At the Jesan Center we serve 15 kids a day three days a week. Of those kids, 13 are boys and 2 are girls. There are same days the girls never come.
Serving these young men and ladies, we have our female cook, female director, one regular female volunteer and me (Caidy). Does anyone else see something wrong with this?
We have only 2 male volunteers that come a few times a month, but we really need more male volunteers on a regular basis.
I don’t know about you all, but growing up I can remember a few older ladies who really influenced who I am today. I remember the soft gentle spirit of our preachers wife at the first church of Christ we ever stepped foot in. I remember the passion and fire our youth ministers wife had for Christ. I remember our schools secretary who would selflessly serve the community. I was taught independence from two of my aunts. I remember growing up thinking ‘I will never be like my mother but couldn’t be happier with how many of her traits I unknowingly developed.
That’s all the good stuff that aided in who I am today.
I was also influenced in a bad way.
Drug addicted girl friends trying desperately to pull me into their ways. A woman at church teaching me its ok to talk down to others as long as it’s done with the right heart. The daily pressure, as a high school teenager, to conform and be ‘cool’.
Thank God for the positive influences and good women I had in my life teaching me how to live a good life. I am blessed.
You see friends, I want these young men, who are so moldable right now, to be influenced in a positive way. Sure, us women who work with them weekly can make some positive influence but I think having males here would be a bigger impact! These boys need someone to talk with, someone who had been through similar things, someone who they can look up to. These boys deserve to have positive role models in their lives just like we did.
So what is the problem? Why can’t we seem to get any males to come to our center and volunteer a few hours a week? Is it that females enjoy working this difficult job more? Are males afraid to get close in relationship with the street kids? Is it just that they are working during our open times? Or is it simply because its their day off and they would rather go to the mall instead of spending some time building relationship with boys that desperately long for male attention?
Our boys long to have guys to look up to. I can see in their faces every day they ask for Kuya that they crave positive male attention.
So, if you are in Cebu, are a male, have free time tues-thur 930a-2p please consider coming and spending time with our boys.
