At six, Yaneshka Michaela Aparicio speaks more than her age. She is among the volunteers at the covered gym of the Iloilo Sports Complex in the on-going relief operations for typhoon affected families in Western Visayas.

Yaneshka, a K-2 pupil of the Central Philippine University said she wants to help the typhoon affected families who are left homeless and have no food to eat.

The eagerness and awareness to help was apparent in Yaneshka, who said he felt pity for the typhoon victims she saw on television. At the age of six, Yaneshka has the heart to care for other people.

“Gusto ko gid makabulig sa mga nabagyohan bisan bata pa ako (I want to help those affected by typhoon even If I am just a kid).”
Yaneshka’s mother Chrysta June said it was Yaneshka who asked to go with her to the relief operation center of the DSWD since they don’t have class Monday morning.

She was also at the repacking station last Saturday after DSWD opened it to accelerate the delivery of relief of goods to disaster survivors.

Yaneshka’s first volunteer work was on November 16.  She said she was with two other kids whom she only identified as Kathy and Faith.   She said it is not hard to put rice and sardines inside the plastic bag.  There were like playing in the covered gym.

While talking, Yaneshka was opening the plastic bags.  She said other kids should also learn how to help.  “I will ask my classmates to assist in the repacking, but they should observe the rules.”

“Indi sila dapat mag hampang diri kundi magbulig (They should come here to help and not play), said Yaneshka.

Even policemen who are helping in the relief operation were surprised on how a six year old child would respond in such situation.

Brothers Joe Andy, 7; Joey Ivan; and Jan Matthew Pineda, 3 also caught the attention of other volunteers at the Iloilo Sports Complex.  They were repacking relief goods with other volunteers.

They were accompanied by their mother Joy, who also volunteered to pack relief goods in the covered gym.   The boys were just like playing while repacking the relief goods.

“I want to train my kids to help others even in little ways. I want them to realize that there are other people who exist in the world,” said Joy.  (DSWD6/Maricar M. Calubiran)