MANILA, Philippines — No matter how poor, dirty or hungry these children are, they refer to them as their children. In return, these kids from the slums of Sitio Damayan in Tondo, Manila fondly call them Daddy Peegee and Mommy Melissa.

For almost a year now, Peegee, Melissa, and their “children’’ have become a truly big, happy family whenever they visit them at the dumpsite and charcoal factory known as Ulingan. Unlike most charity organizations doing work in the Smokey Mountain Phase 2 area, Peegee and Melissa’s Photo Kalye and Project PEARLS have been extending a more sustainable, transformative and personal approach to their mission in Ulingan.

Second parents

For one, the kids jump up and cling to Peegee and Melissa whenever they arrive, eagerly anticipating the goods they carry with them, be it food, medical supplies, clothing or whatever it is they feel are needed by the more than 300 children living in the place.

Apart from the feeding activity every Saturday, Project PEARLS and Photo Kalye also hold birthday parties for the kids who rarely get to celebrate their birthdays. The parties, are among the most-awaited events at the Ulingan as they come complete with a magic show, food including ice cream and cakes, as well as a program with dance and song numbers performed by the kids themselves. The kids are also occasionally treated to field trips to watch PBA
basketball games and Eat Bulaga, or to eat at fastfood restaurants.

Yet more than these simple joys, it is the shower of kisses, hugs, and genuine love and care that endear these complete strangers to the children who consider them as their second parents.

“Lahat ng mga bata dito, mga babies ko. Pag wala akong ginagawa, I just come here, play with the kids or visit them at the daycare. Gusto nga namin iadopt some of the kids pero nakakatuwa din kasi ayaw ibigay ng mga parents. We’ve developed a deeper kind of relationship with the kids and their families. Yung emotional attachment namin at pagmamahal sa mga bata, it’s already there kaya mahirap nang iwan,” reveals Peegee Silo, president of Photo Kalye, a Flickr-based group of photographers.

For Melissa Villa, president of San Francisco, California-based Project PEARLS, her life has never been the same again since she met the kids at Ulingan.

“I think we earned the respect and love of the children because we treat them like our own. Sabi nila ang daming nagpupunta dito pero kami lang ‘yung dumidito. Whenever I return to the States, I am overcome with grief and loneliness for having to leave these kids. But they send me letters, cards, and even call me. Yung isa hindi nag brebreakfast para makatawag sa akin. Sana daw hindi na ako bumalik sa States para hindi na siya umiiyak sa gabi,” shares Villa who knows almost all of the kids by heart.

Photos and pearls

Like the kids at Ulingan, Silo and Villa were total strangers who were just led to each other by fate and a common cause.

Photo Kalye discovered the place and the harsh conditions of the kids four years ago during one of the group’s photo walks. Eventually, it took them around the poor communities in Baseco, Sitio Magdalena in Binondo and Ulingan, where they felt compelled to do much more than just take beautiful, striking photos, but also raise awareness of the plight of its residents and funds by posting it on Flickr.

“Ang dami kasing photographers na kuha lang nang kuha. Sinasali yung mga photos nila sa mga exhibit, photo contests and then they don’t give back. Sabi ko sa group namin, why don’t we give back. We started with feeding programs and building a day care in these communities. At the Ulingan, we began our outreach through livelihood. We bought sewing machines for the mothers to start their rug business. Unfortunately, they didn’t want to work.

It was frustrating at first but then we decided to just concentrate on the kids. We then held feeding programs whenever we were able to raise funds,” relates Silo, a businessman.

Villa, on the other hand, only found out about Ulingan and Photo Kalye after seeing a pitiful photograph of a girl at the Ulingan by Belgian photographer Sidney Snoeck. From then on, she collaborated with Silo in addressing the needs of the children. Thus, the incredible partnership and inspiring volunteerism between Photo Kalye and Project PEARLS began and opened doors of opportunities for the kids.

Her story

Project PEARLS, which stands for Peace, Education, Aspiration, Respect, Love and Smiles (PEARLS), was founded by Villa and her daughter in San Francisco, California in 2008. The name of the charity organization was taken from the name of their boutique in San Francisco where they sold pearls.

The money they earned was used to sponsor two scholars from the Philippines.

The scholars were the children of Villa’s childhood friend and neighbor in Caloocan. Villa eventually expanded their charity to include the pediatrics division at the Philippine General Hospital, and feeding programs in Bulacan and Pangasinan.

“I grew up in Caloocan. I’ve seen squatters in Smokey Mountain but I’ve never been there. When Sidney showed me pictures of Ulingan, I was traumatized. From then on, I just left my heart here in the Philippines, in Ulingan!”, says
Villa. She finds herself flying to this part of the world more often now to spend her birthday, Christmas and summer vacation with the children of Ulingan.

Villa reveals that she may have developed a heart for the poor through her own life story.

“I didn’t grow up with a mother. She was a household helper and my father got her pregnant. I was looking for her most of my life but only met her when I was 40 years old. She lived in a slum community. After that, she passed away. So, I see myself in these children. I could have been one of them easily. So I emphatize with their situation and try to uplift their spirits,” recalls the 47-year-old Villa who works as a parish administrator at the St. Lukes Episcopal Church in San Francisco.

The mission

Through their combined, aggressive fundraising campaigns and the support of their volunteers, Project PEARLS and Photo Kalye are able to hold weekly feeding programs, quarterly medical missions and birthday parties.

They even built a daycare center for nursery and kindergarten students.

Recently, with the help of donors from all over the world, they were able to send 65 children to school, a major feat for a young charity organization.

“We have sponsors from Switzerland, Paris, Singapore. But who are these people? They are strangers! What’s more amazing is that half of the 65 sponsors are from the Philippines. I’m happy that there are plenty of Filipino sponsors. I think people really want to help they just don’t know where and how,” enthuses Villa.

Project PEARLS particularly solicits food, medicine, clothes, rain boots, and cash donations such as $180 or P7,200 for a one-year scholarship for one child. It covers two sets of uniform, one pair of shoes, school bag, school supplies, and P400-a-month worth of meal and transportation allowance (to and from school) for each child. At present though, Project PEARLS is no longer accepting donations for scholarship for the school year as it has already reached its maximum number of scholars.

Get them out of Ulingan

Silo says the ultimate accomplishment he wants to get from helping the children in Ulingan is to someday see them finish college, find a job, and get themselves out of their dire situation. While waiting for that to happen, Silo and his group are also planning to replicate the program in other depressed communities.

Villa, meanwhile, is determined to get the children out of Ulingan. Apart from living with the stench and pests that come with the dumpsite as well as fumes from charcoal, some 400 families residing here have to pay to have electricity supplied by a generator.

They also have to share the use of only two faucets, leaving them with no choice but to urinate, defecate, and bathe in the same waters from their side of the Manila Bay.

“My dream is to get them out of here. I spoke with Gawad Kalinga and they’re willing to work with us. We need to get them out of this environment which is not healthy for the kids. I realized we have a huge responsibility. Breaking the cycle of poverty is almost impossible especially for these people who are barely surviving it. But poverty doesn't have to be permanent. Through the gift of education, I believe we are giving the children in Ulingan a lifeline out of poverty,” ends Villa.

(For those who want to donate or volunteer, visit www.projectpearls.org)