I feel very encouraged after today. Just last week a restaurant business opened up, the owner is a lady who used to volunteer with some of our clients and has decided to only employ young adults who have struggled and are in need of a livelihood. She therefore takes recommendations from NGO's on who to hire, and she is willing to work with IJM clients in the future. She not only teaches them cooking skills, and business skills...she is apparently willing to work with them on English and other skills to enhance their life and opportunities for the future. A very special lady, and so sweet in person. We ate lunch there yesterday, and got to see our client hard at work in the kitchen. They looked so confident, comfortable, happy and proud....and it made me want to come eat at the restaurant every day. They served Grade A sushi....which was explained to be the meat sold only to Japan and the US for sushi (surprisingly you can't really find that here in the Philippines...). They also had miso soup, coconut milk chicken with basil, okra, and other glorious things. I tried rice coffee for the first time too and officially like it....
Afterwards, we did a home visit on the way to a 15th anniversary celebration of a shelter that houses women who have been abused. IJM was honored to receive an award, thanking us for our support. The clients and employees did several dances for us throughout the ceremony, and at the end of the last dance, they ripped open these bags of some sort and massive butterflies came flying out all over the gymnasium. It was so cool...and metaphorical. If that's a word. The "women" to me looked sooooo young. I pictured them looking much older before I arrived, but it was cool to see potential and possibility for them. They looked happy and restored.
On the way home we got stuck in traffic.
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