advocacy, Ricky said that he couldn’t bear the idea of seeing kids — downtrodden as they are because of their affliction — sleeping in hospital corridors or, worse, on the streets.

For details, log on to www.childhaus.org.