Southern Philippine Children’s Shelter

We spent the last of the money on Raymond for some other food items. I’m not sure how long this food will last. I hope we could do more in the future and for next Christmas season. Thank you all for you donations.

We had one last gift wrapping session at Borders that brought in about $75.00 on December 22nd. For one person, I wrapped 12 gifts and she donated $20.00. It was bust all evening until about 11pm. Last year the gift wrapping table was in the front of the store where we did much better. This year, the wrapping table was in the back of the store, so we had less traffic.

The next day we sent about $130.00 to the Philippines where we bought rice and some other groceries for Raymond’s family. Thanks to all for the donations.

Our time at Borders went well. Not too busy though. We were there for about twelve hours and has some donations, but not as much as last year. The customers were friendly and appreciated having their books and gifts wrapped. By the end of our time there, I must say, I was an expert wrapper. The only down was my five or six papaer cuts.

We will be at Borders Books today in the Viewmont Mall in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Come in today and buy a gift and we will be happy to gift wrap it for you. I’m getting pretty good at wrapping. Hope to see you there.

During my last week in the Philippines I was invited to teach a science lesson at the local school. This is the school Raymond attends. I bought supplies to do the 3 color density lab since I only needed salt and food coloring. The Principal put both the sixth grade classes together for a total of about 65 students. The goal was to separate the three colors by changing the density of each layer. We did this by adding different amounts of salt. This was the first science lab for all the students ever. After giving a demonstration and trying to explain density in my broken Bisaya, the students gave it a try. As you can see by the pictures here, they did a very nice job and I was pleased that they learned the lesson.

We took one last visit to Raymond’s home before we left the Philippines. Our goal was to make sure the family has enough food to feed the children. The supplies we left should be enough for a few months. They should also have enough clothes for a while, but I am very concerned that they might get wet the next time it rains. As you can see, the house doesn’t give much protection.

Raymond’s school will do their best to help him succeed and to keep us informed of his progress. I hoping that the extra attention to Raymond and his family will make a difference. There is much work to be done.

We delivered the clothes to Raymond’s family before we left the Philippines. His mother was very happy for receiving the food and clothes. I took this picture of the house they live in to give you a sense of what their daily life is like. This small house is where all the family sleeps. It does not provide adequate protection from the rain and wind. I spoke to Raymond and he said he would study very hard so he can try to move ahead in school. He is still in 1st grade, but he has a lot of potential. I taught a science a science lesson at his school and he said he enjoyed doing his first experiment. I hope our efforts make a difference in this family’s life.

Next post, a Philippine science experiment.

The two balikbayan boxes of cloths have arrived from Pennsylvania. The large Five Star box truck arrived around 7 am. We sent the two boxes on May 28 th and they arrived August 8th, here in Mindanao. The two balikbayan boxes were in perfect order considering they have traveled half way around the world.

After the men brought the boxes in the house, we started to unpack and sort the cloths according to age range. We will distribute them shortly to as many children as possible while we are here.

We have had very heavy rain here the last few nights. This concerns me because Raymond’s family might not have adequate protection from these heavy storms. I will visit his family today to see how they are doing. Tomorrow I will teach a science lesson at Raymond’s school. I will adapt the lesson from middle school content to an elementary lesson. After, I will have a chance to talk more with Raymond’s teacher and plan a course of action for him to receive extra help so he can possibly move ahead a class. I think it is better for him to be in a grade closer to his peers.

The SPCS donated one large sack of rice, some fish and some bread to Raymond’s family. Pictured here is Raymond, his mom and dad and younger brother and sister. His other brother and sisters were not at home yet. We spoke with Raymond’s parents and they agreed to help make sure that Raymond and the other children give their best effort in school. We agreed that it is not easy, but they must try and help the kids with school and we will do our best to help. I have seen for myself the dire situation they are in and it is a very difficult situation.

They live in a very small wood shingle home and cook outside on charcoal. This is also why some of them go to their grandmother’s house to sleep, even though her house is also very small. I am lining up a tutor to help Raymond and his siblings during the school year. We are also in the process of having a table built for them to complete their homework. Before we leave for home we will go again and make a list of some things they need to better care for the children.

We have donated a portable light to Romnick’s family as they have no electricity. We are also building them a table so the children have a place to complete their homework. Also, Romnick’s grandmother came to us and said we should concentrate helping her other grandson. His name is Raymond and he is also in the first grade and is eight years old. She said Romnick may be going to live with another aunt out of town so we will not be able to monitor him in school, if he stays in school. We are trying to sort all this out as information is sometime not accurate.

I will be going to Raymond’s school to teach a science lesson this week and I will get more information about Raymond. Raymond’s grandmother said that he is a bright boy and wants to do well in school. That’s all I have about him now. I’ll report more after my school visit.