Little Carlo’s First Nutrition Month Experience at the Cemetery

By: Tyra ‘nell E. Pille

Instead of attending classes like most of the children around his age, Carlo’s usual day involves working in the cemetery, cutting and pulling out weeds from the grassy graveyard, cleaning the tomb area and planting flowers and ornamental plants in its surroundings for as low as five to thirty pesos per service. He couldn’t go to school because his parents can’t afford to send him to one. At eight, he’s already exposed to earning a living within the cemetery premises to help aid in the family needs.

Carlo was born at a little tattered and dingy place inside the Cebu Chinese Cemetery where he lives with his family. Despite his challenging youthful years, he still manages to play Patintero, Buwan-Buwan, Pulis-Dunggab and Bahaw-Bahaw among other Cebuano traditional games and have fun with his friends who, like him, live within the cemetery.

July 18, 2009 is quite a different day for Carlo. The morning greeted him with excited chit chats from his friends about a feeding program to be done later in the day. It made him very curious that instead of doing his usual chores in the cemetery, he took a bath at his usual bathing area along the side of the street early. He wore his tidiest sleeveless white shirt and red faded shorts, combed his damp hair sideways toward the left side of his forehead, revealing Dr. Jose Rizal’s trademark hairstyle, and wore the same innocent and lively smile when he rush out of his little home, exuding his undaunted youthfulness despite his current situation.

The time meanders slowly, as if dragging the day to a yet another stultifying moment for the children living inside the cemetery. The waiting took a little while, but indeed, true to Carlo’s expectations, blessings abound him and his friends as members of the Jobless Society (JS) entered the cemetery, wearing huge grins on their faces as they approached the amused little children. They were as eager and excited as the children who waited for them enthusiastically. JS members greeted the children with a happy “Hi!” and the young ones answered a lively “Hello!” with a smile of great enthusiasm, showing their missing teeth proudly.

July is recognized by the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education as the Nutrition Month; so, all schools are celebrating such month with a campaign to all students to exercise daily and take nutritious food for a healthy lifestyle.

However, for the out-of-school youth living inside the Chinese cemetery like Carlo, being out of school is no excuse for them not to celebrate the Nutrition Month. With the JS members’ generosity and true heart of volunteerism, they provided financial assistance to these children’s feeding program and celebrated the Nutrition Month with a lot of fun games with healthy drink as prizes that reaped utmost happiness to the winners.

The program started when Lyndon Dave Ardimer, the game master of the program announced to all the children who stared at him intently, to form a line to formally start their fun-filled activities. In a wink of an eye, the line of young children was formed despite the cute and high- tone shrieking and giggling.

The first game executed was the “Longest Line,” where there were twelve players in each of the two teams with funny names — Team A for Team Ambongan (the Cebuano vernacular for handsome) and Team B for Team Banggan (a Cebuano informal word for incompetent), where Carlo belonged – to compete each other. The children couldn’t contain their laughter when the game master announced their team names. The players took the game seriously that one player even cried because he was almost naked during the game, which slowed down the team a little to give time for the little cry-baby to put on his clothes.

The excitement continued with another game, the “Boat is Sinking” for those who were not able to join the first game. Each activity progressed smoothly despite the few first-timers among the children as the volunteers helped in demonstrating each game. The winners happily grabbed the Chuckie, Yakult and Chamito (healthy drinks) they received as prizes.

After the fun-filled games that boost the children’s craving for sumptuous food, they munched on their healthy set of lunch, which consisted of Mongo beans, vegetables like red squash among others and fish mixed with coconut milk delightfully. The volunteers took their share of the food as well after all the children had their stomach filled.

When everybody was satisfied with their full stomach, a pictorial followed. Carlo showed his inartificial smiles that were well-captured in the digital camera. Though, most of Carlos’ friends and their parents already bade their goodbyes to the JS members, a sincere “thank you” goes with their hearty smiles and farewells for an unusual day at the Cemetery, which embedded an inconceivable sense of fulfillment to the generous volunteers’ hearts.

Jobless Society are indeed grateful to Manolito Ardimer, who is directly affiliated with Action for Nurturing Children and Environment (ANCE), an organization that’s committed to anti-hunger campaign by organizing feeding programs to chosen areas like the Cebu Chinese Cemetery.

Before the entire activity ended, Carlo involved himself in an interesting conversation with Francis Eric Cananea, Rex Warren Ganub, Yasser Ranudo, Norman Burgos, Marjohn Presbitero, Erik Tuban and Annelene Joy Ranudo who composed the group of volunteers and the feeding sponsors, and whose names he wouldn’t forget. He shared that someone was killed the night before their Nutrition Month program that happened in the same place they held their event. Indeed, it’s something to be scared of, but for Carlo, being scared is out of his emotions at this time. Instead, he’s filled with so much happiness for such a special event he experienced.

For the school children, it may just be an ordinary or even a boring event, but for Carlo, it’s more than just a Nutrition Month at a cemetery. For him, it’s a momentary bliss!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Her weird and at times tactless choices of words, yet in a more abstract manner and extremely aesthetic style in writing made it more interesting and attractive to the readers who tends to be more appreciative with literature. Born with an iron fist, an out-of-this-world creativity, and an odd sense of artistry, Tyra, tough on the outside but soft on the inside, proved to be a visual artist and a writer at the same time who finds happiness and sanctuary in playing with words in her self-composed songs, quotations and poetry among others, and in mixing the shades in her undaunted canvass, which she calls “her life.” For her, imagination is simply a kaleidoscope, simply unlimited and free.

You may check more about the writer and her writings in her blogs: Kaleidoscope of Image and Teaching Life