Sholing Philippines Project 2010 – 2016

Thank you for your words of encouragement It is so important for us all to get these messages of support from home. We have just done our final rounds for the day and they are all tucked up safely in bed hopefully dreaming of their experiences today and challenges to come tomorrow. Another great day. A 6-40 call ready by 7-30 most going on the first of the field trips with the kids the remainder on site working on the projects. When we arrived at 8-00 we were met by rows of excited tiny children all so keen to go out on their first ever trip away from the dump site region. It was raining heavily warm tropical rain, but very wet rain. The weather did not seem to have affected their trip. As you can see from Pressa’s and Wilko’s blogs they had a great day. What is so difficult for us to get our head around is their level of happiness, wherever you go you are ambushed by happy smiley children who want to hug you or hold your hand. I walked the 300 meters between the school and the playground site a couple of times today and I was like the Pied piper, surrounded by children. Each journey took me about 30 minutes because I had to stop and speak to children who wanted to talk and question and laugh and touch and play.

At first it is quite hard for our students to deal with this the environment is to say the least ‘extremely rough’. The sort of environment which at home you would expect to find trouble and hostility, but not here. Here you get nothing but friendship and genuine appreciation that we are here.

We made mega progress today, more than I anticipated. We put down several tons of soft sand by mid morning. I was particularly impressed by the year 10 girls who grow in stature and confidence daily and today they painted several coats of blue paint on the library project with little supervision. They completed the day by drawing out the mural that we will start to paint tomorrow.

Mick continues to work at a pace that mere mortals cannot compete with. We now expect that we will complete 2.5 playgrounds not the one we promised when we set off. The rain slowed down , stopped and the sun came out allowing us to make good progress on tidying up the playground and the mural we did last time. Last time I took a picture of Charlotte W as she finished off the mural, today I took almost the same picture of Charlotte as she tidied up her art work. I was struck how everyone of the students that came out before wanted to come back, how last time they were initially so lacking in confidence and now I see how much they have grown. I see that happening again with the year 10’s. What we give here as a team is so important but what we take away so much more important.

I agree with Natalie’s comments about Bezza, grumpy ‘old sod’ he may be but without his vision and sheer hard work none of this would be happening. And how did he manage to escape the water when everyone else got wet? Was it a miracle? No he just happened to bend down to avoid a wave and discover the driver had left and old bit of canvas under his seat which he utilized to best effect. Maybe if I had bent down I might have found the same but I was too busy having fun like the kids enjoying getting wet.

We had a great “Poon” tonight organized by Dan and big Sam, no pigeon or Chicken feet but far too much Chicken and rice.

Goodnight

Thanks to Wilko and Bezza for their detailed accounts of the last few days. It has been so eventful! I won’t re-describe what we did of course but needless to say it has been unforgettable for me too.

I agree with Wilko that here each day is a huge eye opener and there is a lot to take in yet in no time at all you are onto the next experience.

The PCF children’s joy and excitement today on the field trip was obvious and it made my day to see all the fundraising for these field trips days pay off. The Fashion Show, 50 km walk, raffles, etc, etc seem almost a distant memory but without all that work and support from everyone back home this just wouldn’t be happening.

Also just wanted to echo Wilko and Freeza and say that our students are an absolute credit to us, I don’t need to name names as they are ALL genuinely coping brilliantly with this crazy experience, the responsibility they are being given and the opportunities here. Parents, you should be very proud of them. It is an honour to come away and share this experience with them.

I don’t know if Bezza reads these blogs but I just want to mention him. I had a moment today when we took all the little PCF children into the Science museum and then we were led into the planetarium. The children sat in these huge comfy seats in awe of their surroundings and gasped when the lights were dimmed and the stars appeared. Anyway at this point I realised that although we are all playing a huge part in this trip it would never have happened if it wasn’t for the unbelievable dedication of Dave Berry. His devotion to the PCF children is obviously so strong so I just wanted to say well done Bezza, you are incredible (even if you are a little bossy and grumpy at times!!)

so my mum has been texting me everyday to write a flipping blog so here it goes. its been really emotional so far, i will keep this brief but basically we all went to tondo the other day to the old container school and i have never seen such devastation the thing is it was so upsetting to see all the rooms recked and those where the rooms we meet the kids in and played with them and we had so many happy memories. the flood damage was to much for some of us inculding me, we had to put a brave face on for the kids as most of them where walking us through the rubbish into the school most go to the new school now inculding beverly who i met 2 years ago, i couldnt get over the fact she was living in such horrific conditions. all the children smiled and waved and shouted our names its just unreal that they have so little and seem to be the most happy people in the world and we have everything and we still want more and complain, in fact our attitude is discusting sorry but thats the harsh truth. i personaly have been going through a rough patch in my life but this has shown me no matter how rubbish things get you can ALWAYS make it through because you are so lucky. today i started to re paint the mural i did two years ago with the help of some friends really made me happy, the school is looking better each day and to see the kids learn in the rooms we painted two years ago was the most rewarding thing ever. everyone has been amazing really got stuck in even though the weather has been pants for 2 days now so well done all. Frezzer (eric) has been fantastic dont know where i would be on this trip without him always supports me in everything i do and can always make me smile even when i feel like giving up. i love the children so much all of them are so lovely they smile and say hello everytime they pass, you dont get that in england nobody appreciates things like these children do. im missing my mum dad keely and grandad most of all my friends (sam mainly). even though its my second time here everything has been just a eye opening as the first time. we have had a great time so far and so many memories have been made and we still have loads more to make, valentines day tommorrow and i think we are taking the kids out for an away day that should be amazing. thats all i can think of right now so yeah basically thats to everyone. cant wait for tommorrow everyday is magical and emotional and tiring but so worth seeing the kids happy.

hope thats okay for you mum!!! p.s get me some grapes for when i get home thanks the purple ones though 🙂 love you!!!

It’s been a difficult job getting together the thoughts and words to write a blog so far. The last week has been so fast paced and hectic that no sooner have you seen, experienced or done one thing that would be considered incredible, then another completely different yet equally important thing comes along, and you don’t have time to mull over the first.

Today was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the trip – the field trip for the Kindergarten, and Grade 1 and 2 children. Fifteen TSTC students and five staff gathered at the PCF School in the shadow of Smokey Mountain this morning, and found the 178 PCF children excitedly waiting for their fieldtrip to begin. We boarded the five coaches and set off to the Science Discovery Center at the Mall of Asia, about half an hours drive across Manila at 8:30am. As the coaches drove down the three lane highway through the port area, the children on the coach excitedly peered out of the windows – waving towards the flimsy wooden structures where they said their parents were working, and pointing out the entrance to the dumpsite where they live. The coach continued down past the ‘temporary housing’ at the horrifically named ‘Happyland’ where men, women and children sorted through bags of rubbish separating everything into different bags and areas to sell on for recycling. The children pointed out features of their local area – like the junk shop, the ranks of pedicabs lined up at the side of the road. As the road crosses the Pasig river, the landscape changes and as the shanties fade away, tall hotels and government buildings colonise the space at the side of the road. The children looked at these in awe, and as we approached the Mall of Asia the excitement on the bus was incredible. We unloaded the students and walked across the Mall into the Science Center and spent the next two hours playing in a fantastically interactive learning environment. The children soaked up it’s planetarium (presented by Sesame Street characters), virtual vollyball games, smell workshop and my natural favourite – an earthquake simulator and two hours in there passed in a flash. It was then back on the coach and towards the airport to Nomads, a sports club near the airport.

Our students had already spent some time yesterday evening planning the games and activities they were going to do with the children at Nomads, so it was a real pleasure to watch as they took their groups off in threes to do football, parachute games and play with the Pom-Poms and ribbons we had borrowed off Sholing Infant’s School. The highlight for the children was their time in the swimming pool – which they could not wait to get in to. Our students become human climbing frames for the PCF children in the pool and played ball games and ‘war’ as the PCF children liked to call it!

All to soon it was time to end the activities at 4:30 – and the heavy warm tropical rain had unfortunately stopped play in a number of areas – so we loaded the children back onto their coaches, and waved them off, to go back to the PCF school and then to be bussed home. We all know where home is for them, but for those few hours today we have managed to take them away from that place.

So it is a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed in whatever way to the field trips, and a massive pat on the back to our students who have done such a fantastic job today organising the activities. Well done!

Nomads made a video to promote our event today here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckpagXSW0Nk

Dear parents

Yet again I reaffirm that I am very impressed by your outstanding offspring. I called them at 6-00 this morning by 7-00 they were all up and ready to go. They were a little bleary eyed but soon livened up when Mick and Liam led us with a rendition of Aga Doo and they tucked in to A Jollybees breakfast. What a team.

But a word of caution….if you are planning a homecoming banquet this weekend please be advised that any form of rice, noodles or chicken could result in mutiny. We have all eaten our own body weights in Rice and Chicken or Chicken and Rice or Noodles and Chicken or Chicken and Noodles in the last week. I cannot accept responsibility for how they may respond if you produce a Chicken Korma and Rice on Saturday evening as a special treat. Please tread/cook carefully.

Today we traveled about 50 miles out side of manila to the volcanic region, part of the ‘pacific ring of fire’ as I was informed by one of our more alert students. The Taal volcano is an island in a lake caused by a volcanic eruption and within this volcano is a lake. As Wilko described it rather like the volcanic equivalent of Russian dolls. He had a posh geographical term for it but nobody was listening by then. Now very few of the students were looking forward to this trip. The early call, the cost of 600 pesos and the potential 2 hour walk up a hill in very high temperatures had left them less than keen.

However; yet again fete smiled sweetly on us, the weather was overcast, light rain, a balmy 25 degrees and a gentle breeze made the walk far more enjoyable than last time when it was about 38 degrees. The journey over to the island on motorized canoes with a gentle spray washing over us was a pleasure. And on our return the wind had raised the waves to about 3 feet high and we all, apart from Bezza, got absolutely soaked. It was great like the best water park ride imaginable for about 2 kilometers. It did mean a 1.5 hour drive back in wet clothes but it was worth it. Today the students have seen that the Philippines is a very beautiful country and not all shanties, squalor and poverty, a day they will remember for a long time.

ps Readers wishing to read the ex rated version of this blog containing the explanation of how bezza remained dry and pictures of freeza’s torso as he rung out his soaking wet clothes need to comment to this blog with words of encouragement for this amazing team.

Back to work tomorrow starting at 7-30.

Goodnight

What a day of contrast. A later start 8-45 knock up not 7-00. We were picked up by PCF vans to go to visit the old warehouse school on the dump site and The cemetery school at Navortas. We knew that this would be hard for the students and staff. having spent a week in the new school seeing the children enjoying their learning in clean fresh conditions, we were now going to see first hand where they live.

What was lovely was the number of children that came out to meet us and shouted the names of our students, and greeted us with their inimitable smiley happy faces. What was awful was seeing again the conditions in which they live which are appalling. They have not improved at all since our last visit in 2010. It is difficult to convey in words how awful it is. We as visitors look down at each step trying to make sure that we do not tread in some horrible concoction of unpleasant garbage. Tiny little children walk barefoot and naked apparently without a care. Hundreds of children play and laugh and shout seemingly oblivious to the nature of their surroundings. When I was last here I marveled at the ability of the PCF staff to run a school in a dingy, dark, damp and very smelly warehouse building. Today we saw it as that, no longer a vibrant school, again a disused warehouse full of junk and damp.

But knowing that now the pupils go out to the new school which is so much better lifts your spirits.

In Navortas the little school is no longer used and the children are bused to the new school. There are far more children than places available and it is obvious that only a small fraction are getting education.

I felt however that the community living standards were a little better, more “homes” had water and electricity and there was a number of small shops selling food and provisions. Many of the houses built out into the sea on stilts had been washed away in the last typhoon. Just below where they had been we stood on a beach made of trash and watched children swim and play in the filthy water. Our guide showed us the cemetery for “the rich” people. Just yards form the cramped smelly living conditions for the poor is the last resting place of the wealthy. A manicured lawn, opulent stone carvings marble headstones and a price of 100,000 pesos to get in.

This afternoon and evening we saw the other side of manila. Lunch and a swim at Nomads a sports and social club for ex patriots and then on to a rock event at the International School of Manila. We all had a good time we appreciated the invitations but we go to bed confused as to why life can be so so different depending on ‘what side of the tracks’ you live on.

Today for many reasons was a sad and quite emotional day for many of us. We started off a bit later than usual as we were being knocked on the door by Freezer. I was only just up before the knock and was awake for the day ahead of us. At 10:00 our coach set off and we went straight to the old school previously set up by Jane Walker, and we saw how much of a shell it had unfortunately become. However the really sad thing was getting off our individual coaches and walking to the old school seing children from the PCF school there. It was filthy the school it looked old and was only used as a part time church and activity center/hall. Next we went to see a cemetery and this was an unreal experience, for many of us quite stressful. As we got out the usual shouts of Justin Beiber (Gregory) was there again with one imitating by singing ‘baby’. It then got quite serious as we walked through and walkingon some loose wood going up and then down to the sea. (which you should never go in!!!!) We then on a happier note went to Paradise Heights to see Micks new playground in full swing while guarded by the community, on the next road to the new playground is where Mick and the team are going to build unbelievably another new one. Finally we went to Nomads which was lovely and the kids are going to love it. Nick and the teachers had a dip in the pool while we had a few games and races which was great. In the evening we went to A Manila band concert which was very interesting as the people were all American or Filipino. This evening we have just chilled out and watched a bit of footie which is good, but can’t stay up to late as we have to get up aty 6 for the volcano in the morning at 6.

Thanks for reading

Liam

Comment if u want TO!!!!!

Hello everyone who is reading!

Just wanted to come on and put a few thoughts down.

The IT room has been used all week and some classes have been in twice. For some of the younger ones it is the first time they have used a computer. They get very excited about going on the computers and line up outside patiently. They are really good at sharing and some of the younger ones sit on each others laps and help each other. Wilko worked busily to add several more computers and now a whole class can come in and use it. We have been busy talking to teachers to get them to realise that having the computer room is a wonderful resource for both the students and kids (they do need some convincing as they have gone so long without using one and are perhaps not as familiar with what to do). They do still need further support and financial help as the electricity for the school is vey basic and limited but we hope they will continue to use the computers after we have gone.

We have been helping serve the lunches and doing anything else that we have seen is needed. Gillian, Chloe S and I ended up scrubbing a wendy house which was completely abandonded and Wilko had rebuilt. Lots of the team have been refreshing the old playground and when the kids want to come in and play we have to turn them away as there is wet paint and varnish everywhere! Not easy but hopefully they will be able to use it next week again and I am sure they will be delighted.

The most special thing about being here is spending time with the children. You really can forget that they live in appalling conditions when you see them in the school in their uniforms. Over the last 5 days I have experienced so many of happy, smily and friendly children coming up to me and asking my name, wanting their picture taken and a hug. It is heart warming and you can tell they really appreciate us being here and the things we are doing to help them.

Tomorrow we go to Novotas cemetary where people live in shanties on top of rows of tombstones, many of these are children who go to the school we have been working at all week.

The ambassadors was incredible and a delight!

Today for me was one hec of a day. For many reasons It was awesome and for the others quite emotional. Today I got a real taste of being a class assistant. The teacher was fantastic and me and Gills (Gillian) helped out in 3 different classes in the morning. During the morning I was feeling a little tired, because I had been non stop painting and varnishing for the previous 3 days, however the children at the school are just truly amazing, they have so much respect for us and today I had one child who asked me for his facebook and he asked me how long I was going to be here for. I could of cried with hapiness when he told me “I am going to miss you when you leave.” Moments like this make you realise that there are so many genuinly nice people out there who no matter what they’ve got, no matter where they live, just make the most of the wonderful PCF school, as they never fail to smile or to be friendly. Moving on, in the afternoon I had some superb 6/7 year old grade 1 students who did some reading with me, Chloe and Gills. Furthurmore we then went on the computers on the internet (which some went straight for facebook or games!!!!) on Linguascope, (which is very useful for learning basic words and using the games to learn quickly and while learning enjoying the Internet. )On the coach for some reason I fell asleep (only for about 10 minutes) in this time luckily no photos were taken, (well I hope not as Sam Kirkham has experienced that twice!) when we got back it was non stop, I showered, got changed and went to the shop. As me and Gregory Smith were doing the Meal for Mr Poons we had to finish off our menu. Then we collected some laundry, went to the mall. (Which i must say is like a maze it just doesn’t stop.) Then me and Greg went to the launderette to do some more washing and then finally after another quick stop at the shop we had our Mr Poon’s feast. We got back to our hotel and just chilled out to which was a hard working but truly a mesmorising day. Now I look forward to the weekend as it should be great!

P.S. I must say to all those at home or wherever you are Mick (Playdale equipment) and all the crew have done a imense job to build the playground in a space of four days. And as a bonus are building an extra one which I’m sure will be another sucess!

Liam

Late Thursday evening we returned from the ambassadors reception which for a few hours took us into a different world. We all scrubbed up well and did not look out of place in the ambassadors residence in it’s gated private estate in the posh part of town. Fresh air, lawns marble floors waiter service and excellent food, and a rather nice claret. We were greeted and hosted by the ambassador and his guests who were genuinely appreciative of what our group were doing and he graciously paid tribute to our students as shining examples of the best of UK youth. They were a credit, polite articulate and holding their own in conversation with the assembled guests.

It was however a contrast that is difficult to come to terms with compared to where we spend our working days. And what a day it was today! The best yet in terms of progress in the projects and contented hardworking students taking so much pride in what they are doing. The new playground consisted of lots of holes in the ground with the equipment slotted in. The big problem was trying to stop all the excited children from playing in it too soon. In the end we had to employ local security to keep them off over night for their safety.

The Wella hair studio is well on the way to having its new colour scheme and equipment cleaned and in place. The home economics room has a beautiful colour scheme and will get a new floor tomorrow. The old playground repainted and the mural cleaned and ready for a new coat of paint.

The It room now has 30 working computers and our students continued to work as outstanding classroom assistants. It was indeed a “sweet Thursday”.

Friday morning was hard work getting up. The ambassadors reception a dim memory we were all very tired. But again by 8-20 all students and staff ready for action, coach early, journey to the school even quicker and down to work for 8-55. The new playground group all ready to go with shovels and concrete. The Wella room floor needed cleaning of paint; again. The Home economics room vinyl floor poised and ready to get down, the It room at full capacity all day and a new painting project started in the library. The old playground mural ready to repaint all systems go go go.

Some lovely images of our students teaching the children to read and use the computers. I even had a go at teaching reading myself to a class of very excitable 6 year olds. At lunch time we helped serve the food in the canteen and rather than resting our students played basketball or ‘Plastic bottle football’. By the end of the afternoon. the concrete had been poured on the new playground. the old playground completely re stained, the mural half done. The home economics room finished and furnished. The library painting project about 1 third complete. The Wella room is 90% finished just need Monday to do it. Another great day just time for a dancing session in the main concourse with hundreds of happy kids before we head home for a weekend “break” !!!.

Ready for a Poon special.