Initially I didn't realize the depth of the poverty... sure I saw their home with no running water, a "comfort room" instead of a "bathroom" or toilet. A CR or comfort room is like an outhouse. Click here to see photos and a video of the comfort room (CR)... but even having seen those things I still didn't understand that they were severely lacking food until I asked about their refrigerator.

I noticed they had a refrigerator but it wasn't plugged into the electricity. I asked what was wrong with the refrigerator and Elvira told me "nothing is wrong with it, we just don't have vegetables to put in it."

Also electricity in the Philippines is considered VERY expensive relative to the incomes there. Electricity in the Philippines is either the first or second most expensive in ALL of Asia.

So I began to question her more about that because I thought surely they'd want cold water or would want to refrigerate other things. This is when the truth hit me...
I was told that the refrigerator hadn't been used since December 2011 (this was now March 2012) and because they had no regular income they often ate only three (3) substantial meals per week! That shocked and deeply saddened me.

Elvira told me that often she wouldn't eat because her {younger} brothers cried because they were hungry so she wouldn't eat so they'd have more food. They typically survived off of rice... often they'd eat rice with sugar, if they had sugar... if there was no sugar they'd eat rice with salt... when they had no rice they ate cooking oil with salt. I don't think many people in most Western nations can imagine that. I can attest to the lack of food in their home since I lived there for a while.

Rice is THE staple food in the Philippines. If they can have nothing else, they will have rice, they can live and survive off of rice if necessary... but if they have no rice then life is extremely difficult. I witnessed one of the aunts come to tears because someone hadn't cooked any rice. I think she assumed there was no more rice left because at this time they were running low of rice.

As a note, people there will eat rice with ketchup or soy sauce or noodles or whatever they have for some variety or to have a slightly different flavor when other foods are unobtainable. Mixing rice with a small can of sardines would be considered a feast.

During my time there I tried to ensure they had enough food. They were very grateful and they are truly such wonderful, appreciative people. If I gave them money to buy things (without me being present) they accounted for every peso or centavo and they only bought practical things that they needed. They never tried to cheat me or steal anything from me. They have truly become family to me.

Most people having grown up in developed Western nations would have difficulty imagining the life and struggles of those living in poverty in countries with lesser economies. Having talked to many girls, most have performed numerous odd jobs - ethical/moral and unethical/immoral. It's often simply a matter of survival and in many cases, especially if someone in the family is very sick, it is literally a matter of life and death.

It would be extremely rare to find a girl that enjoys doing immoral or unethical work. They simply are trying to survive the best they know how and often they just accept it as part of their life and circumstances. Sadly many such jobs offer much better pay than "normal" job they would be offered with their limited skills and/or education. Additionally, even if they could obtain a higher education there is much competition for jobs in their country, which is why those with the opportunity to work abroad often do so. Those Filipinos that work abroad are called O.F.W.'s, which means Overseas Filipino Worker(s).

This only touches on the surface of the problems and complexity of life for those living in poverty in the Philippines. These are so many other things which I probably would not have the time or space to include in these articles on this website. Some of these things include the questions of possible corruption in all levels of the government - local, federal, etc. The great influence of the Catholic church, as well as other cultural and economic influences.

The Philippines is not one of the poorest nations. If you do a search on the internet you will see that it is in or near the middle of the economies of the nations of the world. The problem is that many people in nations with greater economies seem to be mostly blind to the majority of the world around them. Imagine how life must be in nations with even lesser economies and even greater poverty.

My hope is that whomever reads this will have a greater understanding of poverty. It is impossible, by words and photos alone, to give you a full understanding. Some things you would have to experience and even though my experience there was limited, it gave me a far greater understanding than I had previously. I hope that this website will be helpful and help people to be less judgmental and more understanding. Even the simplest things are more difficult.

Simple things such as buying common medicines (for example - Benedryl, Asprin, Motrin, Advil, etc) are often difficult due to the cost. If a person can afford to visit a doctor for an illness, the cost of the medicines may cost the equivalent of a day, a month, or several months pay. When I purchased some of these things I was surprised that I could buy the tablets/pills individually as I was accustomed to buying a bottle/jar of 20, 40 or even 100 or more.

Due to cost this is why often people that are prescribed antibiotics buy only one tablet/pill. They can't afford many so they take as many as they can afford and hope for the best but many people have reoccurring infections for this reason. Illnesses requiring antibiotics usually require many tablets/pills to be taken (sometimes several times a day) for many days or weeks. I personally know of the sister of one of my acquaintances that is hoping to find a generous foreigner to pay for her tuberculosis medicines.

She can't afford the medicines and (if you're not aware) tuberculosis is a highly contagious and infectious disease. It can be caught by being around the infected person as it becomes airborne when they cough. In the United States a person can be detained (or arrested) if they don't take their prescribed medicines for tuberculosis. It's extremely contagious!

So imagine living where you can't afford such medicines or healthcare... where the little income you may have is used solely for survival. Healthcare, entertainment, most foods, tissue for your nose or for the toilet, tampons/sanitary pads, milk, most books, electricity, a lock for the door to your home, glass for a window..... all of those are luxury items!

In my country when we have a headache, stomach ache, muscle pain, back pain or any other type of pain we simply take a tablet or pill... imagine having a severe migraine, headache, stomach ache, cold or cough and having absolutely nothing to take for it... you can only lay down and hope the pain will soon end... this I saw for myself. In fact, many had never had such luxuries of having a tablet or pill to take and were surprised when I purchased them and offered it to them.

I had noticed in the home of one person whom I sent a care package more than a year ago they kept the Motrin, Pepto Bismol and other tablets/pills and medicines I sent to them in their refrigerator. They were like valuable items for safe keeping.

Even things such as transportation are more complicated or more time consuming. When their sick uncle was hospitalized we went to visit him. I have taken video of the ride from the home in Bangkal, Ibabao, Cordova to Lapu Lapu City Hospital, which can be seen by clicking here.

I could continue... but there is so much to tell... it would be impossible to describe weeks or months of events, just imagine the stories they could tell of their lifetime of events! More can be read specifically in the chapter titled Survival.