Thursday, August 25, 2005
From grass roots to motorbikes
Hi,
As you can see haven't had a whole lot of time to post. And this will also be short. Since writing last we have been kept busy every day. We visited the Akap Bata project in Tondo, which is a grass roots school which is run by volunteer teachers from the local area. Some of the conditions within the areas and the "schools" have to be seen to be believed but the intentions and determination behind the project is impressive.
We also got to visit government run institutions - Elsie Gatches which is a huge plot of land which was donated to the government for the sole purpose of looking after people with long term physical and mental disabilities. A good setup but also some questionable practices of having kids tied to fences so that they won't fall and hurt themselves?!
On the other extreme we visited Reception Action Centre Manila which is a government run street kids project but the objective of this is more to clean up the streets and get the view of street kids out of the way of tourists, because the centre is hugely overpopulated with people living on top of each other, from young to old, in er poor conditions, and when we were there the medical centre was being staffed on a volunteer basis by short term French volunteers, and the woman working as the main nurse, was a qualified nutritionist, and she was working on cleaning woounds and skin diseases. A crazy setup, with huge framed photos of Manila's great mayor everywhere you look!
We also met the REAP scholars (Redemptorist Educational Assistance programme). The Redemptorist setup, more specifically the lay missionaries set up here, is hugely impressive. They really have it working well here.
So now all of the group are back in Manila and we are off on an exposure today to Payatas and then on Friday we leave for Singapore and back to ireland by Monday. So this will proably be the last post til then.
Time has flown but it has been great.
Will fill in more details when I get home.
Till then!
Slan!
Dave
As you can see haven't had a whole lot of time to post. And this will also be short. Since writing last we have been kept busy every day. We visited the Akap Bata project in Tondo, which is a grass roots school which is run by volunteer teachers from the local area. Some of the conditions within the areas and the "schools" have to be seen to be believed but the intentions and determination behind the project is impressive.
We also got to visit government run institutions - Elsie Gatches which is a huge plot of land which was donated to the government for the sole purpose of looking after people with long term physical and mental disabilities. A good setup but also some questionable practices of having kids tied to fences so that they won't fall and hurt themselves?!
On the other extreme we visited Reception Action Centre Manila which is a government run street kids project but the objective of this is more to clean up the streets and get the view of street kids out of the way of tourists, because the centre is hugely overpopulated with people living on top of each other, from young to old, in er poor conditions, and when we were there the medical centre was being staffed on a volunteer basis by short term French volunteers, and the woman working as the main nurse, was a qualified nutritionist, and she was working on cleaning woounds and skin diseases. A crazy setup, with huge framed photos of Manila's great mayor everywhere you look!
We also met the REAP scholars (Redemptorist Educational Assistance programme). The Redemptorist setup, more specifically the lay missionaries set up here, is hugely impressive. They really have it working well here.
So now all of the group are back in Manila and we are off on an exposure today to Payatas and then on Friday we leave for Singapore and back to ireland by Monday. So this will proably be the last post til then.
Time has flown but it has been great.
Will fill in more details when I get home.
Till then!
Slan!
Dave
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Just back from Olongapo after one night there. It was a pity that Sunday was the day off so it was pretty quiet around PREDA for the day but I got to meet some of the drama group who had been in Ireland in June, so it was worth the trip. It was a pity we couldn't stay longer but we had to be back to go tomorrow to the Akap Bata in the morning.
Met the two Irish lads who are on their placement there too. They left for Manila this morning early for a "jail rescue". I'm sure a lot of you must have seen or heard snippets from Fr. Shay Cullen (Founder of PREDA) on RTE News and on CNN about the state of the prisons and the prison system here in the Philippines. He is really doing great work here. Got a sample of their fair trade products too. Really clever stuff. (http://www.preda.net/catalogue/catalogue05/home.htm)
The day brightened up last Saturday so we brought the Street Kids out for the evening to Star City a local amusement park. They had a great day, and we fed them then afterwards. It was about 12 when we got home. We were wrecked after it but the kids really enjoyed it.
Thats all the news for now.
Will write again when I get the chance.
David
Met the two Irish lads who are on their placement there too. They left for Manila this morning early for a "jail rescue". I'm sure a lot of you must have seen or heard snippets from Fr. Shay Cullen (Founder of PREDA) on RTE News and on CNN about the state of the prisons and the prison system here in the Philippines. He is really doing great work here. Got a sample of their fair trade products too. Really clever stuff. (http://www.preda.net/catalogue/catalogue05/home.htm)
The day brightened up last Saturday so we brought the Street Kids out for the evening to Star City a local amusement park. They had a great day, and we fed them then afterwards. It was about 12 when we got home. We were wrecked after it but the kids really enjoyed it.
Thats all the news for now.
Will write again when I get the chance.
David
Sunday, August 14, 2005
It's great to be here! Have we saved the world yet?!
Hi there,
So it's Saturday the 13th of August today. We were due tobe out this morning on a Street Education programme but the area was flooded so our programme for the morning was cancelled. We have plans for this evening to bring the Street Kids from Sarnelli 2 out to the amusement park and then for food. Hopefully that will go ahead. If it doesn't, we are going to try to get the bus to Olongapo tonight. But if it does go through then we will be leaving for Olongapo on Sunday morning early.
Yesterday we visited Emmahaus in Bulacan, about an hour from Baclaran. We visited an old peoples home, but it was more like an institution. They have 85 people staying there, 44 women and 41 men. They are elderly people that have been abandoned by their families. As soon as the families leave them there, they are asked to sign a contract saying that Emmahaus has the rights to look after the person. Even when the elderly people die, they have no obligation to contact the family, and they never do. It is a really sad situation. The priest who runs it has one full-time staff there and the rest are volunteers. Although he has good intentions it isn't run as well as it could be, and there is no social worker there. Phen and Vivian rang before we arrived to ask what we could bring and we brought sandals and toiletries with us for them. It was a short visit but they were so glad to see us arrive.
The previous day we were in the Redemptorist mission areas with Sister Evelyn, and were like drowned rats for the day. Rain and floods everywhere. It was a really amazing experience though, one only that photos can help describe. There are about 120 houses in the first area we visited but about 300 families. We were so welcomed though and the community even pooled their resources so we could be fed for lunch. It was a realy powerful experience.
Off to Olongapo tomorrow, until Monday and then going to the Akap Bata day care centre for urban poor families. It's been a really great exposure and well organised for us.
Will write again soon.
David
So it's Saturday the 13th of August today. We were due tobe out this morning on a Street Education programme but the area was flooded so our programme for the morning was cancelled. We have plans for this evening to bring the Street Kids from Sarnelli 2 out to the amusement park and then for food. Hopefully that will go ahead. If it doesn't, we are going to try to get the bus to Olongapo tonight. But if it does go through then we will be leaving for Olongapo on Sunday morning early.
Yesterday we visited Emmahaus in Bulacan, about an hour from Baclaran. We visited an old peoples home, but it was more like an institution. They have 85 people staying there, 44 women and 41 men. They are elderly people that have been abandoned by their families. As soon as the families leave them there, they are asked to sign a contract saying that Emmahaus has the rights to look after the person. Even when the elderly people die, they have no obligation to contact the family, and they never do. It is a really sad situation. The priest who runs it has one full-time staff there and the rest are volunteers. Although he has good intentions it isn't run as well as it could be, and there is no social worker there. Phen and Vivian rang before we arrived to ask what we could bring and we brought sandals and toiletries with us for them. It was a short visit but they were so glad to see us arrive.
The previous day we were in the Redemptorist mission areas with Sister Evelyn, and were like drowned rats for the day. Rain and floods everywhere. It was a really amazing experience though, one only that photos can help describe. There are about 120 houses in the first area we visited but about 300 families. We were so welcomed though and the community even pooled their resources so we could be fed for lunch. It was a realy powerful experience.
Off to Olongapo tomorrow, until Monday and then going to the Akap Bata day care centre for urban poor families. It's been a really great exposure and well organised for us.
Will write again soon.
David
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
The Baranghai Barbie Factor !
Hi
Finished up in Bacolod from the retreat placement on Friday and in Manila today for day 1 of the next 16. Was expecting Manila to be a bit more full on from what the others had experienced but it's early days yet. Traffic is mental alright but it has been a good expereince so far. I just arrived today in Manila with Fiona Buggy and we went wandering in the rain. "Yeah! Just go straight on!" is Fiona's solution to Filipino taxi drivers who don't understand her!!
Chris has been doing trojan work here, even if he is forced to work on Filipino time!!! We had a great mid term break in Boru Boru over the weekend, just a half an hour from Bacolod, even though it lashed rain for most of the weekend. But we were out swimming in the pool etc.
Depending on what part of the town you are in, in Bacolod, the clocks can be all different times. The radio stations and the schools are 15 minutes fast, for some reason. Its mad! And they all pause in the schools and in the shopping centres even for a prayer at 3:30 and 6, as it's sounded out over the loud speakers. Crazy to see!
Staying in a place called Neumann Volunteer house, next to Sarnelli House 1, a street kids house. We have an orientation tomorrow. Got a timetable of pretty hectic days, or so it seems.
Looking forward to getting stuck in.
Should hopefully have more news in the next few days. Also hoping to get a day trip to Olongapo to see PREDA too. We are likely to be ushering or involved in collections on Wednesday for the Novena they have every Wednesday in Manila in the Redemptorists. Over 100,000 attend every Wednesday. Can't wait!
There is a population of about 18 million in Manila alone and there are apparantly 4 more million unaccounted for....not sure how that works out, but an interesting fact!
Gotta run. Will hopefully write again soon.
David
Finished up in Bacolod from the retreat placement on Friday and in Manila today for day 1 of the next 16. Was expecting Manila to be a bit more full on from what the others had experienced but it's early days yet. Traffic is mental alright but it has been a good expereince so far. I just arrived today in Manila with Fiona Buggy and we went wandering in the rain. "Yeah! Just go straight on!" is Fiona's solution to Filipino taxi drivers who don't understand her!!
Chris has been doing trojan work here, even if he is forced to work on Filipino time!!! We had a great mid term break in Boru Boru over the weekend, just a half an hour from Bacolod, even though it lashed rain for most of the weekend. But we were out swimming in the pool etc.
Depending on what part of the town you are in, in Bacolod, the clocks can be all different times. The radio stations and the schools are 15 minutes fast, for some reason. Its mad! And they all pause in the schools and in the shopping centres even for a prayer at 3:30 and 6, as it's sounded out over the loud speakers. Crazy to see!
Staying in a place called Neumann Volunteer house, next to Sarnelli House 1, a street kids house. We have an orientation tomorrow. Got a timetable of pretty hectic days, or so it seems.
Looking forward to getting stuck in.
Should hopefully have more news in the next few days. Also hoping to get a day trip to Olongapo to see PREDA too. We are likely to be ushering or involved in collections on Wednesday for the Novena they have every Wednesday in Manila in the Redemptorists. Over 100,000 attend every Wednesday. Can't wait!
There is a population of about 18 million in Manila alone and there are apparantly 4 more million unaccounted for....not sure how that works out, but an interesting fact!
Gotta run. Will hopefully write again soon.
David
