Life in Pasil

Maria, who volunteered in Don Bosco Pasil, organised a short story competition for the young people who attend the youth centre.

The result is 'Life in Pasil', a collection of short stories and poems written by the young people of a slum in the Philippines. It shows both their struggle with poverty and their love of their community.

It can be downloaded free here!.

The Place I Love
By Lope Abas, aged 15

The place where I learned to understand
my hopes and ambitions at hand
The place I learned to accept
With all that life could offer.

The place where people don’t want to be
for once it was a dumping sea.
The Place where all evils hide,
Where the angels fear to tread.

The place that doesn’t have evenings,
with people day and night working.
The place that everybody thinks
That’s helpless , hopeless and stinks.

But they don’t know what really lies in this place after all,
A haven where all my dreams are built.
For no one knows that in this place
my happiness truly lives.

PASIL, the place of hope,
The place of dreams,
The only place of love I’ve ever known.