Weekend in Mindoro - Part Two (Stairway)

Mary’s nipa hut has three levels – on the ground floor there is a small bathroom and sink, a desk and chair, a drafting table and chair that her foundation built for her, and a comfy chair and footrest on a balcony, with trees and flowers and a sunset view. The floor of the next level is also shelf-level to the first – so it’s a space for cooking and storage. There’s a ladder to that level and then up to the upper level, which is the sleeping platform. There’s a peaked thatched roof that rains debris every so often, but it’s charming. She graciously had me sleep in the upper level so that I could have the full experience (and the mosquito net). We had a leisurely breakfast, including entertainment by the six-year-old daughter of the founders, who came over to inspect, draw, and then have a tea party with two visiting friends of hers, all in princess dresses.

Stairway Foundation is very impressive. The founders, Lars (a Dane) and Monica (an American), came for vacation 20 years ago and stayed. While they were vacationing, they saw pedophiles with young boys and decided to do something about it, starting a camp and now a residence for young boys. Over the course of their ten-month stay at Stairway, the boys learn self-esteem and life skills, and then they go on to other institutions that care for them. I half-jokingly asked if they needed marketing and they do, wanting to increase outreach of their advocacy program, so maybe there’s an opportunity for some work-related leave. I was glad to leave with some of their materials, including three animated pieces about children’s rights and child sexual abuse that they produced.

Mary’s an architect, and her assignment is to design and build a new theatre for them. She finished the first part of the design and handed it off while I was there, so it was an exciting time to be visiting. I said I’d try to dredge up some formulas from the memory bank (but actually, I shall ask one of the engineers whom I met last week) to check the stresses and such – it’s a cool design.

The old theatre, one of the first structures in the complex, is to be torn down this week, and Mary came up with a ceremony to celebrate and commemorate it. Each of the boys (and I, since I was there) and the staff wrapped a stone that was to hang from a pole strung across the stage. And there was to be another set of stones on the stage (this was after I left, though I told her I should stay to be the photographer – it worked in Timhadite!). Each person would pick up a stone, tell a memory or a wish for the new theatre, and put it in a basket, and then all of the stones from the basket and the hanging pole will be incorporated into the new theatre. It sounded like a magic ceremony, and I can’t wait to return and see the construction in progress and the final product!