Sholing Philippines Project 2010 – 2016

Audio slideshow: Cemetery living

Manila’s port district is one of the most
densely populated areas in the world, filled with packed shanty towns
that stretch right up to the waterfront. People are living on every
spare bit of land they can find – even in the local cemetery.

Reporter Kate McGeown met members of one family, who have
made their precarious home on top of five rows of tombs, surrounded by a
sea of rubbish.

See the slideshow here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11398704

We were given a package today with letters and leaflets. It’s full of memories and there was also a DVD in the pack. I got home and watched it- “The Story So Far”, “Tom’s Story” and “Week 1” made me cry the most. So thank you to Wilko, Tom and Hutch for bringing tears to my eyes.

Also I have started to write notes for my letter of application on the 2012 trip and interview for the project too. I’m excited and upset too- the DVD brought back sooooooo many memories and makes me feel like I’m missing out a whole and huge part of my life by not being in the Philippines right now, and not with the children at this very minute.

Everyone is like family to me- even the teachers and especially Marjorie my favourite girl. I just wanted to thank everyone for making the project/trip possible, so thank you to Jane Walker, Freeza, Bezza, Clezza, Wilko, Audrey, Nozza and Miss Dagwell, (everyone) because without any of you guys the project would never have existed and I wouldn’t been able to particapate and go to the Philippines to help the less fortunate. Also the project wouldn’t be the same without any of you, so thanks again for that.

i miss the Philippines so much and hopefully I will get the opportunity of going back to the Philippines in 2012, and then again, and again when i am older 🙂 🙂 🙂 I also miss Majorie, Pascual, and Jane Walker and everyone else in the Philippines, and I would like to share that it was nice to catch up with Jane again the last time I saw her in March at a church in Sholing. So thank you for that too Jane xxx I hope that everyone is ok out there, and to go back there would be for me the best thing in the world!!! 🙂 i would go back right NOW if I could 🙂

Wish me luck on the speech about the Philippines tomorrow in the final whole school assembly of me being in yr 10.

FINALLY a massive thankyou to Audrey for being the best youth worker ever in the whole world, as you helped me complete my youth achievement award and without your help I don’t think I could have done it so thanks again 🙂 it was worth it xxx

ruby xx

wow! just watched the philippines dvd i was given today i cryed all th eway through…thanks wilko and tom for making it and who ever also helped its brilliant and im starting my letter to apply for 2012
love charlotte
x

well it has been just under 5 months since we where in the philippines and i still remember it like it was yesterday, the sights, smells, and all the lovely people i meet. i still think about the children every day and i have never been more aware of the worlds cruel ways, i wish the world was a better place and we where all able to live a normal life. This experience has changed my life i can honestly say this is something that i will always be thinking about…i miss jaime, vanessa, crystaline and the lovely pascual who has had his beautiful baby prince russel i really hope i get to go back i have made so many lovely friends and funny ones! but all i want to say is just becuase we are back doesn’t mean to say the work stops, there still in the philippines…right now, just think, because if we forget witch i will never do then, we will get know where. Everyone has put in an enormous effort and i really think these wonderful people who came on this journey are all amazing! i am still keeping in contact with pascual andrea and jessel through facebook they are so nice. i really loved the whole experience.
from charlotte
x

Crofton Hammond Junior School in Stubbington is the latest
school to support our campaign to equip the new PCF school with good
quality classroom tables and chairs.

Year 3 students are seen here with their class teacher, Linda
Miatt, Phil James from Corinthian Homes, and Dave Berry

The tables and chairs are now in storage and ready for shipment
to the Philippines in the next container, which is due to leave the UK
in July.

The new PCF school, constructed from 78 redundant shipping
containers and donated by APL, will replace the existing Tondo school
which is located in a redundant warehouse.

The present school provides education for 400 children from the
dumpsite.

When the new school opens for business in July, it will provide
education for 1,000 children.

I think its time for my blog so here it goes. Sorry if its not what you expect but its the truth.

When i first met the group i thought the trip was gunna go badly because i judged people by there appearance but when i got to know them i then realised that there not here for a holiday or something to do they actually wanted to make a difference, once we got in the Philippines everyone was tired or jet lagged but once we all got rest and set of we were all determined to do something to help someone so we all put in 110% into the playground, the house or even teaching or playing with the kids. After a few days everyone was starting to feel tired because we were working none stop day in and day out making the best of what we had and what we could do but by the time it came to the end of our trip we had complete what we wanted and more we even got to make a memorial wall on the side of the new playground which was so special to us to leave our names with hand prints for the children alongside there flag and ours was just amazing.

I went to the Phillipines in 2008 with a group of young lads expecting the worst and even then it was indescribable and then i went back in 2010 with a group of young girls from Sholing girls school and some of the boys who went to the previous trip and a few extra’s of course, but this time i was expecting to know everything, expect the same smells, the same sights and to be honest this time i found it so much harder because to me it was worse in some parts it smelt more and looked terrible, no one could ever describe what we seen out there and i just hope one day i can return again because i was lucky to go the second time let alone the first so thank you Bezzer for that 🙂 x

The conditions in the Philippines was harder than expected because it was so hot you could feel the sweat run down your arms and the humidity just made you tired and need a drink all the time, the sun was so hot people started to burn and the area we was working in was well look in your bin when its full with wasted junk and food and picture that 1 million times worse and then your be near what it was like out there.

I met some of the best people i could ever met on this trip because they have taught me a lot and that’s to respect what we have and what we haven’t and don’t take everything for granted, i know i did before i went and i probably still do a little bit now but i will never forget the people i met and i will never take my friendship with them for granted because they are the nicest friendliest people i have ever met, just don’t look at them as tramps or people begging because there not they are just normal people like us who never had a chance for good house’s or jobs so be grateful that you have.

When people tell you its gunna be bad you expect it to look or smell terrible but when your there its just a massive shock and it is miles worse than what anyone could imagine so if you ever get the opportunity to do something like this don’t ever say no because it will change your life and if you do say no then you must be to stubborn or just don’t care about the world or anyone else, even if you get asked to make a visit and that’s all that is even enough to make a little girl smile or even a whole school smile and laugh at your jokes, i’m not joking i would gladly do this trip again and again but if not this one then several other that could help people.

I would like to say thank you to all the girls that went because everyone under estimated them including me and the other boys and most probably the teachers too but they helped a lot more than i though and probably put in more effort than me and the other boys because they helped just as much as everyone else and just wanted to get stuck in even if it was manual labour or heavy lifting, even getting muddy they just got stuck in and thanks to all the boys for doing a great job to, the trip was a bigger and better success than anyone could of dreamed of because we got more done than planned and even got to spend time with the children at the end which was great.

The biggest thing i got to take away from this experience other than what i have done and helped with over there, is two special people i met whilst i was there and that is Pasqual and Manuela, Pasqual is the nicest man i have ever met he was always trying to keep us smiling and always making jokes, he is the reason i coped through the good and bad times out there because i could always have a smile on my face and i will never forget him because he has given so much to me and i hope one day i could do the same back and Manuela is the sweetest girl i have ever met she wrote me a letter and gave me her favorite necklace that she never takes off which i will always keep and i will never forget her smile because she was the best and there was many other children like her but she was the one that stood out most towards me so thank you, i will never forget the memories that i have and i will never forget the things that they have given me.

Thanks to everyone for making this happen and making this trip as enjoyable as it could of ever been especially since the conditions we was in so thanks x

~X~ Love Jefferz ~X~

Charlotte, Lauren, Charles and Bezza went on the Julian Clegg Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Solent this morning to talk about the project.

You can listen again on iPlayer by clicking here. (Available until 16 March). It is at about 1:13:30 from the beginning.

There is also a story on the BBC Hampshire Page.

Well this is my second blog, so a personal best for me J. Towards the end of our last days in the Philippines Frezza (Mr freeman/Eric) asked me if I would like to design and paint my own mural onto a wall behind the new playground after looking through my sketch books and my drawings of hands. I was so delighted he has asked me I couldn’t wait to get going with the design! After 3 and a half hours straight of drawing different things I came up with my final idea, Frezza seemed to be very impressed and I was happy with what I had done. The next day I drew it onto the wall and Grace & Becca helped me paint it. Frezza helped me with the actual hands themselves with the shading etc, but I was SO proud of the end result J I really felt like I had left something behind that would stay there forever. Michael was one of the men who is helping to build the new school he was always checking we where ok and had enough paint and helping me put the final details onto my mural. It was sad to leave him after the way he has been so nice to us all even though he was quite I knew we would have been lost with out his help J after we left the new school it was time to say goodbye to Tondo school L we had an amazing assembly to watch with dancing and singing and then we gave some of the children that we had made friends with little presents, I gave Jaime my notebook and colouring pencils, Vanessa had colouring pencils as well and I gave Beverly a pair of earrings. It was so hard to say goodbye and even harder not to cry in front of the children, Pascal our driver was so nice he was singing for us when we left and by that time I was in tears! But pulled myself together in the end. So that was that and we had to go… it all went so fast and felt like we still had another 2 weeks to stay out there. I would love to go back in 2012 if the opportunity was offered to me again its been amazing and I wouldn’t change 1 moment of it even the moment Sam and Steve got me and Lauren soaking wet painting or me falling asleep on miss Lewis, not good. Oh well I just finally want to say thank you to all the staff, Mr berry and all of my new friends I have made I couldn’t of wished for a better group of people. J charlotte

Our last day in the Philippines was a very tiring and emotional day. Saying goodbye to all the new friends we had made, including the children, was very difficult. Many of us recieved notes and present from the children at the Tondo school, and all the children put on a very special assembly to thank us for all our work. the children put on amazing performances and said goodbye to us. A few tears were shed as people said goodbye to everyone they had become close to, and we headed off back to the UK.

We have currently been back in the UK for 3 days, and people are just starting to get over the Jet lag and everyone is already talking about whether there will be a chance for us to go again.

Mr berry has said that there is a possibility that we will go again in 2012 so we all have our fingers crossed that one day, we will be able to go back to manila and re live the experience that has changed our lives forever.

I just wanted to thank all the parents of the young people who came on the trip to the Philippines, your children have been exceptionally well behaved, thoughtful and caring.

They have been so much, seen so much and have worked in conditions that they could never have thought existed.

I am so proud to have worked along side of them and would have no hesitation in doing so again.

THANK YOU