Leyte – Samar NZ Solidarity Foundation Inc.
ENABLE TO EMPOWER
by George Misa, 18/11/2016
Almost a decade ago I was in the Philippines preparing for what I considered a milestone – that of going overseas, to a foreign land away from the usual places and people that I work and enjoy with in countless occasions. It was not easy I reckon considering that with the limited resources I could muster to hurdle the various requirements of the Immigration Office, get plane tickets for two and some pocket money to tide us over in the next few months away from home. I admit, given the same circumstances, I would rather not want to do it again.
And so time flew so quickly and here in Aotearoa, very soon I am going to celebrate with the whole family, a much bigger one this time as my children have gotten married, ten years of life away from my native home. What is it like today? It’s so complicated but it is also quite simple. Complicated in the sense that I have learned to develop a wider and complex network of friends and communities in so many places in New Zealand. And yet it is simple as I have learned to live a life of the barest minimum just to enjoy the simplest of things there are as much as possible.
I remember always the simple thought, that today is the tomorrow we were talking about and dreaming of yesterday. In other words, what we are or have become now depends on what we actually thought about, focused on and persevered on yesterday. There are no accidents, only opportunities waiting to be engaged in and worked through to achieve what you deem best for you and for your family.
The Leyte-Samar NZ Solidarity Foundation is no accident indeed. It is the fruition of countless engagements and brainstorming sessions among many like-minded kababayans and friends from Leyte and Samar. The untiring devotion and relentless persuasion of friends and acquaintances have come to bear fruit in the many kababayans who have joined the Foundation. There have been heaps of little things going on amongst us that would ultimately culminate into better friendships and more profound working relationships.
The coming up of a website for the Foundation as recently approved by the Board is one example of a breakthrough for the members and easily could be considered as a legacy project for the members and the future generations of kababayans and friends from Leyte and Samar. Coming to New Zealand in search of the proverbial greener pasture is a liberating move for many if not all of us. But getting away from the shackles of the past will not amount to anything if not followed through by enabling oneself to act and move forward and be capable of accomplishing something. That capability will definitely spell the difference between one’s success or failure. In so many ways, the Foundation can serve as an enabling force for each and every kababayan to build from his own resources or in tandem with others.
The task ahead is daunting but never impossible. But for anyone to reach a destination, the first step has to be taken. Our Foundation is now doing exactly just what needs to be done, the first step. It is now up to every one of us to follow through with the next baby-steps, so-to-speak, and move on and go forward and nothing less. God bless us all.
