Cebu, Philippines :: Doulos Hope witnessed how a feeding programme inspired by Doulos has grown into an organisation today.
From the well-remembered vessel Doulos to the latest addition to the fleet, Doulos Hope, the impact made by GBA Ships grows over time.
Sally Ababa (Philippines) has spent many years serving with GBA Ships, allowing her to see the long-term impact of the work. “Back in 2001, I was serving with Doulos and prepared the port visit to Cebu, Philippines, for the ship’s arrival,” she said. Since there was no fence around the pier, “crew and port volunteers engaged with the street kids and homeless individuals living in the dilapidated buildings [nearby], forming friendships with them.
“[In fact,] they even invited the children to eat on board. The dining hall was so loud!” Sally reminisced. “Everybody would play, sing and dance until late at night – it was full of life and vibrancy.”
“As the ship moved away, we waved goodbye to the port volunteers, committee members, friends and family… And that’s when the children from the streets jumped into the sea and swam towards us. They cried and bid us farewell.
“It touched my heart… I know they wanted us to stay, but we couldn’t. But we left an impact – one of the families even gave birth to a baby boy and named him ‘Doulos’.”
“Our ship couldn’t stay, but our local port volunteers can,” Sally shared. “And after seeing the impact of connecting with those in need, they decided to continue helping after Doulos left.
“With their own money, they started a simple feeding programme and continued the activities they learned from Doulos.” As time went on, the initiative became a weekly one and Sally joined the team. “I saw growth,” she said, “So I gathered the leaders, met with them regularly and partnered with [other] organisations to reach out to more slum communities.”
As they served, they couldn’t help but notice more children in need – including those near their office.
“I saw that our [security] guard would cook and feed the street kids late at night because they were hungry. So, we decided to start another weekly feeding programme for them,” Sally explained. This is the programme that crewmembers from Doulos Hope worked with recently, joining the local team to prepare and distribute meals for those who need it.
Years later, the initiative hasn’t stopped growing. “Today, the [group of port volunteers] is now an organisation. And we do more than food distribution because we want to provide holistic help,” Sally shared. “With the help of our partners, we provide nutritious meals, medical and dental help, scholarships, alternative learning programmes, work opportunities and more.
“Among these recipients is ‘Doulos’ – the baby boy from the pier and his many siblings, [who] have benefitted from scholarships. The simple feeding programme is now an independent organisation serving around 100 children and 30 adults – with next generation leaders now taking charge.”
What began as Doulos crewmembers making friends with children by the pier has now grown into the ‘ Chariots’ organisation, helping homeless people in Cebu, Philippines.
“Yes, people look forward to the free food. But what they appreciate even more is the friendship with those who prepared the food, stayed with them and showed them unconditional love. We’re so grateful to serve others and we won’t stop doing this,” Sally concluded.
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