Anthony Timtim, a 27-year old former nurse of a public hospital in Tagum City, has been voluntarily helping young souls who were victims of Typhoon Pablo and who are now residing in the tent city in Compostela town, Compostela Valley Province.
Despite not having a good source of income to help his family nowadays, Timtim has continued to help the children in his village as he was able to upgrade his knowledge in psychosocial handling after undergoing a seminar conducted by Plan International (Plan) on the topic.
“Until now, ang mga bata sa amoa dili pa totally okay kay ultimo hangin lang o ulan tabangon namo kay mangurog man sa kahadlok, unya manglagom (Until now, the children in our community have not totally recovered because even if the wind is not too strong or even if it is not raining heavily, they would start trembling with fear and then turn blue),” he explained.
There are times when he would feel the consolation of being able to help the children who, like him, have been trying to survive the impact of what has become the worst typhoon to have ravaged this part of the country.
Promoting the rights of women and children
Timtim is one of the three community educators of Plan in the municipality. As a community educator, he explains to the people cases like child protection, gender-based violence, human trafficking, abuse, and other related issues. Together with the Barangay Council Protection for Children (BCPC), they would share their knowledge on these cases, which are considered pervasive during and after a disaster.
During community education sessions, however, some people would enlist themselves even when they were not among those who were listed as participants. When lunchtime comes, Timtim and the other community educators would just give their share of food to those who have joined the session but are not on the list.
“Mao na usahay, magkasakit ko ug maguol ko kay dili man pud ko nila kayang tabangan. Pero much better nga ako’y motabang kaysa ako’y tabangan (This is sometimes the reason why I would get sick, and would be saddened because I know that these people could not also help me. But it would be better that I am the one extending help than the one receiving it)”, he said.
Timtim said that other than helping the villages, he has also educated himself about these issues. “Parehas anang trafficking, sa una makakita mi ana wala ko’y pakialam. Pero karon makaingon ko nga puwede ko makasumbong maski asa, kabalo ko kung unsa ang mga steps nga akong buhaton para mapaabot ang kaso nga dili pud madelikado akong kinabuhi (Take trafficking as an example. Before, I was indifferent about the matter. Now, I can report to the authorities and I know the steps that I would take),” he added.
An educator at heart
The community educator said he and the others have been trying to cope with the impact of the disaster as they have continued to stay in the tents eight months after the disaster.
“Dili gyud lalim ang magpuyo sa usa ka tent. Masakiton na pud akong mama Akong gusto unta karon nga maplastar nami, kanang naa na’y balay. Bahala’g pangit basta dili lang tent. Kanang naghigda ka ba nga naa na gyu’y atop nga makit-an nimo nga tinuod (It is not easy to live in a tent. My mother is also sickly. What I wish for now is to have our own house. It doesn’t matter if we get to have an ugly house. I just wish I can lie on my back and see a roof above my head),” he said.
“Pero maglisod pud ko og biya sa tent city kay naa ko’y sessions sa mga bata. Kaugalingong tabang na nako ni. Siyempre napamahal na pud sila sa ako. Sa tent city pa lang naa mi 132 ka bata. Kada Sabado ug dominggo, akong oras ana nabahin gyud. Naa’y oras para sa 3-6 years old, oras para sa 7-14, ug para sa 15-17 (But I find it hard to leave the tent city because I have study sessions with the children here. This is my advocacy aside from being a community educator. Of course, I have started to love the children. In the tent city alone we already have 132 children. Every Saturdays and Sundays, my time gets divided. There’s study time for 3-6 years old, study time for 7-14, and another 15-17),” he concluded.
With funds from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the child-friendly space (CFS) is another project of Plan that provides children with a physically safe area where they can learn, play, and be children in the midst of disasters. Plan staff and volunteers organize activities and games inside the CFS, helping children come to terms with the effects of natural disasters on their lives.
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