Dayang Yraola: HOPE is a roof over a sick child's head

Late last year I was introduced to Little Ark Foundation (LAF). It is a foundation that aids children with cancer and blood diseases at the National Children's Hospital (NCH) by providing them transient home, transportation, care cart (feeding program), art and learning activities, blood donation drives, among others.

It was only in February when I finally got to visit NCH and LAF. Photo below was with 2 LAF kids and their carers and Butch (founder of LAF).

Originally, I was only planning to design art workshop modules for the children, similar to what I did for Special Achievers and QC Kabahagi Children's Center.

I also brought my sister, Arki Millet Yulo, because LAF is planning to create an Activity Corner and they needed a design for it. She immediately said yes, of course.

Learning more about how LAF operates, and getting to know patients and parents from NCH, I extended my engagement a little bit more by finding funds in the art world (the world I am most familiar with) that could possibly support LAF's existing program, especially the transient home.

Why the transient home program is important? Before LAF, some patients pitifully had to sleep on pavement by E.Rod Ave., bus station, or wherever else, when they have procedures that require more than 2 days, and they live far from the hospital. With LAF, they'd have a van that will bring them from the hospital to this transient home, a decent place to spend the night, a hot meal on their table, and caring from volunteers who treats them like family.

We are trying to raise 1M to renovate an old house that will significantly increase the capacity of transients LAF can accommodate.

We will have an art raffle on June 29, and we need 100 people who can spare PhP10,000 to make this move to a bigger transient home possible.

I will also be unloading my personal art collection to support the same cause (message me if interested dyraola@gmail.com)

In the three months that I've been actively assisting LAF, I realized that we cannot solve many of the problems the patients and their carers endure, there are many things we cannot provide. The only thing we can do is make them feel that they are not alone in this battle. The transient home is HOPE-- hope is a roof over a sick child's head-- that after a good night sleep, tomorrow there may be cure, or at least a bit of relief from pain and discomfort.

For now, I'd like to thank the artists and designers who immediately said yes when I requested for artworks, their design, their services, to the musicians who so generously offered to perform during the art raffle event, to the companies who'll provide us with the necessary logistics (venue, equipment, catering), and to the many friends who are helping us make this happen. Salamat po.

PS.

While the art raffle is very enticing, we understand that others prefer different forms of support. We are accepting support in cash in any amount, and in kind, particularly items that are useful for our LAF Housing, Care Cart, Care Basket, and/or edutainment activities at NCH during our children’s treatment days. We are also happy to discuss, should there be non-material ways you would like to support LAF.

Email: butch.bustamante@littlearkfoundation.org

I do not have a lot to spare.

But I have HOPE to share.

Let this be my last two copper coins.

(Mark 12:41-44)

Dayang Yraola

Curator/ Professor

www.dayangyraola.com

dyraola@gmail.com