27 August 2010
I could live a thousand lifetimes and never get back the feeling I first got when walking into SOTH. I am sure many of you are at the point now where you are asking yourself two key questions. First how did it start and where is it going to end.
The first is answered easily enough; it started with an impromptu trip to the Philippines to begin work on a novel. When I arrived, I thought that thanks to the information I had been given by a friend, that I had a pretty clear idea of what to expect. I have never been so wrong. What I found in a world that on the surface seemed full of poverty and pain was a small island of hope. I admit as I traveled the island grew and pretty soon I could no longer see the water’s edge for the massive expanse of land that stretched before me. A land filled with love, strong family values, faith, hope and the never-ending will to not only survive but to find ways to thrive.
When first I encountered the children of Shepherd of the Hills I was welcomed into their small home and made to feel immediately as if I was one of the family. Their warmth and kind nature was a comfort; after two weeks of wandering a city I did not know and seeing the heart wrenching realities of children living on the streets struggling to survive the gentle nature of Ruth Mejica was a soothing balm to my soul.
The story of how I got there, what I saw there has been written; the story of what will come of that visit is yet to be lived. All it took was one moment hearing them play, one minute of them pouring the very core of who they are into their music and I was hooked. A chance meeting perhaps but one that has changed my purpose and the direction in which I was taking my life, a chance meeting that has changed the lives and purpose of others. Of course I could not stop there, I had to tell a friend, who told a friend and soon the idea of STRENGTH was born.
Yes, we’re working on making a movie, yes we are hoping it will inspire others and lift up those who may for the moment not be able to stand alone. Yes we have promised that proceeds from the sale of the film will go back to the kids and yes it is taking us some time to get it done. We have the footage, we have the story and we have the heart, thanks to family and friends we have had the funding needed to keep working. None of this however matters if you never know their name because that is what project STRENGTH is all about. It’s about telling you about these kids, about the home in which they live and the incredible people who run it. It’s about reaching out and showing the world through our work that there are good people in our world, that there is still much beauty in our world and that even though we sometimes find it in unexpected places no matter where it comes from that good thing that is the human capacity for love and compassion is worth fighting for.
Help us, please, keep this going…
Tell the world about these kids; let the world know that even the smallest of children can make a difference, that even one small voice can reach enough people to change our world.
That is the dream of STRENGTH…
*Update March 2015 – Though the project was put on hold for a couple of years the dream itself never really died and as is the nature of dreams when it was it’s time to be realized, it was. We did return to finish what we started only to realize that what we started actually had nothing to do with us. We found through our wanderings more giving hearts, more caring souls and more inspirational stories than we could possibly include in one film. As the film grew, as the story we told grew so did the team and the original purpose that was and still is Beyond Strength. We will not now only be supporting one organization through the proceeds of the film but many, and we will not now simply stop when the film is done. We have hopes and dreams to take the film beyond festivals and theatres – we see education programmes and not-for-profit organizations, movements for change and passionate people dedicated to creating a better world for ALL of our children.*
Niki Norlock – producer/writer Beyond Strength
