No Excuses
It was harder to help during the pandemic. This is what I suddenly realised as I sat down behind the comfort of my laptop, looking at my screen - my group mates - with an unsure smile as we tried to wrack our brains with ideas on how to reach out to the less fortunate, and which community exactly we wanted to help. Pat and JP listed out the different organizations they’ve worked with before (Pat was involved in CSR in her company, JP was a professor) but they didn’t have efforts that we can assist with virtually apart from the usual monetary donation. As we sat there, brainstorming, my mind kept going back to the partner community we met in class last Thursday, LPPWDFI, short for Las Piñas Persons with Disability.
We met Anafe, their president, who have shared with a us a lengthy background about their organization, its members, their projects and current struggles. I haven’t had much encounter with persons with disability, and if I think about it, she might be the first disabled person I have the pleasure of meeting. It dawned on me how little I know about their struggles, and it was a bit horrifying to know how ignorant I am to their plights. She talked about opportunities that could have been but, in her own words, “flopped” and how they needed a livelihood that would allow them to work from home, and this struck a chord in me.
I work from home, but only because of the pandemic. Outside of it, I had fully functioning legs that I use to go to and from the office, and my sight, while I do need glasses to be able to see properly, still served me well that I can navigate on my own. If I, with my appendages and senses fully functioning, experience the terrible traffic of commute and find it totally abhorrent, how much more for them when most places or modes of transportation aren’t catered to their disability?
How can I help them? What could I possibly offer that could ease their struggles? I realise now that this has always been my excuse to not lift a finger - that I have nothing to offer anyone else. I have little money to my name, a short work experience, and a wisdom that still needs cultivating.
But when will I be able to help, if not now? When will I keep telling myself the same excuses?
I remember my new friend, St. La Salle, who when he had nothing, continued to help the children and his brothers. Helping big in the future is a comforting thought, but I can help with the small things now. The pandemic has crippled a lot of families, and my fellowmen needs help now more than ever and I really, really shouldn’t make excuses, no matter how valid I think they are.
I can start now. I should start now. So I ask, how can I help Anafe and the rest of her community? I’ll do my best to find out.