Notes from an Encounter

MANILA, Philippines – The stories of people who strive for change should never be left untold – stories that have made this world a little less troubled, a little less unfortunate, and a little less unfair deserve to be shared. This is the story of three people with three different encounters interconnected by one organization.

The Hopeful

A local government officer in North Cotabato left his hometown, his family, and a stable job to be a volunteer in Bangladesh through VSO Bahaginan’s international volunteering program. A year and three months ago, James Zamora, 52, saw the injustices brought upon the women in Bangladesh – false representation, forced marriage, rape, acid throwing, suicide, and trafficking. He worked with various NGOs to form a coalition to empower women and stop the discrimination against them.

James’ volunteer work in Bangladesh centered around dialogue. He would spend his days conducting long talks with the Shalish, Bangladesh’s local council, to explain the rights of women as stated in their law. He shared best practices in women participation and empowerment in other countries, including the Philippines. His conviction and the efforts of other NGOs led to the increase in women participation in the Shalish.

At the end of his volunteer mission, James realized it is not only the Bangladeshi women who gained from his work. He went back to his hometown with a whole new perspective on development. He saw that despite the crisis and the development issues that the people of Bangladesh struggle with, they manage to be productive as seen in the abundance of their agriculture and livestock resources.

The importance of hard work in the face of poverty is something that James wishes to impart to his community in North Cotabato. In Bangladesh, he saw how people managed to be productive despite the struggles they face. “Ang mga damo, hindi halos tumutubo dahil sa dami ng baka at mga pananim (the grass doesn’t get to grow here because of cattle grazing and crops planted),” he describes a poor village.

James is back serving the local government of Makilala, developing new social enterprises and continuing his inter-religious dialogue work with poor Muslims, Christians, and Lumads at the foot of Mt. Apo. In his talks with the different groups, he would always remind them to set their priorities right and make use of what they have.

He observes, “Dito sa Mindanao, makikita mo na ang daming nakatiwangwang na lupa…Pati savings wala tayo. Mas inuuna pa natin ang cell phone at load (There is so much idle land in Mindanao. We don’t even have savings, we prioritize cell phones and phone loads).” Through continuous dialogue, James hopes to impart values that would help the people in these communities make the most out of their resources.

The Builder

A veteran volunteer worker co-founded an organization dedicated to peace-building and serving the internally displaced people of Lanao del Sur. Datu Aminodin Tanog, also called Ding, is a 45-year-old Muslim NGO worker who has devoted his life to social mobilization.

Volunteerism for Ding meant serving and caring for his oppressed Muslim brothers and sisters who up to today continue to run for their lives. But over the years, beginning in 1988, he felt the need to answer this question: if volunteers are looking out for our less fortunate brothers and sisters, who will look out for the volunteers? Volunteers naturally draw motivation from the hardships of others but there is a need to look out for their formation too.

This led Ding to engage VSO Bahaginan seven years ago. His organization, Kalimudan Foundation, decided to partner with VSO Bahaginan to better manage their volunteers. Workshops were held and modules were provided for strategic planning and skills support. “VSO Bahaginan provides us with the direction in volunteer work which makes us appreciate the work all the more,” he says.

The key in volunteerism is to make the work you do constantly worthwhile. “It is easy to mobilize professionals and bring them to the community. But what they want to see is that the service that they have extended has benefited the community directly,” explains Ding. 

Kalimudan was able to systematize its work through a volunteer management system. Volunteers, he notes, are motivated by the knowledge that they are of help to people. The return of investment is seen in how much they are able to improve lives. But more than serving a community in need, volunteerism is offering the skill and talent that you have and delivering it efficiently and effectively.

The Believer

Everywhere in the world, people are starving for good news. Cheche Lazaro noted this when her television news magazine, Probe Team, went off the beaten track to Mozambique, Africa to bring us a rare look at the lives of two young Filipinos working as VSO Bahaginan volunteers. Three years since that visit, Cheche is still convinced that volunteerism brings out the best qualities in the Filipino – that of being mapagkalinga and mapagbigay.

Cheche vividly recalls one magical moment in Mozambique when she witnessed how the VSO volunteers’ work have made a difference in the lives of the African villagers. 

“It was a rainy day when we went deep into this Havana in the middle of nowhere. When we arrived, a group of African women came out in the rain and surrounded this little artesian well.” The well was built through the efforts of Imelda, a VSO Bahaginan volunteer formerly an accountant in the business district of Makati.

Cheche shared how the women all screamed upon seeing that clear water pumped out of the artesian well. They started singing, shouting, and dancing. They were spirited. They all praises and thanked Imelda.

“It was such a magical experience for them, for Imelda, and for us,” Cheche narrates. Inspired by Imelda’s story, Cheche has become an ambassador of VSO Bahaginan.

Indeed, development issues know no geographical bounds. “The world is shrinking. Globalization has made concerns of other countries your concern because what happens there impacts you. No country is really an island today,” Cheche says. “Yes, it’s good to develop our own country but it is also good to know what’s happening outside. If the Imeldas of this world, having experienced what they saw there, come home, they can make this place a better place,” Cheche adds.

It’s been four years and Imelda is still there in the deserts of Africa. We ask how she survives and she tells us, “I discovered that I don’t need much.”  

Indeed, the stories of these volunteer workers resonate with hope that people can still be counted on to bring hope where there is none.

VSO Bahaginan is a premier development organization in the Philippines committed to fighting global poverty by engaging volunteers and institutional partners into a wide range of volunteer programs and initiatives.

To learn more about VSO Bahaginan visit www.vsobahaginan.org.ph.