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| Myself, together with Sofia (left) and Shiela (middle), scholars of Project Pearls. |
FOR SOME REASON, I think smiles are most beautiful when they show even in the face of life’s difficulties…
These kids with me are Sofia and Shiela. They are both scholars that “Project Pearls” sends to school with the help of sponsors, organizers, and volunteers. Both are sixth graders. Both are 12 years old. Both dream of
becoming “teachers” one day. And during a Sunday English class with me, with their
dresses worn out and their tresses seemed unwashed, both claimed that Math is their
favorite subject. But they don’t know each
other. They go to different schools. One lives in the far west, the other in the
far east. They are from two opposite sides of a district, which is not as
progressive as the places where most of us—perhaps the more privileged ones—are
living. Sofia is the fourth and only girl among the five children of a father
who trades junk and a mother who does laundry for others. When I asked what her
older brothers do for a living, she said that the first-born as well as the
third are incapable of working, impaired by their psychological condition.
While the second has been seeking employment, his odds haven’t been dependable
of late. He hasn’t found a job yet. Shiela, on the other hand, is the daughter
of a construction worker to a plain housewife. She’s the oldest among four
children. Two boys, two girls. Shiela. A girl. 12. A breadwinner. That’s
what she was. Is. And perhaps, will be.
