Welcome to neXtDRAFT Issue 20. Hats and Headlice. Just look at the picture of little Ronalin in her new hat!
She's the feature of this new neXtDRAFT.
You might remember last week me telling you about a group of kids whose mother had abandoned them. I've since found out she owes a lot of money to loan sharks, so not surprisingly she's disappeared and cannot be found.
The little girl in the hat is her 6 year old daughter Ronalin (see also pictures below). She arrived at the house one morning last week with her eldest
sister. Her hair had been completely shaved off by her brother and she was terribly upset.
What was left of her hair was matted in pus, blood, and dried bloody scabs. All caused from head lice, not taking a bath, and scratching. The scabs and pus completely covered her scalp which also had big raised lumps from the infection.
Her
sister had managed to get her into the school uniform we'd bought for her last year and up to the house. But when I made moves to take her photo, wash her hair and put on antiseptic she got angry. And what a tantrum she threw. Poor little thing.
You can read all about her escaping our clutches and shooting off down the road and into a rice paddock on the blog.
Later that afternoon (as peace offering for taking her photo without permission), I bought her two pink hats at the shop. I was hoping also the hats might entice her to go back to school. And she did go. (See the opening picture of Ronalin getting her lunch the next day)?
Everything I do here for the children: lunches, hats, headlice shampoo, talking to teachers, buying school uniforms, and chasing little girls into rice fields. It's for one reason alone. To get them to go to school.
When you are surrounded in extreme poverty there are so many reasons not to go to school. And when I first arrived here
I naively thought that handing out school supplies would be incentive enough.
Without living here in this community I could never know of flooding which blocks the entrance to purok, or the dried up wells preventing the children taking a bath and washing their clothes, or not having enough money to buy a ballpen, or being so hungry it's easier to stay home than sit in a school room all the day, or having to stay
home from school to take care of your little brother who is sick, or having to go to work with your pregnant mother to keep her fish filleting quota up ...
This list goes on endlessly and there is nothing cute, or funny, or sexy in it. Sometimes I get the children into school and sometimes I don't. What they really need is parental guidance, encouragement and the self-esteem that accompanies parents who love them
and take an interest in their schooling. Those are the things I can't buy them.
But at least I can give them lunch.
Till next week.
Mel xx
Book Review: I've Been There and Back
You don't have to be a country music fan to get a lot from this book. Any writer or songwriter or poet can learn a lot from Joy McKean's authentic voice. And this isn't a book of bragging and name dropping, it's a humble and honest journey of a wife, mother, artist, and woman. Joy
McKean.
I’m a professional writer making my way in the world of business. The WritingBiz section is for anyone wanting to make writing a career (or at the very least make some money writing). I’ll be sharing ideas on how to find clients
and customers within your niche, self-publishing eBooks, as well as how to setup your writing business and run it profitably.
Even though these tax tips are written for Australian writers, they're typical of a writing business operating anywhere in the world. Always check with an accountant or taxation professional before making financial
decisions.
The decision to become a professional writer happens somewhere between the inner knowing that you are a writer, the daily act of writing itself and then some kind externalisation. Like when you find yourself finally saying the words "I’m a writer", or
you notice people are always asking for your help to write better stuff.
This space is for my clients or anyone wanting to learn more about maximising their online presence. Every week I offer my best advice for selling online, improving website metrics, and how to blog
strategically. I also showcase one of my clients each week as a way of saying thank you for the business. Of course it's a place to advertise my own writing services (because I have to make a living too). Email me for any topics you'd like me to cover.
Quick Q&A
What is business blogging?
Business blogging is all about driving traffic to your business website to sell your products and services. Business owners and industry professionals blog content that solves a problem or provides new information within an industry. The blog appears in
google search results and drives new customers to their websites. Customers feel safer buying from businesses and people they consider experts in their field, so blogging product innovations, how-to-guides, and professional experiences that solve problems, are all good ways to become a recognised thought leader and authority in your field.
How much do I love blogging? More than ice-cream, buko pandan, and the world’s longest massage? Well yes, yes I do. And because I’m so passionate about blogging I’d love to help you with your own blogging strategy. Did you know that writing blogs and
articles can help you:-
Kerstin Pilz is a friend, writer, academic, creative who has supported my projects here in the Philippines, as well as my crowd funding campaign to adopt Jerry. Please show her excellent writer's website and Facebook page some
love.