Manila Edition II

Metro Manila is one of the largest, most crowded, dirtiest, worst traffic cities on the planet. With 10 million people and only 1 million jobs, it is a place of great despair. But despite it all, most are oblivious to the poor quality of life and would not dream of living in the provinces. A world calss city with world class poverty.

And the people keep coming to settle and try their "luck" in the city. A few thousand people move here every day. Usually their skill set is limited and they can't compete in the job market they dreamed of. They don't find a niche. They end up with few options. Of course at $1.00 per day you can recycle the waste from the middle classes. These school teachers, office workers or government employees earn about $300.00 per month and are a wealth of waste, with their plastics, styro foam boxes and paper wraps from their expensive $2.00 lunches. The hard working father can even support 2-3 children if he hustles his cart.

The traffic, smog and pollution become secondary in the daily task of getting a bus, finding parking or going to the air conditioned Mall. As each one pursues a career path they are sold a coping mechanism. It is marketed endlessly throughout the day on giant bill boards and droning electronic devices. Good cell phone reception and lots of movie and restaurant choices are some of the reasons they tell me "Manila has it all."

The tricycle is one of the best inventions for overcrowding. It allows up to 5 people to load up the 100cc Motorbike for economical transport. Getting one during rush hours or during a rain storm takes the fun out of it, but it can get through crowded streets that taxis and buses could never manage. And the growth will continue. As national government keeps propping up it's economy and printing more money, they strive to put the best press forward and suppress the rest. The building is very aggressive, with prime locations growing vertically at the expense of the infrastructure. Many multinationals are pulling out because of recent economic upheavals and political unrest. A recent rating put the Philippines as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. We've finished our necessary trip. We are glad to be going home to Palawan. And we are glad we can match our children at ICAB for adoptive families that will bring opportunity to the Filipino in years to come. And Manila just grew by a few more thousand today.

Manila Edition

We are here matching babies to parents and will be at ICAB Tuesday for the presentation of our picks. We just returned from an ABSNET Consultation with the DSWD. The Area Based Standards Network is helping Welfare agencies to get registered and licensed with the government. It is illegal to take children into your home and give them permanent care without proper monitoring. That's how many of the children end up getting abused. Narcy shared with a cabinet member of the president, the Under Secretary of the DSWD, as well as other presidents and directors of caring agencies and NGOs.

Anyone willing to help children have lots of options. But you have to file your intentions. Narcy's the President of ABSNET Palawan. They give you the starter pack and all the steps up front. You are required to at least be a licensed foster parent to take in children. That's how Narcy and I started out. Then we developed a local board of directors and incorporated Aloha House Inc. as a non-profit, non-stock, charitable mission with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Next we pursued licensing by developing an manual of operation, hired a social worker to monitor the paper work and develop care plans for the children. We were ready to license in one year and then pursued accreditation. That is a higher standard with more scrutiny of your paper work, case management and caring facility.

Archie was there and took copious notes in techni-color. He was able to sit through some of the boring stuff and do his work from the travelbox his grandpa made him in Seattle. It's full of little cars and papers and colors as well as a few bugs! We also toured the area and shot lots of video, so we had fun. It was good to see the government delegating some the responsibility of accountability to the private sector. We are more in tune and available to help the new organizations and spot the fakes trying to exploit the tribes, children, and elderly. People that want to help are always grateful for ABSNET guidance and coaching. And this consultation was just the first after two years of implementation of Administrative orders. Others will follow. It was worth the side trip to Lucene and I'm really proud of Narcy and the ABSNET leaders from around the countries.

Inter Country Adoption

We are in Manila undergoing matching at ICAB. Archie and I checked the farm before we left. We will miss the open space and clean air. Our legumes are doing so well now. Archie bikes through the garden between the rows.

We spend lots of time reading and note taking at ICAB. Each child gets matched to pre-approved families. We will be looking at a list of 200-400 names, to find the best family for our guys. We read the case studies and background reports to determine the best family for our children. Some need siblings, others might not do well with pets, etc. We prefer full time moms who will be available for bonding, catching up with the child is important because they are one or two years old already.

We took a one hour flight and were able to meet the captain. That's Archie's favorite part of the trip. Air Philippines is a safe choice, but we always study the emergency cards. "Daddy,when do we get to ride the jump and slide?" Narcy finds Archie's questions amusing. At six years old and learning to read, we are constantly amazed at the active mind of our adopted son. What a blessing he is to our family. God intervened in his life and placed in a family that loves him and nurtures him. That's our job.

We also have a 3 day meeting to go to for the Area Based Standards Network. Narcy is President of our chapter and leading the nation in our region, I will be presenting a report on accomplishments for the Network. We will try to post again this week on our progress. We have some side trips planned to a farm and orphanage too.

Cultural Balance

In Filipino culture adoption is not as widely embraced as most western cultures. Families often take in a neighbor or relative to help out in a crisis. But because of the extent of the poverty or moral failure or hardness of heart in some parents, they never come back for the child. The child is left with a reluctant family who is equally poor and just trying to cope with their own children. They feel used and resentful. The resent transfer to the child. Then neglect takes it's toll. Eventually, when the mother never returns, the child is treated as a servant at best. They end up working long hours in the house or farm and end up missing out on an education. They are also a low priority for precious calories. Nutrition suffers. Some of these families live day to day, just getting by on rice and salt two meals a day. One child who was left with a neighbor was left out at meal time and told "You're just adopted! You can eat when your mommy brings us rice."

So you can see why adoption is perceived as a less than desirable situation. Hopefully, a local pastor will be able to rescue the child and refer him to us. Or a neighbor will contact a government social worker who can hand the case over to Aloha House. That's when we are able to take in the child and track down the parents. The child has no opportunity for a real family till the mother can be located, counseled and assessed then sign papers. Otherwise an Abandonment case is presented at the Regional trial court. One mother we were counseling was persecuted for surrendering her child because of the hia (Hee-ah) system. It's a subtle but strong guilt structure that they are under when the family sees what is going on. The family will try to persuade the mother to keep the child, despite the neglect, unemployment and disinterest, but won't even offer to help them. The guilt is used to force the wrong decision. A decision that is not in the best interest of the child.

In most countries these mothers would be in jail for criminal neglect of a minor. But here there is little enforcement of the law. So we must maintain a cultural balance in working with all parties involved so that they will be able to see how we can help. We get to direct the child through the cultural jungle and into permanent families where they are welcome. That's God's plan, loving families.

Adoption Vs. Institution

The day when a child leaves Aloha House with the new parents is the day we start all over with the next one. We have 13 crib spaces and they refill soon after the last child is adopted. Each bed can serve 12 to 15 children in 18 years. Without adoption, the children would stay in an institution all their lives. One bed, one child. We love these children and give them the best we can. But the care never is as good as real parents. A proper home is where mom and dad are in the next room.

Children deserve to be in families. God's plan is for mothers and fathers to raise children, not institutions. Of course, an institution is better than living on the streets or enduring a life of abuse or neglect. But why stop at the institutional level. These children can be matched with qualified families through Philippine Law. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)oversees children's homes and orphanages so that they can give the best possible care to their clients while they wait for permanent adoption. We usually have 300-400 families to choose from. They are pre-approved and waiting for children to add to their families.

So why not give the children the best thing for them, a loving mommy and daddy!

Kimchi

Kimchi is a fermented vegetable dish that helps Koreans to get through the winter. Just like Germans make sauerkraut . Seems every culture that goes through winter tries to preserve or pickle fresh fruits and vegetables for the time between growing seasons.There is a family of lactic acid bacteria that work to prevent putrefaction. My wife learned to make some of the best Kimchi from Koreans living in Palawan. As I learn to blog (weblog), I hope Narcy too, will share some of her great recipes from her international menus. We serve the children in the orphanage a wide range of foods so that they are accustomed to living abroad.
Most of the children end up in the US, Australia and Europe because culturally the Filipinos do not readily adopt. Do not worry, the five alarm Kimchi is only for the adults!

The key is to grow fresh organic white radish, but we also kimchi: red radish, ampalaya, swiss chard, pechay, cabbage and carrots. Next, you soak the vegetable overnight in a light brine of sea salt and drain in the morning. We use honey and chili powder, garlic and ginger along with some guest vegetables in lesser volume to give it color. The key is low salt and natural sugars. Make sure you wear gloves cause the chili will get in your eyes sooner or later. Ferment in the back of your ref for a week and do not worry if you forget, it will only get better in the coming months. We grow organic herbs and sell them locally, so we always have a good supply for food preparation and cooking. Our Italian basil will go into our Aloha Pesto, with local garlic right from our garden. We have Thai basil and lemon basil for Narcy's Tom Gong, lemon grass, Indian coriander, real cilantro, Chinese and curly parsley, and rosemary. And 3 main chili varieties.

While reading PyroManiac I noticed Phil Johnson takes his food and theology very seriously. He actually met a Korean saint when he was working on her Christian biography . As usual, it is a fascinating story. He tells of Esther Ahn Kim from Korea. She would not bow down to an idle during Japanese occupation. A real life application from the book of Daniel. I will look for the book If I Perish in the States when I visit.

And it seems Phil learned a valuable lesson about bridging the cultural gap through the stomach. He ate kimchi with fish head soup. Missionaries take note! I've been reading his bookmarks, Spurgeon site and blog. Phil and Tim Challies are the inspiration for starting my own blog. Why not, I'm a Christian with an opinion too. My theology is not as well developed. Some people are predestined to be Armenians, I have chosen to be a Calvinist. I love to learn from the Bible and I trust God's sovereign plan for mankind. We get to join God in His plan for His glory. That's the Christian life. That's why we started the orphanage. God's active in the midst of suffering. Their sites are very stimulating for the growing Christian and highly recommended. But come back to Aloha House because we know how to cook!