From sleeping in slums to a scholarship in Germany

Daniel Dejapin grew up on the streets, selling roses by Manila Bay. In August, he is
headed to Germany for a full scholarship at The Robert Bosch United World College.

MANILA, Philippines – In a small, narrow alley at the heart of Ermita, Manila, is a row of
shanties.

On the road, a smattering of stained, ratty mattresses are laid out in the hot afternoon
sun, kids and adults sprawled atop, napping. The sun is unforgiving. But it is cooler out
here than inside their homes, where there is no electricity.

Daniel Dejapin, 19, lives in one of these shanties.

What Daniel considers his house is no more than 20 square meters in size, a square
space where he, his parents and his 4 other siblings live. It's located on the bottom floor
of an
old, abandoned building and sits right by the side of the road, separated from all the
other shanties by a mere curtain, their door. The tiny box is the bedroom, kitchen, living
room all rolled into one.

The area – consisting of dwellings made only of light materials – are a clear fire hazard.

"The first time it burned, in 2010, we were able to recover because we asked help from
relatives," he said. "But the second time, in 2012, everything was gone. We had nothing
left. So we had to sleep on the streets again."

Sleeping on the streets is not foreign to Daniel. As a child, Daniel considered the Baywalk
by Manila Bay – where he used to sell flowers – his home. This, as well as street corners
of closed-down buildings, benches, parks, or wherever he could find to spend the night.

Daniel lived half his life on the streets of Manila, and the other half on the alleyway he
now considers home.

Daniel started selling flowers at age 6, after a certain “Ate Carla” found him crying on the
streets one day, and taught him how to make money.

"She asked me, 'Do you want to sell flowers?' I said, 'How much would I earn?' She told
me I could keep half the commission. I said okay, and they taught me how to ask for tip
as well," he said.

He would sell from 8 pm up to the wee hours of the morning. At 4 am, he would walk
over to Aurora Quezon Elementary School where he studied from 1st to 6th grade, and
slept on the benches there until 6 am, when his classmates started coming in. He
always went to class, he said, fighting the urge to fall asleep.

Daniel says he owes staying in school to the kindness of his teachers. When he was in
3rd grade, his teacher, Mrs. Catubag, spoke to her fellow teachers and convinced them to
tutor Daniel in the afternoon so he could sleep and rest for more hours before selling
flowers on the streets. She even welcomed him into her home.

Daniel graduated from 6th grade with honors – a feat even his own mother couldn't
ignore.

Out on the streets, Daniel was drawn to makeshift classes set up by street educators
from Childhope Asia Philippines, a non-profit organization committed to educating and
helping street children.
“I was jealous of the other kids. I remember I was crying. I was 6 years old. That time, I
was selling flowers, like roses in Baywalk... I saw the session in the street,” he said.

“I met Ate Claire, one of the values formator. I was crying, 'Ate Claire, let me join you.'
Then she said, 'You could join but only as saling pusa.' Eventually, as I grew up, they got
me for the scholarships there. When I was 9 years old, I became a mentor to the other
kids.”

Christian Undajare, one of the street educators, remembers Daniel as a curious child. It
was easy to see there was a spark in Daniel even at a young age, he said, and he was
right.

“I didn't mind him much when he was 7 because at 7 years old, no matter what we teach
them, they are too young. But as he grew older, when he was 8, we started to integrate
him in the lessons. And we saw he had potential to be a leader,” Undajare said.

“You can tell when a child has leadership. He helps, he waits for you. He calls out other
kids when they're wrong, and they help carry things. Even something as simple as
carrying things, you can tell they have the initiative to help.”

Daniel stuck with Childhope over the years and later became a junior health worker,
teaching kids on the street about hygiene. He also started directing street theater plays,
which he performed in public places with children he gathered from the streets.

Daniel knows he is lucky to be given the opportunities he has received, but he is the first
to give credit to those, he said, that helped him along the way. He lists their names: Ate
Claire of Childhope is atop the list, along with Ate Carla who taught him how to sell
flowers, and so many more teachers and mentors and friends who saw his potential
behind the grimy clothes and Dangwa roses.

“I never stopped because of the people around me, who always said, 'You could do it.
This suffering will end once you finish school and find a job. You will be able to buy
whatever you want, and you can provide for your family. You'll be able to leave the
squatters area,'” he said.

Those who know him are quick to point out however, that more than anyone, Daniel is
where he is because of Daniel.

“What's really in Daniel is optimism, determination. He's a kid that doesn't quit. He's a kid
who looks at the positives and the opportunities. I describe Daniel as a very likeable
person who is succeeding because of his attributes,” Boulton said.
Daniel's parents, who were initially hesitant, are now giving their "full support," said
Daniel. At first, his mother was saddened her son was leaving after she had missed 8
years of his childhood, while his father was concerned about expenses there before he
realized the scholarship would cover everything.

Their fears have since been quelled, and both are excited for their son. Daniel says he
overheard them talking about pooling all their savings together and working double time
to buy him a new cellphone as a parting gift.

As for Daniel, he says he is excited, for 4 things in particular: to ride a plane for the first
time, to see a different country, to experience snow and to meet new people.

“I was never ashamed of my background. I tell them, 'I am a street child too.' But when
you're a street child, people really look down on you. 'He's a thief, a snatcher.' I've started
trying to change the term 'street child.' I said, 'I don't like being called a street child. Just
'child,'" he said.

“I want people to know that street children, if you give them an opportunity to develop
their talents... they change because with every opportunity you give a child, especially a
street child [they grow]. They just really need to gain confidence, and faith. And they will
change. Like I did."

He paused.

"If it weren't for people who helped me, I will still be one of those kids selling flowers on
the street.” - Rappler.com