What is resilience and how do the people of Baseco demonstrate resilience?
Resilience is when you never give up and you try and try again. The people demonstrate this when they might not be doing something right or they might not be getting what they want but they keep being persistent on whatever they want to achieve. They might not be living in a nice environment and not have the tools we have to help us in our daily routines but they are creative at problem solving and keep trying and they will eventually succeed in whatever their task could be.
Why do you think the people of Baseco are so happy despite having so little material things?
I think that the people in Baseco are so happy even if they don't have so many material things or toys to play with because they have each other. If you have ever heard the question does money buy you happiness, the answer is "no". The real answer is friendship buys you happiness. Also they don't just have friends, they have their faith in God.
Why do you think some people in this world are poor and others are rich?
Some people are poor because they are born into the poverty cycle. It is just luck that I was born in Australia. Same as the kids in Baseco - it was just luck that they were born there and nothing can be changed about that. No one asks to be born poor. So it just seems you can't really control if you are born into a rich family or born into a poor family.
If people are born in a slum, the key to getting out of the slum or any other poor place would be to get a good education. If you don't have a good education you can't apply for a good job and so can't move forward from that point. An example is Riza who was in Pastor Mark's sponsorship program. Riza is the first woman in the program to ever graduate from University/College. She got a good job selling insurance and now several people have followed in her footsteps graduating from University/College also and getting jobs out of the slum which is paying more money than they would earn in the slum peeling garlic for example.
Do you think those who are born lucky and have comfortable lives have a duty to help those who are less fortunate and who got a disadvantaged start in life by being born into poverty? Why?
Yes, because you could have been the one not born lucky! You should always be a servant leader - meaning you have to do things out of the kindness of your heart and not to expect a reward. Also everyone is supposed to have an equal life and life shouldn't be comfortable for some people and uncomfortable for others - it should be equal.
How are the children in Baseco similar or different to those in Australia?
Firstly the similarities: the children in Austalia and Baseco all love to play and hang out with their friends. In Baseco, when there are children running around they will always be with other kids whether it may be playing tip or playing other games. A difference is that the children don't have that many devices or gaming systems like most of the children in Australia. The kids play cards or tip on the street; not computer games.
If you were the Government leader of Baseco, what are the Top 3 things you would like to change or implement?
If I was the Government leader in Baseco I woul do three things.
Firstly, I would make it so that all the hospitals and the health clinics could be free so that all the children with health problems and diseases could get real medical help and not just a cloth around the wound.
Secondly, I would make sure that there was an animal clinic because all the animals have ticks, fleas and many look very sick and there is nowhere for these animals to go and they would eventually die on the street from the condition that they have.
Finally, I would renovate all the houses that were unstable or was falling apart because most of the houses are poorly made of timber sticks and scrap metal and don't stand a chance against storms or typhoons.
What are the Top 3 things you have learnt from Baseco that you will bring back to Australia?
I would bring back the lesson that we should be grateful for all that we have and not expect to live a perfect life.
Secondly, that we don't need the newest Iphones or the newest watch just to be happy. You just need to have a good friendship to be happy.
Finally, that there is a difference between a need and a want. There are some people out there who would be very thankful for a bowl of rice and yet there are other people who want the most expensive things. Most people in Baseco can't even meet their basic needs. so we shouldn't take simple things for granted.
How has this trip to Baseco changed your perspective on life?
It has changed my perspective on life just to see people living this poorly compared to how I live and how other people I know live. We should be thankful and grateful for all the food that we have and the shelter that we make no effort to build. Also, we don't think enough about other people when we don't like something and throw it away. Think about it, if you didn't like rice and you threw it out, someone would have really appreciated that bowl of rice. So we need to walk in other people's shoes and think about how much they would have been thankful for what we take for granted.
How can we continue to help our friends in Baseco?
We can continue to help our friends in Baseco by donating things that they need such as Combantrin worming tablets; and even just praying for the people who live there. Just thinking about them and sharing the Baseco story with others, but mostly praying to help them.
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