Kesz – Bad Childhood? Good Adulthood?
Dear friends,
I recently blogged about a video called “It’s an instant CHOICE“. In that video, I answered a question that many people have been asking me since I became recognized as a tulku, “If you are a reincarnation of a high tulku, why did you have such a bad childhood?”
In the video, I shared how I did have a good childhood, even though at a glance, it appeared to be bad. Kesz seems to be another person who had a “good” childhood…
Cris Valdez, or more popularly known as Kesz, fled home at the age of 4 to live on the streets. He spent many days walking around dump sites to scavenge for items to eat, to wear and to sell. Born as the 3rd child out of 9, his parents were desperately poor and living in squatters. His parents tried to sell him off as a baby but didn’t manage to, and at the age of 3-4 Kesz became subject to beatings by his father… so he slept wherever he could, even on top of tombs in the city cemeteries.
At the age of 5, Kesz was shoved into a pile of burning tyres by other scavenger kids injuring his arms and back. His mother took him for medical attention and then left him at a charity worker’s shelter for street children called Club 8586. She came back months later letting Kesz know that the family did not want him anymore…
A marine engineer called Manalaysay who runs Club 8586 became his legal guardian and since then Kesz’s life has changed for the better. At aged 6, Kesz began volunteering to teach other street children about basic hygiene. At aged 7, he was asked by Manalaysay what he wanted as a birthday gift. He said that he wanted to give other children what he himself has received: rubber slippers, toys and candies.
He wanted to give gifts to other street children as he wanted them to feel the same love and happiness he felt on that day. On that very day, Kesz started a life long mission to give hope to street children via an organization that he started “Championing Community Children”.
Since the establishment in 2005, the organisation has reached out to over 10,000 children!! At the age of 13 last year, Kesz great love for others was recognised when he won the International Children’s Peace Prize.
I rejoice that Kesz was recognized for the award as he has given his all to serve the community at such a young age. While many children his age are pampered at home and yet still do not appreciate their good life, Kesz’s story is simply amazing because of his sheer determination to live for others even though he had to endure all the difficulties at a young age.
I am very inspired by this young boy and wanted to share his life journey with all of you. His story reminded me very much of my younger years when I left home and had to live on the streets. My experience inspired me to start Kechara Soup Kitchen in my later years to serve the homeless community because I know through experience how the life of a homeless person is like… and I wanted to do my part to give back to society.
Please watch the video and read the articles below about this amazing young boy and share with others.
Tsem Rinpoche
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/AHomelessBoyWithABigHeart.mp4
Biography
A street child turned into a health advocate
As a young boy of only 2 years old, Cris “Kesz” Valdez was forced to roam the dumpsite of Cavite City, about 30km from Manila, in the Philippines, where he lived with his parents and siblings. Being taught at an early age to beg and scavenge, his health was poor and his future prospects even worse.
Being a little boy, Kesz used to live in a severely abusive home environment. At the age of 4 he therefore fled from home to start begging on the streets while living on graveyards and sleeping in open tombs. Small as he was and only surrounded by other children and no adults, he was an easy prey for the gangs who master these areas. Like all other street children, Kesz used to sleep anywhere and everywhere. Unfortunately Kesz is no exception as a child living on the streets of Cavite City who spent his day scavenging and begging.
One day, he was found by a street educator sleeping outside a convenience store in the market, where some people would only be annoyed by his presence and kick him in their passing. The street educator took him home, took care of his wounds, bathed him and gave him the opportunity to go to his street school. After this, he was returned to his parents with the street educator’s pledge to keep helping him with his education and food.
However, back with his parents, he was again forced to beg and scavenge and roughly beaten for not earning as expected. Then at the age of 5, while scavenging, Kesz was pushed into a pile of burning tires which burned him severely on the arms and back. As his father wouldn’t help him or take him to a doctor, because they thought he was bad luck, he was brought by his mother to the house of the street educator barefooted and naked. The street educator immediately took him to the emergency room and had his wounds treated.
Kesz Seventh Birthday Launched ‘GIFTS OF HOPE”
For 6 years Kesz never knew when his birthday was. On the efforts of his new found friends from Club 8586 he was able to celebrate his seventh birthday. Kesz was asked what he wishes for. He replied he wished to give gifts to other street children for he wanted them to feel the same happiness he feels that magical day. And so it happened… it marked the beginning of the Championing Community Children, set up by Kesz himself.
The Championing Community Children started handing out Gifts of Hope to street children, with the intention of helping to protect them from abuse, neglect and the health hazards on the streets. Kesz started with handing out flip flops so the children would not cut open their feet while walking barefoot. However, as Kesz saw that children needed more than just flip flops, he expanded the gifts with toys, candy and clothes. The annual Gifts of Hope programme has now also benefited victims of typhoons and other calamities and has up to now shared over 7000 Gifts of Hope. The programme receives ever growing support from the community, both in effort and in gifts.
The Championing Community Children and his WEALTHY HEALTHY OUTREACH
Now, at the age of 13, Kesz has turned his life around, going from street child proving any bad talk about him wrong. The people in his life describe him as a strong willed, warmhearted and always helpful young boy. Wanting to extend his help to all children who need it, he has created five more programmes within Championing Community Children. Kesz executes these programmes with other voluntary peer officers and an ever growing number of volunteers.
Kesz is very focused on teaching slum community children how to take care of their health. Poor health is a chronic problem for these children. Lots of them are malnourished and the children live and work amidst trash, sickly animals and open sewers. Not only are they exposed and susceptible to disease, they are also unlikely to be vaccinated or receive medical treatment. They usually cannot afford doctors or medicines. It is therefore extremely important for street children to look after their basic health, such as brushing teeth, keeping clean and treating small wounds. Kesz believes that it is very important for them to be healthy to be able to make their own dreams come true.
But this is not the only need he has picked up on when roaming the communities of Cavite. Kesz is set to help out in any way he can. On a weekly basis, Kesz and his friends go into the communities and teach the children about hygiene, nutrition, gardening and children’s rights. This is their major program, the WEALTHY HEALTHY OUTREACH. To make sure the new information is passed on within the community, the Championing Community Children carefully monitors the communities and instructs peers in these communities on how to educate each other. And thus the network of young caretakers and activists grows.
The Championing Community Children has become a great success. Up to today they have helped 3000 children by treating wounds, have handed out thousands of toothbrushes and reached more than 10,000 children since their founding in 2005.
(Source: https://www.facebook.com/kesziam/info)
News Article
Filipino kid wins $130,000 peace prize
Thirteen-year-old Cris “Kesz” Valdez was once told he was the source of bad luck in the family. And for a while, he started to believe it too.
Beaten up by his father and neglected by his mother, the boy ran away from home and became a street urchin, scavenging through piles of garbage and spending his nights in an open tomb.
But now Valdez is the bringer of smiles to thousands of street kids like himself as the founder of “Championing Community Children,” an organization that gives flip-flops, toys and toothbrushes to deprived children in his hometown of Cavite City.
Out of three finalists, the boy was awarded on Wednesday the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize at a ceremony in The Hague, where he received a 100,000 euro ($130,000) prize.
“My motto is, ‘we can change the world one heart at a time,'” Valdez said in an audiovisual presentation shown at the ceremony.
“My message to all children around the globe is: Our health is our wealth! Being healthy will enable you to play, to think clearly, to get up and go to school and love the people around you in so many ways.”
The prize is presented annually by a Nobel Peace Prize laureate to “an exceptional child, whose courageous or otherwise remarkable acts and thoughts have made a difference in countering problems which affect children around the world.”
An initiative of the Dutch organization KidsRights, the Children’s Peace Prize was launched during the 2005 Nobel Peace Laureates’ Summit by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Asked about the prize money, KidsRights Foundation chair Marc Dullaert said a committee was now to decide, together with Valdez, to which projects it would be donated.
‘New voice for voiceless’
Valdez received the award from Nobel Peace Prize winner for 1984 Desmond Tutu, the South African human rights activist, who presented him with the “Nkosi,” a unique sculpture “which shows how a child can move the world.”
“You are wonderful,” Tutu told Valdez at a press conference shortly after the ceremony held in The Hague’s historic Knight’s Hall.
Tutu, the patron of KidsRights and the Children’s Peace Prize, said Kesz was a deserving and inspiring example of “a new voice for the voiceless.”
On his Twitter account (@iamKesz), Valdez posted on Thursday: “I am so honored to represent the Filipino kids and my homeland the Philippines! Salamat po O Dios sa lahat lahat (Thank you, Lord, for everything)!”
“I pray for the people who will listen to me speak. May I inspire them to do some good for the street children in the world,” he tweeted a day earlier.
Gifts of Hope
Through his organization, which he started at age 7, Valdez and his friends visit underprivileged communities to hand out parcels called “Gifts of Hope,” containing, among other things, slippers, toys and even candy.
They teach children about hygiene, food and children’s rights. “He even takes things a step further, by teaching children how to teach each other. He has so far helped more than 10,000 children in his local area,” organizers of the prize said in a statement.
In the Philippines, almost 250,000 children live in the streets, subjected to abuse, violence and child labor, and many of them struggling with health ailments, according to KidsRights.
Living in darkness
Valdez was in the same situation a decade ago.
At age 2, he was forced to scavenge at a dump. “I remember my father beating me. I had to make money so he could buy alcohol and drugs. He said I brought bad luck to the family,” he said in the KidsRights video, which has also been uploaded on Youtube.
Valdez said he felt he was “living in darkness.”
At 4, he ran away from the home and began living off the streets, sleeping in a public cemetery with other children, he recalled.
Then, an accident happened. While scavenging one night with other kids, he fell into a pile of burning tires, suffering a severe injury on his arm.
Love for the first time
That was when Valdez’s life turned around. For perhaps the first time in his young life, he became the recipient of the kindness of strangers.
Community worker Harnin “Bonn” Manalaysay, founder of the Bible study and outreach group Club 8586, treated the boy’s wounds and took the boy under his wing. Manalaysay was the mentor of another humanitarian working for street children, CNN Hero Efren Peñaflorida.
“That day was probably the first day in his life when he felt loved, accepted and cared for,” Manalaysay said of Valdez in the video.
On his seventh birthday, Valdez did not want any presents for himself.
“Instead, he wanted to give something to other street children,” KidsRights said. That same year, Valdez started his own organization, Championing Community Children.
10,000 children
Since its inception, the group has handed out 5,000 parcels and helped 10,000 children, KidsRights said. It said that Valdez himself had personally “treated over 3,000 wounds.”
Valdez, who studies in an open high school for other sponsored kids and dreams of becoming a doctor, said Manalaysay had not only treated his burns and bruises when his organization first adopted him but had also given him love and affection.
“This is what I want to give to as many street children as possible… I want children in the streets to get the same chance I had,” he said. With a report from AFP
(Source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/50668/filipino-street-kid-13-wins-130000-peace-prize)
Photos
CHILDREN’S CHAMPION Cris “Kesz” Valdez, 13, proudly accepts his prize from Nobel Peace Prize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu in ceremonies held in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Wednesday.
Kesz with his saviour Harnin “Bonn” Manalaysay (seated left) and his friends
Kesz reaching out to children on the streets
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Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this amazing story of this young boy that gives hope to others. His actions and kindness is inspiring and he showed us that even a young boy at the age of 7 can give hope to others.
Rinpoche taught us that we should be kind to the people around us and sometimes even the smallest kind gesture and make a big impact on the person’s life. As they say, a little kindness goes a long way. Thank you Rinpoche for reminding us of this teaching again.
Kesz’s life had not been smooth or good ever since he was born. He didn’t have the love he deserved from the parents since he was a baby. His life was rough, he had to live on the street since he was 5 years old.
When he was 6 years old, he decided to do something to benefit street children who are like him. Instead of hoping to have better things, he wants to give the kindness he has received to other children, to give them love and care they deserve.
It is amazing how he has turned his negative experience into something positive. For people who have gone through a difficult time like Kesz, most will have anger in them and get involved in drugs and crimes. But for Kesz, he understands the plight of street children and he doesn’t want other children to be like him. His experience has helped him become a kind and compassionate person.
Kesz, who lived from birth in a dumpsite, and who from the age of 2, had to scavenge among the rubbish in the dumpsite , and was forced to run away from home at the age of 4 because of excessive beatings and abuse by an alcoholic and drug addict father,had to all counts , a very bad childhood.After running away from ‘home’, he lived with other homeless children, scavenging dumpsites by day and living in open cemetries by night. To make matters worse for him, he sustained serious injuries when he fell into a pile of burning tyres one night, while scavenging with other kids.
However, his spell of bad luck came to an end, when he found a most compassionate saviour. His parents’ superstitious belief that he spelt bad luck was nullified . When his mother dumped him at Club 8586 ,Manalaysay who runs Club 8586 , immediately took over as his guardian. From then on he felt nothing but love and acceptance from Manalaysay. In this ambience of love and care, his own innate love for others bloomed. He started an outreach organisation, Championing Community Children , through which he helped 10 ,000 children and handed out 5000 parcels, containing gifts of tooth brushes, slippers and the like He got kids together to teach each other about personal hygiene, food, gardening and children’s rights among other things.
It is little wonder that at the age of 13, Kesz went on to receive a most prestigious international award for his outreach efforts for the needy and underprivileged kids of his community – the International Children’s Peace Prize. Ketz has a most wonderful heart of kindness and giving, so much like Tsem Rinpoche as a c hild. Even in the midst of his own suffering, he was reaching out to relieve the sufferings of other kids.On his 7th Birthday, he did not ask anything for himself, but asked that other underprivileged children be given gifts. His award of 100, 000 euros too was to be shared among underprivileged children.
He had extraordinary compassion,courage and determination, just like Tsem Rinpoche, believing that one can succeed in changing the world “one heart at a time”.
For people who refuse to leave their comfort zones, yong Kesz inspires us to reach out and excel beyond ourselves for others.
Wow! The life of Kesz is indeed a testimony that everything is an instant choice. When faced with harsh and devastating fate the universe seemed to have cruelly bestowed, the mind has the same equal capacity to either become a victim or victor. Have a bad childhood doesn’t always result in a bad adulthood and having a good childhood doesn’t always result in a good adulthood.
By any worldly terms, Kesz has a bad childhood. However considering where his experiences have brought him, perhaps it is not really bad after all. Good and bad is like just two sides of the same coin. Regardless of the actual physical tangible happening, it is still a matter of perspective. The mind still posses the ability to flip the coin either side.
Such is the power that is in our own hands. Our surrounding and situation do not ultimately decide the outcome of our life. We do. The decision we make do. How we react do. We are the creator of our karma.
It’s very heartwarming. Although he was brought up in a bad environment, but that didn’t give him excuses to give up on himself and beg for the rest of his life. It is very kind of him to have started an organisation and help to reach out to the other kids who are suffering like how he suffered as a child. Thank You for sharing Rinpoche, he is very inspiring.
He is an inspiring boy to look up, one learnt from difficult situation and grow up to be a better person. Situation occurred and it depends on the child to either to be broke or made. As for Kesz, his difficult situation has nurtured him to do good deeds to ease the suffering of others.
This is so touching and he is really inspired me, that he show his truly love with much care and helped those childrens. He is so kindness too, that willing give out all his things, what he have it to other children as a gift.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this post to us.
Kesz is such a courageous and kind young man! Although he went through so much when he was younger but it did not stop him from being stronger and more passionate. He understands the need to help children like him without asking for anything in return! He is truly inspiring! I am so happy that he won the award and now he can help many more! And the best part is that the children he taught are also teaching others. Nobody taught him to do so and he did it from his heart. I am so proud of him!
He reminds me so much of Rinpoche who does so much and always giving and helping other people too. Thank you Rinpoche for such an inspiring post!
When first watched this video on YouTube ( friend posted on FB ) it was touched my heart deeply, Kesz did showed us ( he never gave up for his life ) even he is born from a Bad Childhood. Really Inspiring.
( First thought in my mind, Rinpoche had a Bad Childhood too, and Rinpoche dint gave up and in future now, Rinpoche keep benefiting others ) A lot to Learn from a Great Teacher like Rinpoche.
Best Regards : Eric kksiow
Thank you for the sharing Rinpoche. May Kesz inspire all of us to do the same of others with any agender but out of sincere compassion .For a child who suffered so much during such a tender age .He was fortunate enough to be steered to a right path by a very kind Mr Harnin ,without the thought of revenge when he grew older but to share with the others the love that he received.
To live life for the cause of others are the most noble gesture a person could do ,in appreciation of precious human life.The generosity he showed to others is immeasurable.
May Kesz, blessed with the knowledge of dharma to lead others and his path to help others be smooth and free of obstacles.
Dear Rinpoche thank you far sharing this post. Kesz is sush a kind person he can live a hard childhood but his adulthood was kind and great. Kesz has also been kind in his child hood to find money for his fathers drugs and alcohol. This is the kinddest person i have read about.
Wow a young child can do so much to inspire others to take action. Phillipines has a high rate of people living on the streets. There was a video i watched once that shows a father of many went around the various KFC’s in Phillipines he was taking the scraps from all these KFC joints and he brought it home to his kids, and his kids were praying and thanking god for the food. It truly was a wake up call.
Its amazing what this boy has accomplished at such a very young age. Kesz is such an inspirational boy to so many pele, helping taken care of over 10,000 children is outnof this world. Its really beautiful how despite his “dark” childhood he used it and turned it into light and is now benefiting so many children. Manalaysay also has such a good heart, its really touching how he took Kesz in treating his wounds, giving him love and affection. Reading this only brings me joy to those who are benefited from Kesz.
It really makes me think about my family and my position in life, appreciating what I have and what I was given by my parents. I really hope I am not misusing this opportunity given by my parents. It would be an honour to meet Kesz one day. May the prize, money and fame he has gained be more beneficial to many more children.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story Rinpoche. I hope you are feeling well.
From contents of blog,”Kesz” Valdez, at 2 year old was forced to roam the dumpsites of Cavite City, about 30 km from Manila, Philippines. Severely abused at home where he lived with his parents and other siblings, he fled from home at the age of 4 to start begging on the streets and spent his day scavening, sleeping everywhere and anywhere, even on graveyards and in opened tombs. A good samaritan marine-engineer named Mandalaysay became his legal guardian, when “Kesz” was at 6 and became a volunteer to help out teaching other street kids. At this turn of event, by which we called Karma, his “luck” changed for the better and brighter. Now at 13 “Kesz” has turned his life around from a street boy to be the Children’s champion Nobel Peace Prize winner, in a ceremony held in the Hague, Netherlands. “Kesz” said that his wish is to be able to give something back to other street children, and with his determination it won’t be difficult!
Just can’t believe someone at the age of 7 can be so matured, caring, and can do so much to benefit others. This is what Tsem Rinpoche mentioned many times, how a kid who has not so good childhood turned out to be a great person. It is true, because we suffered before and we clearly understood about the suffering, so when we see others suffers the same, we feel their pain and wanted to release theirs…
This kid puts us adults to shame! He is only 13 years old and he knows how to choose to be the light instead of being self-destructive and dwell in depression or taking advantage of his blessed opportunity. He did not forget where he came from, his roots and the others just like him.
Kesz reminds me of Rinpoche and how Rinpoche had a challenging childhood and was living on the streets as well. http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/my-short-bio-in-pictures1.html#2
Instead of their bad childhood experiences bringing them down, these two people rise above it and decided to choose an extraordinary life and became Heroes we celebrate today… and all they did was change their perspective and using their experience as an inspiration to benefit others. The focus is on “others” and because of this, today they are changing lives and receiving more love then any of us. And it was just a simple choice of “self” or “others”. Thank you Rinpoche, because of you, we are where we are here in Dharma.
I watched the life story of this young boy in a local TV program #Magpakailanman. Im deeply touched by his story that I cried but inspired. God is really great.
Dear Rinpoche,
OH MY BUDDHA!!!
What a very nice and touching story.
I just can’t express in words how touched I am after watching the video and reading the story.
It was amazing how a 7 year old kid with hardly and money at all goes all out to give other street children stuff like toys, slippers, toothbrushes and more.
What was even more amazing is that he started an organisation all by himself and even managed to get a few volunteers to assist him in his work.
It is no surprise why he won the Children s Nobel Peace Prize Award because even though he his own self was once nobody instead of not doing anything as if nobody helped him, he instead was so grateful that people have helped him that he wanted to give back to the society and have managed to help a total of 10,000 children.
This story is a must for a lot of kids who are spoilt to bits instead they should even be lucky to even have parents to take care of them unlike Kesz.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing such a wonderful and touching story.
Love
Jutika
Kesz has inspired me a lot to do more for the less fortunate people and all living beings. With his selfless thought and deed, Kesz has drawn many happy faces among the street kids. I do really hope Kesz will become a role model to many young kids around the whole and change the mind of society that young kids can even do better than many adults! Cheers and rejoice for Kesz!
I am really impressed with this kid! He surely is an inspiration for many spoilt brats like myself and others who are just self-absorbed and looking for gifts and attention from people. This story would be a great gift to many children and teenagers the world over to be a sort of wholesome role model. Imagine having a kid as a role model but that’s what he should be considering what he does for others. Pop culture today encourages people to indulge and strive for self-gratification and being self-absorbed over their angst-driven emotions. Sometimes, it helps that we have someone to compare and to think that there is really another way of thinking.
How brilliant that at such a tender age, Kesz can think about others apart from himself even though from the onset, he seems like the one needing it. It is certainly a stark reminder to us all that our petty problems and whatever excuses we give ourselves for “failing” is merely that… insignificant!
The way to true happiness is really when we start to focus out… makes sense as the more we focus out, the more we lessen the focus on ourselves and hence our own problems, though still there are not the main priority or focus… Don’t you just love the logic!
It touched my heart after read this article and video. A young kid fulled of kindness and compassion .Although he just a 13 years old boy .But imagine what we are doing during 13years old . I need to do more before love come to me ,first i have to give my love to other.