Kids paddle their way to school in Eleven Islands, Zamboanga Peninsula

When her everything is almost nothing, how does she cling to that glimmer of hope?

Fourteen-year-old Sarfaina Bakil lives a life of uncertainty. With no water and electricity in the place she calls home, even the most mundane tasks can prove to be arduous challenges. In Sarfaina’s island, food is insufficient, livelihood is inconsistent, and access to health is absent.

It all starts during the weekend. Lugging with them over 10 containers, Sarfaina and her siblings must accomplish their most important task: to get a week’s supply of water for their family. By 7 o’clock, they have to leave their house while the ocean is still calm; leaving too late would be unsafe, while leaving too early would mean no sunlight. When other children play with their toys, the Bakil children play with the waves.

It all starts during the weekend. Lugging with them over 10 containers, Sarfaina and her siblings must accomplish their most important task: to get a week’s supply of water for their family.

“Walang tubig dito,” she said. “Kung meron mang tubig, kung umuulan lang, ma’am. Pero kung walang ulan, kailangan talaga. Walang tubig kasi. Wala namang maiinom dito.”

After paddling for over an hour, Sarfaina and her siblings reach the mainland where they are met with long lines and limited supply, but they have no choice; this is their only source of domestic and potable water. In the next two hours, though, all containers must be filled. If they miss their golden window, the current will become too strong and they risk being stranded. The next time the ocean sleeps? At 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Photo courtesy of: Kara David

Luck was on their side and they made it on time. As they loaded all the containers into their boat, it sank a few inches deeper. From afar, it was as if the rim of boat was on the same level as the surface of ocean, but the children did not mind. They paddled on, and paddled fast.

A perilous paradise

There is no denying the beauty of Eleven Islands (Photo courtesy of: Isabelle Estein)

“Eleven Islands,” a part of Brgy. Dita, south of Zamboanga Peninsula, has long been dubbed as a paradise. Its pristine beaches and picturesque sunsets are indisputable. Its immaculate sandbars and clear skies, postcard-worthy. Nonetheless, its dark past cannot be forgotten. Known to many locals, “Eleven Islands” was a jump-off point for rebels during the years of fighting in Mindanao. Serenity may embrace the islands today, but chaos engulfed it just yesterday.

Sarfaina was born to a fisherman and a homemaker, and is the eldest of nine siblings. Other than fetching the water on weekends, she also does their laundry, helps in farming, and hunts for kahanga shells. An epitome of responsibility and diligence, Sarfaina has only one dream: to go to school. But at 14, she finds herself only in fourth grade, after stopping for four years.

“Sinabi po ni papa ko na wag ka muna mag-aral dahil wala tayong budget. Ngayon, ma’am, huminto ako. Paaaralin muna daw niya 'yung mga kapatid ko. Sabi ko okay,” she said.

Weekday mornings are not any breezier for the Bakil children. Apart from having to traverse the ocean, they have to walk for over three kilometers to get to school.

Weekday mornings are not any breezier for the Bakil children. Apart from having to traverse the ocean, they have to walk for over three kilometers to get to school. But before the sun even rises, the gamble has already begun. Having only one boat, they eagerly wait for their father’s prompt return. They gather their school bags and packed lunches, meeting him halfway along the shore. He bids them goodbye and hands them his catch. The children sell these fish on their way to school, and with the money they earned, buy three kilos of rice on their way back home. This is their everyday.

Paddling their way to an education

Upon reaching Dita Elementary School, the Bakil siblings were children once again. Sarfaina being the head of her class, knew the lessons by heart. It was an instant transformation from the Sarfaina at home. Her bright smile and glittering eyes gleamed with much yearning. Inside the four corners of her classroom, she has found her sanctuary- but not for long. When the bell rings come four in the afternoon, the Bakil children are snapped back to reality. Before the sun sets, they have to find their way home.

Gathered around their lone gas lamp, the children struggle to finish their homework after they do their chores.

Gathered around their lone gas lamp, the children struggle to finish their homework after they do their chores. On good days, they get to eat rice and fish. On unlucky days, they would have to make do with cassava. As for Sarfaina’s younger siblings, a mixture of brown sugar and water nourishes them everyday. Milk is just too expensive.

“Nagdadasal ako para hindi habambuhay ganito,” she said. “Sana sabi ko, sana may payapa ang ibigay sa amin, umunlad kami at maging masaya naman ang buhay namin. ”

The sky is dark, the moon is high. When others see the absence of the sun, Sarfaina focuses on the presence of the moon. When her everything is almost nothing, it seems hoping is all she can do.---BMS, GMA Public Affairs

Isabelle T. Lee is a researcher of Kara David's "I-Witness" team.