GS activity report

I would like to introduce the first report of the Global Study Philippines Program.

On August 8st, a three-week global study started on Cebu Island in the Philippines to think about safe and secure living in a society of poverty and disparity.The first week focused mainly on poverty in urban areas.

On the first day, I attended a lecture on the structure of poverty in the Philippines, especially the relationship between urban and rural areas in Cebu, at our sister school, the University of the Philippines Cebu. On the second day, we visited markets, slums and garbage heaps, and on the third day we visited a homeless temporary shelter.On the 2th day, there will be lectures by staff of "DSDW (Department of Social Welfare and Development)" and the "International Justice Mission", an NGO that supports victims, about child pornography and human trafficking, especially cybersex, which has been severely punished since this year. took the course.

Every day after activities, the group discusses events that left an impression on them and the reasons behind them, their own feelings and changes, the impact of their actions on others, and what they have learned through these events.

Below are some student comments.

"Homeless children are starving not only at 'home'. I realized that they have lost the ability to eat, play, be praised, and even the act of 'being given' by someone. Parents. have not even had the opportunity to receive an education due to their long years of homelessness, and if this situation continues, when these children become parents, their children will become "all-less." We need more support.”

“To be honest, I still don’t know what to do with the children and poor people in the Philippines. I don't think it's possible to do something like that.If you don't know yourself, you can't help by knowing about others.In today's meeting, I was able to express my thoughts to the group for the first time.Everyone nodded and understood. It's important to tell them what you think."

"Does the homeless really have nothing but a house and money?", "Don't they come to you with a smile thinking they'll get something?" I found a new way to learn how pieces change when they are put together. Even now my head is going to explode, but I need more pieces.”

During the second week, they will begin activities such as school lunch service and classes at elementary schools while deepening daily interaction with children and residents in a village in the mountains.We look forward to further growth of participating students.