Easter signals hope, renewal, a new beginning. The Easter celebration which comes after the Lenten season of anguish and repentance, observed by millions of Christians over sins of omission and commission, has just ended.

And like the gradual ebbing of the black darkness of the night that is shattered by the shimmering rays of sunrise that suddenly burst in the blinding glare of sunlight, the world holds on to the hope that perhaps, finally, the endless ills that beset mankind will come to an end with the dawning of each new day.

Man’s multitude of ills — marked by poverty, hunger, homelessness, sickness, injustice, envy, greed, lust, adultery, hate, war, environmental destruction, death and all other forms of evil that mankind is replete with — never seem to end, day after day, bringing to the fore the seeming inevitability of the sad legacy of suffering until the Final Judgement Day bequeath to us after Adam and Eve’s banishment from Paradise.

So does this mean we should simply accept these unfortunate realities? Clearly, it should not be so. Where do we begin then? With so many needs of society, we need to pick and choose where we can be most effective.

To start, let’s look at perhaps the most dire issue for us in the Philippines — poverty. The World Bank estimates nearly half of the world population, or 3.5 billion people, are poor, using the worldwide standard of earning at least $6.85, or about P400, per day not to be considered poor.

In the Philippines, if we are to believe official government estimates, about 15.5 percent or 18 million people are poor. This, however, differs significantly from other surveys which range from an 18-percent to 23-percent poverty rate. It gets worse when you look at self-rated surveys which, as of the fourth quarter 2024 Social Weather Stations poll, suggests as high as 63 percent of Filipinos rate themselves poor.

Easter beckons to us all who are able to help in any way we can. Of course, one can do this individually by simply extending dole-outs or an occasional “ayuda” but perhaps a more structured and holistic approach by collaborating with like-minded civic organizations is more effective and reaches a greater number of beneficiaries. Why simply give fish when you can teach how to fish?

As an example, the Rotary Club of Makati is actively supporting the aspirations of young men to secure meaningful work after high school graduation through the Dualtech Training Center which provides classroom training on industrial skills needed by various companies which in turn support them through an extensive on the job training and eventual employment after completing the dualistic training program.

Another longstanding project of RCM is providing a nutritional feeding program with Kabisig Ng Kalahi for the very young to prevent brain stunting which forever impairs their ability for future meaningful education. Then we have the Rotary Dorm Project in cooperation with Angat Pinas which provides shelter for students in need of convenient shelter in selected provincial areas.

The sickness of the mind, particularly of mankind’s future, the young, is society’s silent malady that has been neglected for so long. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates one in eight individuals, or about 12.5 percent, is afflicted with a mental health condition. As of 2020, WHO has estimated that about 3.8-million Filipinos have a mental health problem which is almost 4 percent of the population.

Clearly, the WHO estimate is understated. Theoretically, we probably have a minimum of 12.5-million people who have some form of mental problem who are not treated. Worse, we only have about three mental health professionals for every 100,000 individuals.

Where do we begin then? With so many needs of society, we need to pick and choose where we can be most effective.

RCM for its part is supporting this gargantuan advocacy with a mental health awareness for the young in collaboration with the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation’s program, SuPEER Heroes, which provides training for young school leaders who can provide a first line of support to their peers who are reluctant to speak with their parents or teachers.

There are similar projects that RCM has been doing the past 60 years and RCM’s efforts are obviously a drop in the ocean of needs, but we all have to simply do our best.

Until next week… OBF!

For comments, email bing_matoto@yahoo.com.