We started the day off by going into the central business district of Manila hunting for a film equipment hire shop. Believe it or not we found one and with state of the art equipment. The city could have been any western city in the world but even more had the feel of an American city with massive advertising billboards everywhere.
So, the reason we're here is to make a DVD resource for children in the UK to explore
the rights of the child, and to do that by comparing their lives with those of young people who have lived on the streets in Manila
Today, we started filming. It struck me that we weren't here to film some street kids anymore - but to meet some young people whose lives have met more challenges than mine probably ever will, and to hear how they find hope and meaning.
These boys are all connected to the project we're here with - Jigsaw. They are being sponsored to go to school and learn skills that will give them opportunities and possibilities in the future. Hearing their stories today into camera was both heart-moving and amazing. When asked the question, "Where was God while you were living on the streets and your family were so ill?" - Raymond replied, through tears, that God was with him the whole time. And you knew it was more than words.
One after another, the stories came out about how they found hope in a project that believed in them. Where family members have died through ill health, where homelessness had forced them to beg on the streets and dig through rubbish on the sides of roads. One of the guys told us that he only thinks of today and tomorrow - because yesterday might be too hard to take in.
Tim Lee helped us greatly in framing the questions to ask them and it was really touching to see the
affection he has for the children and that they have for him. He too was hearing them talk openly about their past for the first time. Once we had finished everyone was in high spirits and it really felt that we had bonded closer together through hearing their stories.
Afterwards we headed into the downtown area and had food at the hard rock cafe. The contrast couldn't have been greater with lots of young brightly dressed Filipinos chilling out in Mega malls and listening to asian rock and reggae bands.Tomorrow we will continue our filming with a group of girls. It's funny that if I was given the choice between the bright lights of the city or hanging out with the children at Jigsaw, the city wouldn't stand a chance. Check out all our latest pics on Dave's Flickr and to get Mikes go to the CMS flickr.
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