They usually go to the center immediately after their classes and stay there until their parents look for them at night. The word UHF or Unang Hakbang immediately conjures up pleasant visions of drawing materials appearing out of nowhere. UHF is a place where they learn to draw, write and read books. Thinking about UHF also makes them think about food as the foundation never forgets the stomachs of its beneficiaries.
What makes children stay with UHF despite the fact that there are other centers nearby that offer similar services? And despite the other option of just staying out on the street and making some money from tips and outright begging.
One of the children said that at home he was constantly subjected to beatings by his brother who forces him to do his errands. For him, going to UHF was an escape. UHF was a safe haven, a refuge from his bleak domestic life.
For other children, especially those who have undergone the traumatizing experience of drug abuse and other vices or who have seen its effects on their brothers, UHF offers an alternative to this destructive lifestyle. Instead of guns and drugs, the foundation keeps them busy, teaching them the rudiments about drawing, reading, writing and arithmetic.
In the center, children do an about turn in their habits and behaviors. If at home, they are lazy and bums, at UHF they feel compelled and obliged to be hardworking and industrious. Because accountability for one's actions is very strong in the foundation, the children come to realize that being obedient and hardworking are prized virtues that need to be internalized in their systems.
Go to "Building Dreams" for the continuation.
