To survive from day to day, Jhalanie Matuan, a homeless person, begs people on the street for money. All too often, she also has to search the garbage for leftover food or any other item she might find valuable.
One day while digging up a trash can, she found drawing and coloring materials – and it reminded her of a childhood aspiration. She used to love art when she was younger and she dreamed about having her own exhibit someday.
With her new find, she started drawing again and she decided to sell her pieces on the streets. Eventually, the people took notice and many netizens posted her work online.
Touched by her story, Facebook users shared her pictures and artwork on the web which led to new a huge opportunity as some good people in the art community eventually helped her.
Hi guys, it's happening! 2 months ago, we've been touched by the story of an artist selling her works along the…
Posted by Coco Torre on Tuesday, August 25, 2015
In August 28, her lifelong dream finally came true as she was scheduled to have her solo art exhibit at A Space Manila gallery in Makati.
This is definitely an inspiring story and we congratulate this homeless artist for her huge achievement. We hope she finds success in the field of art and that more people will take notice of her talents. Also, we salute the good people over at A Space Manila for accommodating her in their place.
Homelessness in Manila
In 2014, a PhilStar report confirmed that Metro Manila has the “highest homeless population in the world.” Details indicate that about 22.8 million people, 1.2 million of which are children, are living around the area.
IBTimes, on the other hand, confirmed that other cities in the world with “high homeless populations” in the world include New York City (60,000 homeless people, 22,000 are children), Los Angeles (53,798) and Moscow Russia (50,000).