The nine Peace Corps volunteers asked for donations from their relatives in the United States, and tapped PYAP members and other youths from Padang to organize what would be the first sign of Christmas at the shelter. “It was a lot of fun. The kids really enjoyed. The special numbers were prepared by the youths themselves. We gave away slippers, T-shirts and toys,” Kochersberger said. “Our goal was to help the kids be kids and hopefully, they will be able to leave the bad things behind,” she added. Julia Campbell, 39, who is also from New York and learned to speak Filipino in her 19 months of stay in Bicol, said: “Minsan mahirap, pero masaya kami sa pagtulong (Sometimes, it’s hard but we are happy to help).”
A group of US Peace Corps volunteers and members of the Pag-asa Youth Association of the Philippines (PYAP) threw a Christmas party for some 150 young survivors of the village, which was washed out by lahar on Nov. 30 at the height of Reming
American volunteers bring cheer to evacuees
By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer
Last updated 03:02am (Mla time) 12/24/2006
Published on page A1 of the December 24, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
LEGAZPI CITY—Christmas came early this year for survivors of Supertyphoon “Reming” in Barangay Padang, this city.
A group of US Peace Corps volunteers and members of the Pag-asa Youth Association of the Philippines (PYAP) threw a Christmas party on Wednesday for some 150 young survivors of the village, which was washed out by lahar on Nov. 30 at the height of Reming.
The volunteers had been here since Tuesday, sprucing up the Gogon Elementary School, where more than 400 families from Padang have sought shelter.
“We made a Christmas tree and a little snowman made of paper, filled the room with decor, prepared food and facilitated games for children, who sang Christmas carols,” said Kate Kochersberger, who hails from New York.
The nine Peace Corps volunteers asked for donations from their relatives in the United States, and tapped PYAP members and other youths from Padang to organize what would be the first sign of Christmas at the shelter.
“It was a lot of fun. The kids really enjoyed. The special numbers were prepared by the youths themselves. We gave away slippers, T-shirts and toys,” Kochersberger said.
“Our goal was to help the kids be kids and hopefully, they will be able to leave the bad things behind,” she added.
Julia Campbell, 39, who is also from New York and learned to speak Filipino in her 19 months of stay in Bicol, said: “Minsan mahirap, pero masaya kami sa pagtulong (Sometimes, it’s hard but we are happy to help).”
Campbell was teaching English in a private college here, when successive typhoons struck and classes were suspended.
Busy with relief work for typhoon victims in Padang, she said that like the children of Bicol, she, too, waded through waist-deep flood waters.
Neck-deep in mud
However, her experience was nothing compared to the stories of other children, particularly that of Almera. The 10-year-old who lost everyone save for her mother, tumbled under torrents of sand and rocks and when she was finally rescued, her whole body, except for her head, was buried in mud.
“They are too young to experience such a great disaster and it was really hard for them to understand everything,” Campbell said of the young survivors.
Campbell was a reporter for The New York Times until she decided to leave her job after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
“I lived near ground zero. After the attacks, I decided to volunteer for the Peace Corps. I wanted to show people in the world what Americans are really like because after 9/11, people had the impression that Americans are bad, selfish and greedy,” she said.
She added that most of them in the Peace Corps were not rich. Most came from the middle class and received no salaries, except for a small living allowance.
“I wanted to reach out to people. I wanted to volunteer and do it full-time,” Campbell said.
Children’s party
Enrico Baldo, 19, city president of the PYAP, said children smiled all throughout the early Christmas party which lasted more than two hours.
“This disaster created unity among the city’s youth. We were brought together to do whatever we can for the typhoon victims,” Baldo said.
“It was my first time to reach out in the midst of a disaster and in spite of the language barrier, I could discern resilience and courage among the children,” Kochersberger said.
She was happy to see the youth working together preparing food and organizing the program. Even young survivors from Padang helped in the party preparations.
Fulfilling
“This is one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done—giving my time for the children. They need to be kids and be given opportunities to express themselves,” Kochersberger said.
She narrated that on her first day in the evacuation center, she met a 6-year-old boy who sat quietly in a chair and would sometimes lash out at other children.
“With the little Filipino I knew, I asked what was bothering him,” Kochersberger said.
The boy answered that he was sad because his mother and sister were in the hospital, being treated for injuries.
“He was quite isolated and would hurt other children—probably because of post-traumatic stress. We got him involved in activities and he learned to play with other children,” she said.
Sad to leave
Kochersberger said she was deeply inspired by her experience in Albay and would be sad to go when her 21-month term ends soon.
The Peace Corps is an independent federal agency of the United States.
More than 187,000 people have served in 139 countries with the Peace Corps since it was established in 1961.
They have volunteers in over 70 countries around the world, providing technical assistance in government, education, health, HIV/AIDS, business, information technology, agriculture and the environment.
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