Arnold Janssen Bahay Kalinga is a home for at least 53 homeless persons. Homelessness is a complex issue. But homeless people can teach us values we tend to forget amidst our comfortable lives.
For one, their desire to rise each morning, to plant seeds of survival, hoping one day it will yield a fruitful harvest.
Paulyn is 58 years old and has been homeless for over a year. She survives by doing manicure and pedicure in the alleys of Quiapo Church when the lockdown started. Since she arrived in Bahay Kalinga, she alone has planted “sitaw”, “talbos ng kamote”, “pechay”, talong” and “oregano”. Likewise she has been manicuring our garden.
When asked why she is doing this, “even if I’m partly deaf, I wish to offer my share to help feed us and my fellow homeless in Arnold Janssen Bahay Kalinga.”
I’m praying someone could help her find the “hearing aid” she needs for her impaired hearing.
Homeless people are gifted persons too. They are just deprived of opportunities.