"A Paradise for the Kids"
Every week in our updates we will give you a little history of one of the children at the home. This weeks child is Maribel Garde.
Maribel Garde
One day at the public market a little girl who looked to be about four years old wearing a pair of ragged shorts came up to me asking for some money to buy food. I don't like to give beggars money so I was looking to see if there was anything being sold already cooked that I could buy for her. I wasn't able to find anything so I gave her money and told her to go get her some breakfast.
Before doing so I asked her where her mom was and why she was out so early in the morning and why she was so dirty. I didn't get much of a response from her. A lady who I was buying vegetables from saw that I was concerned over the little girl and informed me that she has parents.
Monday one of our staff members was in the market when she overheard a mother with her young child having a discussion with a saleslady. The mother was borrowing money from the saleslady and giving her child as collateral. Our staff approached the mother and told her about Subic Bay Children's Home and invited the mother to come and talk with me. When our staff member came into the office with the mother and child I recognized the child right away as the little girl who had been begging Saturday morning.
The mother told me that she, her husband and two children had been staying with friends for several years but for the past few months they had moved out and had been sleeping in the public market. They would look for a spot that was somewhat clean and lay down cardboard boxes and that is where they would sleep. I talked to the mother and told her that we would be willing to take her daughter Maribel.
When Maribel's mother left we gave her a bath and feed her. The next day we had a birthday party for one of the children. I was watching Maribel and you could just see the joy and disbelief in her face. She just could not stop smiling. It was as if she was in a wonderful, wonderful dream. If you had seen the little girl that I had seen in the market early Saturday morning and saw the little girl now you would not believe it was the same child.
Maribel gets up early in the morning and unlike other children she wants to take a bath, brush her teeth and put on a beautiful dress. She is so excited to go to school. Just today I overheard her bragging that she is learning to read. Maribel has told the other children "I will not have to sleep on the streets in the market anymore because I am rich now!"
Personal Note: I don't remember Maribel talking much while I was there but I do remember she has a very sweet spirit and was pleasant to be around.
