Filipino community adopts Tembari children this Christmas

The sing-sing group of Tembari that will perform at the Christmas part of the Filipino Association of PNG on Sunday, December 4. The children have been invited as FAPNG guests. – Photo by ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ, Port Moresby, PNG.


By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
A Friend of Tembari Children

THAT Christmas is finally here has been confirmed to me by the giant Christmas tree at the parking lot of the Vision City Megamall in Port Moresby.

And of course, the stores that have begun to fill up the first and second floor of the mall have also started dressing up their interiors in time for the Christmas holidays.

And the good news is that the Filipino community has decided to adopt the Tembari children this Christmas.

Already, the Filipino Association of PNG (FAPNG) has launched a campaign to collect old and used clothing and other goodies, which it will give as Christmas presents to the children of the Tembari Children Care (TCC), a day care facility at 7 Mile outside the city.

Starting this Monday, FAPNG will set up donation drop boxes at Vision City Hypermart, SVS supermart BS Mart and at Filipino restaurant The Point.

The goodies would be turned over to Tembari children early next month, shortly before the association holds annual Christmas party on December 4.

The party has to be held earlier as most of FAPNG members are flying home for the holidays.

At its latest meeting, the FAPNG council decided that the Pinoy’s coming Christmas celebration should involve the community instead of enjoying the day among themselves.

This way, the event would have relevance that FAPNG has been trying to achieve – to cheer up unfortunate children who, luckily, belong to Tembari.

And at the party, 10 Tembari children will be invited to meet the Filipino children –face to face. It would be a new experience for the Pinoy kids meeting their Papua New Guinean counterparts.

For its part, the 10 selected children are now practicing some traditional songs and dances that they will present to the Filipino community.

This is the first time ever a sing-song group (cultural group) would feature at the Filipino Christmas function.

I have been informed that FAPNG is considering adopting the Tembari children – for good - as a way of giving back to the community.

One reason is that if the group could focus its attention to the 200 or so less – privilege children of the facility, it would be able to witness whatever transformation they would undergo.

This way, the Filipinos would know if their assistance to Tembari is bearing fruits.

All this boils down to one important thing: That the Filipino community has taken up a big stake in the future of the Tembari children, and it wants to make sure that it is playing a vital part in changing their lives for the better.

By the way, FAPNG is headed by the new president, Rey Angeles, the proponent of the “adopt-the-Timbari Children” project.