Through the lens of a kaleidoscope
An Australian volunteer in Manila
by Maggie Lee
“I came to the Philippines knowing the country well in theory only… so, I stayed eight months in Manila watching theory come to life”
I came to Manila, and specifically to TAO-Pilipinas and the Institutional Network for Social Action (INSA), to learn about the community development process and to witness how these two incredible organizations worked with informal settlement communities to help them improve their quality of life.
I am a masteral student, with a focus on environmental and social issues in cities in developing countries. I came to the Philippines knowing the country well in theory only, having chosen to focus on the Philippines and its housing policies as part of my masteral studies. So, I stayed eight months in Manila watching theory come to life. Unlike many other international volunteer placements which are organized through an agency, my placement was self organized, partly through an association with my home university Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and Miriam College. The advantage of taking this path was that I was able to create my own experience, by approaching organizations that interested me, and who would give me the experience and knowledge that I was seeking.
Shaping my own volunteer experience had its advantages – I didn’t have a fixed role or duties, so in a sense, I was free to do what I pleased. And its disadvantages – as an international volunteer with a limited command of Filipino, there was only so much I could do, and had to continually rely on using my initiative to look for and create work. During my time I visited several different communities in Metro Manila, attended community consultation meetings, built relationships with the community members, performed research and helped my organizations where I could. This ad hoc approach has blessed me with a kaleidoscope of experiences.
My reflection, I feel is best seen through the lenses I wore throughout my Philippine experience: Intern, Researcher and Observer-Learner.
Intern
Four days of my week were spent at INSA as an intern. INSA is based at Miriam College, Quezon City. Headed by Carlo Garcia (affectionately known as Sir) and his dedicated female team, they work with five informal settlement communities around the Katipunan Avenue area on community development projects. Their main ongoing project is to further develop the leadership skills of the community volunteers, aiding them to be more effective leaders and communicators for their neighbourhood organizations. INSA, in partnership with their community volunteers, also acts as the vehicle for Miriam College’s various charitable activities and service-learning program.
Being an intern had its challenges because it required me to examine my own capacities with those of INSA to find out how I could contribute back to the organization. I found myself stumbling again and again, because while I could identify potential areas of growth for the organization that I could potentially assist with, they were often too understaffed to dedicate enough time to develop the ideas. I was however, able to use my technical computer skills to assist their work. I still think that my greatest contribution to INSA was to teach them how to use Microsoft Access to collect valuable quantitative data on the health and population of their partner communities. Second only to that was the use of Mail Merge, useful for taking all the fiddly work out of the countless name tags and certificates they printed on a regular basis.
Researcher
My time with TAO was principally as a researcher with the Research and Publications Program. Two days a week, I worked closely with program coordinator Faith Varona. We developed a book outline and also examined the potential for a research paper that examined the resettlement policies of multi-lateral organizations such as the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, and how they were actually implemented in-country. I also helped to refine the information in the Sourcebook of Alternative Building Materials and Technology (SABMAT). Learning about alternative building materials and techniques was interesting and a useful addition to my knowledge of sustainable building materials that I use in my current job, researching sustainable buildings.
Observer-Learner
As an observer, I spent a great deal of time visiting various communities either being led around on site tours, or attending their meetings. I learnt a great deal, however I have limited my points to three areas: I learned that while the notion of “community” seems to describe one entity, “community” is actually just a grouping of individuals, who have their own varying capacities, thoughts, dynamics and agendas. This can work with, or against a community’s intentions. For example – there are global examples of functional cooperatives where community members work together to achieve shared results. In one of my experiences, one community we worked with had the capacity and skills to form a working cooperative, however their previous negative experiences with cooperatives meant that they did not wish to pursue this as a livelihood option.
I realized the inadequacies of the donor accountability side of project grant funding for community development projects. Projects working closely with community volunteers often evolve and develop over time rather than being exclusively pre-planned. They also require flexible time lines that vary depending on the level of commitment of the volunteers. There lies a fundamental problem for smaller NGOs where project funding is mostly granted upon clear demonstration of plans and budgets drawn up on fixed timelines.
Corruption can cripple the potential of a fine nation of people. Corruption is widely acknowledged as an issue in the Philippines, so I don’t have to defend myself here. It is pervasive in all levels of society, and unless everyone can take a good look at their own actions and begin to remedy them, corruption will be there to stay. There is a great deal of finger pointing at government officials from all socio-economic levels of society. It seemed to me that the working class often fails to acknowledge their participation in corruption in their own lives – for example by charging one price for locals, and another for foreigners, or local leaders of a neighbourhood association making personally advantageous deals with government, and not publicly disclosing this to their members.
My kaleidoscope of experiences were not just professional images, they are deeply intertwined with the personal relationships I developed with the people and the place. I was lucky to have an international group of friends and colleagues from the Philippines, Australia, Korea and Burma. From them I learnt a form of generosity, kindness and companionship that I have never known– how to open my heart, my mind (and my stomach). The Philippines is a beautiful country, however I found Manila to be a difficult place to live in. Because of this, I have a deep respect and admiration for the citizens of this city and their eternal hope for a bright future.
On a final note, maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. Salamat to all I worked with, spoke with, shared meals, laughter and countless karaoke nights. I am deeply humbled by you all, and glad to be sharing in your lives.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maggie Lee describes her life like her hair: shiny, full and,while straight in appearance, is actually peppered with weird curly bits. She is currently studying Masters of Social Science at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Melbourne, Australia. She also works as a research assistant where her main focus is on sustainability in urban development and housing. She spent eight months as a volunteer in Manila with TAO Pilipinas and Miriam College’s Institutional Network for Social Action (INSA).
Volunteer Stories, Young Professionals | rp | 12 September 2008 |
