The slums, an epic record of living conditions in one of the world’s poorest regions, are human drama at its finest. Produced by Al Jazeera, this six-part film lets us experience what it is all about living in an environment marked by immense struggle, abject poverty, rising crime and diminishing opportunities.
The first episode takes us north of Manila, where we meet many of its residents who struggle every day to provide for their families and their communities. A fisherman who went days without a fish worried what would happen to his family if his nets were empty. A nurse attempted to deliver a baby in a medical clinic without proper supplies or an acceptable standard of hygiene. A community worker provides birth control counseling to stem a population boom.
Episode 2 opens with a weather-beaten father of six scavenging for valuables in a sea of landfills. Like him, tens of thousands of residents work various menial jobs to support their families. But even if they earn a “decent” wage each day, they’re still at the mercy of an imperfect education system, underfunded health care, and understaffed emergency services.
Episode 3 sees the effects of an approaching tropical storm. Nearly 6,000 families were left without food and water, and their homes and businesses were severely damaged. Charities are stepping in to supplement the lethargic government’s soft relief efforts.
As the storm season draws to a close, the city is facing a different kind of devastation. Episode 4 covers the district’s election cycle. Politicians cannot ignore slums at this point, if only because of the sheer number of potential voters who live there. Some of them even pay for their votes.
Episode 5 follows the plight of a homeless family occupying a long-abandoned toxic waste dump. We witnessed the restoration of a family’s faith as they managed to flee their community and into safer government housing.
This tone of hope continues at the end of the series as we follow the efforts of those who struggled to achieve their dreams. Ballet dancers in training are eager to study and perform elsewhere in the world. A local athlete saves up to buy and run his own gym. You — like every man, woman, and child portrayed in Ghetto — are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
