An Eye-Opening Day in a Manila SLUM 🇵🇭 | Philippines Trip | Manila Travel Vlog (Ep. 2)

I visited the Slums in Manila - what an afternoon!

I was invited by a guy I met on Couchsurfing.com only a few hours prior. I walked all the way from my hotel. It was about 1.5 miles. I had only been in Manila for about 24 hours, at this point.

I was very hesitant, to be honest. I was fearful of people stabbing me or shooting me just for money or my camera equipment, begging, shouting at me for being in their neighborhood..etc. But, none of these things happened. It turned out to be a very fun and rewarding experience!

I soon learned that the people were very welcoming. Despite their current situation, they were very warm and friendly.

I met up with an organization called TrueManila. Organized and lead by - a man who grew up in this exact slum. He tries to raise money to simply buy food and sometimes other necessities for the community. There are tens of thousands, however, so it is impossible to help everyone - but he does what he can.

The scene where I am handing out small meals to the children who are sitting down, was a little strange to me. But, I simply did what I was told. The basics were this: whichever child is sitting politely, who wasn't a pest to me while we were walking around, and whomever wasn't begging for food would be the one to receive it. Edwin says that the children must learn that there isn't always enough food to go around. Sometimes you get some, sometimes you don't. I wanted to buy the whole neighborhood rice, but obviously that was just unfeasible. Very sad, indeed.

I encourage everyone to visit a slum. It's very humbling. I can promise you that you will finish the day having a much deeper appreciation for friends, family, food, shelter, and just life in general. Words cannot describe the struggle that I witnessed them going through.

Видео An Eye-Opening Day in a Manila SLUM 🇵🇭 | Philippines Trip | Manila Travel Vlog (Ep. 2) канала Edges Of Earth