By Mari Chacapna - Year 10, South Otago High School
A while ago, I watched a short documentary about families living in the Philippines and how poverty affected them.
One story that stood out for me was that of a woman named Evelyn.
She supports her family by making door mats, earning 100 pesos weekly.
They rent a small room made out of a pigsty costing them 500 pesos monthly.
Two of her children suffer from malnourishment, and she said that on days when there is no food, she would feed her children salt, and it would be enough for them to go through their day.
I'm from the Philippines.
I have relatives living there who have a life far harder than we do here.
My cousins, who are 13, help my grandpa work in the rice paddy.
When I was 13, I was planning school trips. My friends gave me sweets and gifts when I turned 14.
My cousins don't get such luxuries.
The best gift that they have been given is a sense of compassion, a roof over their head, and food.
Smokey Mountain is a place in the Philippines where a million tonnes of garbage is burning right now.
Families live nearby, and they inhale toxic fumes every day.
What happens if they get sick? Almost 70% of Filipinos are deprived of needed medicines.
Some provincial and underdeveloped areas of the Philippines don't have access to sanitation, or clean water.
Diseases such as Aids and malaria are related to poverty.
There are issues with access to education and overpopulation.
In 2008, my dad left us in the Philippines to start a new chapter in New Zealand.
He came here in search of a job and new opportunities.
In 2013, we joined him and were a family again.
Sometimes, when I'm having a bad day, I remind myself that I am lucky to have moved here alongside my sister.
I am lucky to have great friends, mentors and teachers to guide me in life.
I am lucky to live in such a beautiful country, with free healthcare, an amazing school and a place we can call home.
We are forever grateful, but there are still people less privileged than us.
Together we can stand against poverty, against people suffering.
This is a wake-up call.
Open your eyes and educate yourselves about poverty, so we know how to help people in need - so that people like Evelyn can eat and live happily ever after.
