Discovering Happyland Tondo in the Philippines

”A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr

This sharing is a continuation of the earlier personal story of our expedition and hiking activity in the Philippines and coming to Happyland slums, an eye-opening experience to help the homeless in Manila.

Trek for Hope Part 2: Hope in Happy Land

Continuation from Part 1: Twin Peaks of Grand Corderilla...

SMOKEY MOUNTAIN PHILIPPINES – Amidst the beautiful mountains of the Philippines that we trekked and lived to remember, sits a mountain unique of its kind – a 2 million metric tons of waste ‘mountain’ in the heart of Tondo Manila that housed millions of people for over 40+ years.

After trekking for 4 days in the wilderness of Mount Ugo and Mount Pulag, we brought us back to the Philippines capital of Manila with energy and a desire to do something for the impoverished people of this beautiful country. This was done alongside a partner non-profit organization (NGO) – Oikos Helping Hand.

In 1995, the removal of Smokey Mountain led to the creation of a new Smokey Mountain to ‘house’ the vacated – and nested in the heart of these new temporary ‘refugee camps’ are the slums of ”Happyland Tondo” and ”Aroma”. The names, till today, still cause my stomach to churn whenever I recall the twisted irony of it.

The name “Happyland”…

…is derived from the Visayan dialect’s name for smelly garbage: Hapilan, a slum made up of many mini dumpsites put together. The most common type of trash seen here is from the large fast food chain in Philippines: Jollibee. The residents of happyland sort the different types of packaging and leftover food from cups to straws to spoons, and the leftover food gets recooked into ‘pag pag’ and is re-consumed by those who scavage and their families.

While other parts of the Philippines like Coron island, Boracay, and Cebu are full of sparkling crystal blue waters, here by the riverside of Manila, it’s a completely different situation.

Smokey Mountain tours and visit

The team of 22

…from the Trek for Hope expedition broke into groups of 5-6 to conduct food ration giveaways to some of the residents of these homes/slums. We interacted and talked to them to understand their lives better and perhaps to just be a friend or listening ear.

Some of these residents or scavengers we visited in Happyland get by each day by rummaging through rubbish to find something valuable. Many of them heavily depend on Agapehome (supported by Oikos Helping Hand) to help them – be it to house their children, provide them food, or hopefully help them and their families break out of the poverty cycle.

The condition of the Philippines Tondo Slums

Homeless in Manila? Or Not

Other than the house visits and smokey mountain tour we had, we also had a full-day community event held at Agapehouse, (by Oikos Helping Hand) where all the scavengers from the slum areas are invited over to the premise to enjoy some singspiration/games/food/activities and bring home some smiles and gifts to their respective homes.

GIVING HOPE –  as a mere human, how can we claim that we truly understand what that means? Does going down 1 -2 times to visit these people and pulling out some money solve everything? What do we understand about the everyday battle of these residents as they worry about the survival of their newborns or the next disaster that will strike and shake their very survival?

In a place where there is too much need and cries for help, how can organizations dare to promise to make big changes overnight, and give a clear timeline what can be done by when, even if they are given a one-off sum of donation?

However, through the few days we were there to help and be involved, what we realized mattered most was the human spirit and spiritual love – a responsibility, compassion, and continual persistence to want to help others that keeps us going and doing it.

Nobody can guarantee to provide these people with a pain-free life, but perhaps through the little things, we can help them know there is something good and better that can get them through the day, and to the next.

HOPE – It isn’t wishing for the best. 

It isn’t waiting to see what happens and hope that it turns out well. Hope is not a feeling or an emotion.  Hope is the knowledge of facts.  If someone says to you; “I hope you have a good day,” there is no guarantee that the day will go well. But hope provides an anchor for the soul that there is something good beyond the current pain, and this anchor once fostered, cannot be destroyed.

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This amazing trip was made possible in partnership with Trek for Hope and Oikos Helping Hand. To find out more about how you can support their foundation, visit Oikos Helping Hand website today.

More footage from the Trek from Hope Philippines 

(Photos credited to Yi Xiang of Adventureexposures.com)

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The State of Slums in the modern age

It is extremely naïve to believe that everyone in the world lives in the same conditions as others. There are people who come from wealthy families, moderate households, and poor circumstances. Unfortunately, recent years have seen an increase in slums throughout the world, especially in Asian countries.

These slums or ghettos in the Philippines, India, and other countries offer little sanitary services, and little or no clean water supply and electricity. As a human, it is heartbreaking to see people, especially children living in these conditions.

Causes of Increased Slum Development

Many different factors are calculated when looking at the reason for the expansion of ghettos or slums. Some of the main causes for people to become impoverished are losing a job, political factors and natural disasters. Sure, there is always someone or something to blame, but does it even matter? A lot of people have been brought into this world in very difficult situations and often it can lead to the adoption of poor habits or choices like drinking, drugs or gambling, which could also pull their family or people who depend on them into worse situations, and it becomes a vicious cycle if we don’t know how to equip, empower and enable them to break out of it.

The increasing number of slum developments around the world has reached an all-time high. According to the last census in 2001 of India, the rise of slum population rose from 27.9 in 1981 to 61.8 million in 2001. It is sad to think that in the 21^st century, people are still deprived of necessary things such as hot water and heat. Other reasons for the spike in slum developments include: 

• High unemployment rate 
• Social and economic issues 
• Underdeveloped economy 
• No political stance or strong leaders 
• Poor money handling (by both the people and government) 
• Depression 
• Migration from rural to urban setting

Happyland Tondo

As you may have guessed, Happyland is one of the most infamous slums in the Philippines. Its unique name does not draw a crowd for its joyful attractions, but because of its underdeveloped urban area. I do not want to sound like a broken record, but Happyland is far from what the name might entail. The name comes from the Asian spelling and pronunciation of Happyland. Through the haze of burning trash and piles of filth, the people who occupy Happyland Tondo remain “unbroken”. These people want a way out from these horrible conditions but at the same time, they remain “content” to be in this slum because that is what they can afford right now.

As humans, we shouldn’t just ignore this slum or the people. We can make a difference by helping to remove the waste. Oikos Helping Hand is a non-profit organization (NGO) that helps people in need, Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to help these people in Happyland and other places in the world?

Manila’s Smokey Mountain  

Asian countries appear more susceptible to larger slums, but a helping hand can go a really long way. The reality of it is that at least 4 million people are living homeless in Manila’s slums. Smokey Mountain is the biggest slum in Manila and it looks like a garage truck dumped all its contents into the streets of this poor slum. From items such as metal, iron, tires, and plastic bags, the piles of trash are endless. The unique name comes from the constant fires that occur on-site, sometimes lit on purpose for warmth and unintentionally at other times.

However, looking past the exterior view of this slum, the children have hope. The man in the above photo is sharing modern technology with children who may one day become leaders, doctors, lawyers, or teachers. All these children need is a place to learn, grow, and live. Maybe we can be the people who help change their lives.

Dharavi, India 

Mumbai, the capital of India, is home to at least 18 million people. The second largest slum in Asia is Dharavi, which is very close to Mumbai. This slum has a population of close to a quarter million people! This location became famous for the filming location of “Slumdog Millionaire”. But aside from this famous movie, the sad truth is that this slum has been around since 1883.

It is extremely sad to think that after more than 100+ years, India has not found a proper solution to get rid of this slum. Dharavi has been the home to a deadly plague and corruption. Luckily, the government has planned a redevelopment of this slum to allow for more housing, better roads, schools, and better sanitary conditions.

Orangi Town 

Could you ever imagine how it would feel to finally give up hope that your government or anyone will help you? That is what the residents of Orangi Town have begun to do. They have lost hope for any salvation of their slum life becoming anything other than just that. It is estimated that millions of people live in this slum. The people of this town have adopted a DIY-lifestyle and have learned to manage their slum town by fixing and creating new things themselves.

While this is very innovative, there are some things such as medical supplies that they cannot create. If you enjoy DIY projects. why not head Orangi town and work for the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP)? This NGO has been helping people secure housing, support education programs and women’s programs.

Kibera, Kenya 

If we take ourselves out of Asia for a moment, we will notice that less than 3 miles from the city of Nairobi, Kenya, there is a population of more than 2 million people who are living in a slum. The lack of sanitary products and proper healthcare options has led the population to see an increase in HIV and Aids cases. The housing conditions are horrible and there is trash that literally reaches the windows and doors of homes. This place has seen at least 50,000 children who wander the streets of this slum and do not know any other life than this.

Volunteer work can be satisfying, especially knowing that you were able to help build a medical facility or school for the people of Kibera. The African Development and Emergency Organization was created to help strengthen and find home solutions for the people of African

Give Back to Society

To be honest, there is probably always going to be some form of slum area in underdeveloped countries. A trip like this can change your outlook on life. The slum life is real and there are people all over the world walking through trash-filled streets to get to their own sanctuary called “home”.  The solution is probably not as simple as one might hope, but the help of others can make a real difference.

By volunteering for a non-profit organization (NGO) like Oikos Helping Hand, a person can firsthand see how their help can make a difference. Other NGOs that one can get involved with are Clinton Health Access Initiative, Educate Girls, Teach for the Philippines, FEEDInc, and Hands On Manila. Unfortunately, the poverty cycle can be hard to break without the assistance of others to push people in the right direction. If you think about it, we can make a real difference to those who are homeless in Manila. Being able to send an impoverished person to a job interview with the ability to bathe and some new clothes might give them a life-changing experience.

Does your heart go out to these people? What can we do to play an active role?