Sholing Philippines Project 2010 – 2016

from the day Wilko came into our year 9 assembly on one of the first mondays back from halfterm, was the day i knew was going to be very boring. And then i sat down and watched him play the video of the 2008 philippines project, and i listened, and i hoped and wished in some sort of way i could improve the way peoples lives were on the video. Applications were sent out forms that were telling us to write a letter to Miss Dagwell, if you wanted a chance to go on the project ‘trip’. i wrote my heart and soul into the letter just to try and win that interview so i could have a bigger chance to prove that i am able to go to the philippines.

A letter was given to me, i had been one of teh 20 girls chosen for an interview with Miss Dagwell, Mr berry, Mr Wilkinson and Mrs lewis. I was scared but i scoared my goals amd was rewarded with a place on the campus. I was so pleased with myself and very shocked!

Fund raising – the philipines 50k walk, to the team building weekends and then the rose bowl concerts and other parties, and tehn the bon voyage night and teh last funraiser bag packing at the co-op in woolston… too an overall 14 hour plane journey to the philippines.

Then the work started it was hard, so so so sad, difficult the smell of teh dumpsite hit you like you were being smacked in the face with a saucepan, it was horrible. An EYE-OPENING journey that in a split second took my breath away. Leaving memories, collectiing photos to share with our loved ones for when we arrive home. I don not want to leave here its been amazing – i’m speechless. But i have to go. I miss my mum, dad, brother, sister, nan and grandad and my poodle lancie. I want to share what i have experienced in as much deph as possible. Any way i know that oneday i WILL definetly BE BACK!!!

Yesterday I went to Tondo school I was a teacher’s assistant in a grade one classroom

it was really great to be in the classroom as you can tell that the children really

appreciate school. Also it highlighted how much the children need an education. We

helped the teacher to mark the books and I read the boy who cried wolf to the

children. Also I went into the nursery which was really great as the children could just

freely play and enjoy themselves. There was a little boy in the nursery and me and

Stephen made him laugh which was really great to see the smile on his face and it really

made me think about why we came out here to improve the lives of children who live

on the dumpsites life. Today we painted a mural on the wall behind the playground I’m

really glad I’m part of it because not only are we leaving the playground for the children

to play on, the mural will also be a great memory to leave behind.

By Gemma

Yesterday, I went to the Tondo School to help out in grade 2 classes. We had so much fun; I joined in with their English activities, art and Philippine language as well (which was very confusing)! The children in my classroom were doing an activity where they had to write a sentence using above, below and under, and afterwards had to draw a picture (that included colouring too), that matched their sentences for e.g. the sting ray lives under the ocean. However I wrote about volcanoes beneath the sea and the children didn’t know what a volcano was, I felt like a right idiot in front of their teacher. Also yesterday after my classes I weighed beads which took for ages and just before that I found a small girl crying her eyes out, so I picked her up and rocked her in my arm and she calmed down. She started to mumble mummy and pointed to the work shop / nursery area so I took her there and found her mum, after she took a photo of me holding the girl in my arms.

Today – Tuesday; was a spectacular experience, I read to my class. I read a story about tooth fairies and where children’s teeth go when they fall out, I marked the children’s English, math and RS books it was rather interesting. I also went to the nursery today. But when I went there I got upset because the children were so tiny and they looked so dirty, one girl had a massive cut up her arm and it was covered, it was bleeding, and scabby and was infected as it was also green, pussy and black I felt so sick and really sorry for her as she didn’t but an eyelid and happily played with the toy trucks, and baby dolls. I cant wait until tomorrow because I am doing the feeding programme on the dump site, it seems like a memory i will never forget and i just want to keep fullfilling in the rest of my life.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sights, sounds and smells of our first day in Manila.

We went on a tour of the schools and the dump site. As we were driving from our hotel you thought you saw some poor housing and poverty, you drive on a bit further and the scenery kept changing, the housing getting worse, the smell that first greats you as you cross the bridge that takes you too the Tondo area.

Again there, there is a level of poverty that you think is bad, the place where the bin lorries stop so that they can turn out the rubbish to find anything they can find to sell on. The men pull the rubbish onto the ground before it gets taken to the dump, they wade through it sorting it into piles.

You drive on and the smell gets worse and the level of poverty really starts to hit home. We turn into the lane that Tondo school is situated and there is enough room for the van that has taken us there and on both sides are piles of rubbish and men, women and children sorting through it for anything that they can find but even in the chaos there is a level of organisation and everything has its place.

As we go everyone waves and smiles at us, the children run along the side of the van waving welcoming. We turn into the Warehouse that has been converted into a school. The smell as we go into the school the first time is quite something.

Again as we enter everyone is so welcoming, there are a lot of children all around very curious to see who we are. We go to see the playground that was built on the last trip by the boys, a lot of children pile out and instantly show us how much they enjoy having it to play in when they have there break time. Watching the children we suddenly notice that around the outside fence there were lots of children coming to watch as the children play. We were told that there is a waiting list for family’s to get there children into Tondo school, that is why the new school is so important as it will accommodate up to 1000 students.

We were then taken to the cemetery school, nothing can prepare you, even the pictures we have seen before we came out for the experience of seeing these family’s living in and on top of the graves. We walked past an open grave and you could see the bones of the last person buried there. The school is small but there was a class being held as we were there and all the children were eagerly engaged though I’m afraid our arrival did cause some disruption as they all wanted to say hello. Again smiles and waves all around.

Some of the party ventured out onto the stilt housing and had to negotiate bamboo walk ways that creaked under there steps over the water. The thing that amazed all was how inventive the family’s were at creating space, there engineering skills are second to none using what materials they find on the dump.

Every time we went onto the next stage of our tour we thought we had seen everything but we had not been to the dump site yet! That really knocked your sense of reality, how could people in this day and age this in such poverty and in those condition’s? Again everyone smiled at us but in there eye’s there is a haunted look, it was a look of desperation. The guilt that I felt standing there was phenomenal, there I was taking photo’s of their lives and home’s.

PCF are running a programme that builds family’s new homes and we were shown one of these. They are fantastic but they can only build a few at a time. So many have to look on while other family’s get these homes, a lady came up to me when our party was walking and pleaded with me to ask Lady Jane(Jane Walker PCF) to build her a home. She wanted to take to see where she lived but I could not go. I never felt so awful walking away from her and there are so many more in her position.

SHE LIVED A PLACE CALLED HAPPY LANE!!!!!!

Well this is my first blog, and probably my only blog, says nozza in the background. Well the first week is over I feel like a changed person already to be honest I never thought this trip would of effected me so much. I have had so many mixed emotions it’s hard to understand why and how things could be so bad in one place and so good in another I mean we all take day to day things for granted like shoes, beds, food and clean water. When there are other people who have next to nothing I can’t really explain how these people live they have so little yet they still keep a smile on there face. It was hard on the first day when we visited all the places we would we helping with, at tondo school we watched all the children play on the playground that the boys had done two years ago it was amazing to see there little faces light up that something that was built 2 years ago still brings laughter, it was hard to look at the children stood out side the school just watching I stood there trying to except that we can only help so many and things cannot change over night. The dumpsite was just over whelming I wish everyone could see the way these people live they are like you and me they have dreams feelings and thoughts but if only everyone could see and smell and touch all the things that I have they might understand how important this job is to us and the people we are helping, I cant believe a week has gone already so fast I am enjoying every moment but still trying to except this is the way of the world. I have made so many friends on this trip I mean me and Zoe have become closer, Lauren smith is now one of my best friends for life me and Gemma have had so many laughs together and some of the boys are nicer than they appear to be Stephen Jeffery is some one I can actually have a normal convocation with Charlie is super nice, Sam Wilkins and Daniel buss are very funny and always smiling, I’m so glad I have had this opportunity to come here all the things I have seen are truly things I will never ever forget for the rest of my life. Charlotte

The first week has been amazing. 2 weeks just doesn’t feel like enough any more! On Monday, we toured around the place. We saw Tondo school, the dumpsite, the new container school and Novatas, the cemetary school. It was a shock seeing so many people living in these conditions, but everyone still smiles at you and says hello and everything. The kids are really sweet as well!

On Tuesday, I was one of the ones who took the littlest kids at Tondo on a Field Trip. We went to the bread factory at Gardenia (BEST BREAD EVER!), an Aquarium and like, a war and air force museum thing.

The bread factory was fairly simple, we saw how the bread was made and we got a free sample! haha. The bread is delicious.

The aquarium was fun but was sooo hard to look after the kids! We were given 5 kids to look after as we went ’round the aquarium, but they stayed in one big group. In the end, EVERYONE couldn’t see the ones they were looking after in the big group so we just kept an eye on the entire group. I got a little friend there as well! She held my hand as we went ’round and took a few photos with my camera. 🙂 At the end of the aquarium, they had to go down an escalator. They had never seen one before! Not only were they seeing a moving floor, but one that was going down as well! They went down in little groups, all holding onto the railing for dear life and I helped a few of them down as well. =D

For lunch we had McDonalds =D But it was chicken and rice. The chicken was just like KFC! It was so sweet that if one kid didn’t have all the rice, instead of just throwing it away, they would give it to one of their friends. And if two kids were still hungry, they split it in half, no arguments at all.

Then we went to the museum where they went CRAZY. They ended up walking around the museum in a line as they were too noisy. We got to a bit where there were a few seats and aircrafts they could sit in, and they just scattered everywhere! All in all, it was a good day =]

Wednesday I was working at Tondo. I was in the Library for most it, just getting the books into Primary and Secondary and packing them seperately. I went into the Nursery and the little kids were just sooo cute! It was sooo hot in there though, so I was only in there for about 15 minutes. That day I also did a bit of bead weighing. Woah!! one of the bags weighed 4.7kg on it’s own!

Thursday I was at Tondo again. Got right into the library and it’s really cleared out now. But eurgh! *shudders* the spiders! They’re huge! And not English standard big! Like, really huge! And tehre was a giant cockroach. eurgh. haha. It was a really good day as there were only three of us, me Rosie and Miss Lewis, but we still got loads done!

Friday I did painting. We did 4 rooms and the first room we did was a Library! haha. I got quite a lot of paint on me, but it came off relatively easily.

Saturday, yesterday, was just amazing. We took 100 kids to Nomads, a sports centre thing, and the day was just amazing! We ended up with 5 groups of 20 where we all did different games with them. We were doing scatter ball! =D Then for lunch, it was the McDonalds chicken and rice again. I felt so sorry for one little girl as she only took about 2 bites of her rice as she was taking the chicken and rice home to her family as they couldn’t afford to eat.

We just played some random games with them before and after lunch and then we took them swimming! They had so much fun! When the last group was in, I was sat at the edge where there was a really shallow bit because there were steps down and I ended up getting splashed so much I got soaked and dragged in when it was time for them to get out along with Chloe! Luckily I was already in my swimming top and taken my shoes and sock off. Though my shorts got drenched. haha. After we had waved the kids off, we got back in the pool for an hour. It was so nice to be able to relax after that day. But we’re all sunburnt even with the lots of suncream we’ve been putting on!

Today was our day off. We had a late start (half 10ish) and went to the Mall. Everything there is so unique!

Tomorrow I’m doing painting again. I’m gpong to be wearing the same clothes as last time I painted. haha.

Hannah

After one week into our stay here in manila, it has been a week leaving many both physically and mentally drained. I have spent most of the working week on the playground, and having undergone more digging, carrying, and cementing in those few days more than any other time in my life, seeing how much has been achieved in such a small space of time is unbelievable. Seeing the areas in which we are building develop day by day, gradually coming together to form what will be our legacy of the new school, is definitely been something which for me has made the project so gratifying.

With the finish in sight, the opening of the new playground is what I am looking forward to the most. Looking back remembering the faces of the children playing on the original playground, and the genuine feeling that you have made a difference to the lives of many who have no real place to call home, is something which was an unexplainable experience – and knowing that what has been achieved this time around is on such a greater scale, is something which has endlessly spurred on the entire group helping with the construction. After dozens of blisters shared amongst the group, literally buckets of sweat, and not forgetting the lunch time tanning session, the entire playground project is close to being finalized.

Also, for me, walking into the Tondo school, and hearing your name shouted by children who I met 2 years ago left me stuck for words. It’s another factor which has made me even more determined to help finish the playground. There still smiling, still laughing and still cheerful as ever, even after the disastrous typhoons which tore apart many of the structures the children would call home.

Today has given the entire group time to recharge for the following weeks work, and even if it does mean another early start tomorrow, it’s well worth it.

The project 2 years ago, for me, was more realization of what is actually happening in countries such as the Philippines, where as this time it is a determination to make as much change as possible.

Ben Elderkin – Shute

We’ve put a new album of photo’s from the first week of the trip on the website in the Photo’s section – go check them out! There should be a new video up soon too…

What an incredible experience and it has only been a week.
What has struck me the most is despite the poverty of the people that we have
met they all say ‘hello’ and ‘what is your name?’ and smile at you. This has
helped when we have been in the old library clearing books to be moved to the
new site and we have come across the biggest spiders I have ever seen. Not big
in terms of English spiders I mean Humungous!! We have been running in and out
of the library screaming but I think some of us have conquered our fears when
we can stay in the same room as the cockroaches!!

The children are wonderful. They are into everything and
everyone. We enjoyed a field trip to the bread factory, aquarium and war
museum. My favourite moment was
the children facing an escalator for the first time. They looked at the floor
that was not only moving but going down and did not want to step onto it.

Today we painted 4 rooms in the new school. Audrey was a
slave driver but it meant that we have saved the workers a lot of time and they
will continue to be on schedule for the opening of the school in June.

We are enjoying the sun especially as it is snowing at
home!! We do not want to come back to the cold. However, the project that we
are involved in are making a real difference and we are enjoying every moment.

Eric Thursday 11th Feb

Day 1 Tuesday

Having offered to do anything PCF wanted me to I suppose I should have been prepared for just that, but nothing I have ever done before prepared me for the challenge that materialized. The visit to the dump site is like nothing on earth. The lasting image is of thousands of people milling around scraping around in the filth picking up anything that might be vaguely saleable. The smell is horrible and the heat unbearable but they labour all day collecting mountains of bags of this stuff which is then piled into lorries. For this I understand they get a little over $1 a day. Their homes are shacks made up from any timber that they find. Their boundary fences old rusty bed springs. They pay rent to the landowner for the privilege of this existence. Dogs abound and in all of this children run around smiling, playing fighting like children anywhere. That they seem so happy in the middle of all of this cannot fail to bring a tear to your eyes. Childhood appears to end early though as children around 6-7 join their parents in the toil of scavenging, their eyes lose the sparkle the laughter disappears.

I arrived at the dump site for my task with Steve, Jack and Charlie to begin working on the PCF shelter project, We had been told we would be assisting the carpenters. I was to meet Marissa the lady in charge and ask her what to do. After a short wait Marissa arrived happy and warm greeting us like her best friends which is the norm with these wonderful people. In answer to my question she told us that she wanted us to build a house. To say I was a little shocked would be an understatement, I have in my time built a few sheds but a house! Marissa beckoned us to follow and we wound our way into a narrow street of shacks. She knocked on a few doors which were unoccupied and then we found a family at home. She spoke to them briefly and then returned to us and explained that they are moving out. I asked her when, she appeared confused by my question, it was obvious she meant now. within minutes the family emerged from the shack Mum Dad and and several children of various ages up to about 8 I would guess. They carried in their arms meagre belongings, pots pans some bags with a few clothes and a couple of chickens, live of course. They had 10 children some were away working on the site. They were very happy to leave at a moments notice in order to get their new home. At that moment in time I had a sense of responsibility on my shoulders bigger than any I ever felt before. These people were trusting complete strangers to demolish and rebuild a house. A short conversation with Marissa informed me that the timescale was usually about 3 days for this to happen, the family would go and stay with relatives, and their Papa would stay to help. I told her I felt very uncomfortable standing waiting whilst the family gathered their belongings and it was clear the boys felt the same. We agreed we would return at 1-00 about 1.5 hours time.

At 1-20 we returned with hammers a crow bar or two, Papa had already started to pull down the shack and we joined in demolishing the shack as mum and her youngest children looked on, it took no more than 20 minutes. The timbers were rotten, the floor bamboo slats, the cockroaches enormous, the walls mostly thin ply or cardboard, the base, earth filled with generations of rubbish compacted and the Chicken poo to be avoided. Within half an hour the site was empty, mum sat cross legged in the shade looking on with no sign of regret for the home she had probably had for years.

The next difficulty was to negotiate with Papa the size and boundaries for the new house. My Filipino is not too good and his English was about the same but sticks in the ground is a good international language. The difficulty was that he wanted it to fit the space which was not a rectangle and I knew that our limited building skills required just that. We eventually worked out a compromise using a scrappy bit of paper and a pencil, a plan quickly emerged which I do not think will win too many architectural prizes.

A few minutes to collect spades and we started to dig the holes to take the uprights that would support the new home. At this stage we had no idea what materials we had as we had yet to see in the PCF store. The boys were amazing. I could tell they had doubts about our ability to do this and thy were more than a little traumatised by the way they had taken part in the ‘eviction’ and demolition. Despite this they toiled in the 32 degree heat for several hours, digging holes into generations of discarded rubbish. Toward the end of the first day we were joined by a PCF carpenter who had finished his task for the day. He had some command of English and we were able to confirm the shape and size of the project. At 4-00 we had to leave because our transport had arrived for the home journey to our hotel. We joked with the family in sign language about the mansion we were to build for them. Mum mentioned the word veranda, some one else gestured a balcony and I mimed a swimming pool, we all laughed, how can they be so happy in all of this?

Day 2 Wednesday (Eric Sunday 14th)

Our team for the day had grown by one, big Jack and we had another different PCF carpenter called Lorenzo. He is a small bundle of muscle with a great sense of humour. The first shock of the day was to discover that the family had spent the night on the site with no cover and it had rained. My building knowledge is basic but I expected to be finishing the foundations and putting in some concrete, but I was very wrong. the objective for the day was to get the uprights as high as roof level put in the first storey floor in order to give the family shelter. It was now obvious the the family had nowhere to go, I see now that the notion of them staying with relatives was quite absurd. In these conditions the highest priority is to get a roof over their heads and get them off the ground to sleep.

With this in mind we set to, placing the uprights in holes, no concrete just back filled with rubble. We cut and nailed the cross joists and and had reached 7 foot the height of the first floor by the time we broke for lunch back at the Tondo school.

In the afternoon the work went in fits and starts. Lorenzo used a 5 metre plastic tube filled with water and a basic plumb line to make sure we were building up straight. When he gave us the OK we cut and nailed the cross joists in and then climbed on them to put the next height up, no ladders. Big Steve, big Jack and Charlie had a distinct advantage over me and Jack Mack here, however, we all had about a foot and half advantage over Lorenzo which became one of the sources of laughter for the day. We were building a house and a happy team at the same time, no moaning, supporting each other focused on getting some shelter for mum and her children who sat and watched from the shade on the other side of the ‘street’. Every now and again we had to get 20-30 more lengths of timber from the store about 50m away. As soon as we started to do this a small army of helpers, men and boys appeared from nowhere to finish the task in no time. About 3-00 Lorenzo indicated we were ready for the plywood for the 1st floor. Our instant army soon had the pieces over and with Charlie up top banging in the nails we soon had our mission for the day complete.

Day 3 Thursday

Today’s team was Big Jack Charlie and me. Jack Mack and Steve opted to go to the new school to work on the playground as they were needed. It is important that we rotate the tasks every two days or so. However on arrival at 8-30 we had two carpenters plus Joe the father of the family already working away. The new guy was Ray who has a good command of English this enabled us to become much more involved much more quickly. I was discovering that the Filipino workers are very humble and they are reluctant to ask us to do something, the idea of them giving us a command is totally alien to them. I suspect this is a legacy of hundreds of years of being told what to do by westerners.

I was able to say to Ray you lead and we will follow ask and we will do it. I know he found this hard but quite soon we were working in teams. The 3 Filipinos building ever upwards with their 3 English apprentices responding as quickly as we could to single word commands like saw, cut, nail, hammer, 3 by 2 or 2 by 3 and fetch. All morning all 6 of us were working on a rather wobbly 1st floor platform building the upstairs uprights and cutting and nailing in place the cross beams. Late morning their was a shout from below and mum, Lotia was holding a tray of cold drinks and snacks one for each of us. Charlie looked at me and we both looked at big Jack, we were lost for words. The cost of these about 90 pesos most of a days wages for the family.

We needed to finish at 2 today as we had to get back to the hotel and get suited and booted for the ambassadors big bash. In view of this we agreed to stay on site for lunch. We eat our snacks outside the PCF clinic. It was day 1 of their feeding programme for 200 malnourished children and their mothers. Sitting amongst this eating my peanuts was about as hard as it gets but at the same time it gives you a sense of hope to see how much difference PCF is making. Charlie asked if he could give out his loaf of bread to some of the children to dip in their soup it was gratefully accepted. I was able to ask Marissa if I could offer money to Joe for the drinks his family had given us earlier without offending them She was not sure but thought I ought to try.

Back to work for a short afternoon session. I explained to Ray why we were knocking off early, it became the source of some banter and a few jibes all in good fun. This was the hottest session so far I suspect about 36 degrees as we stretched to put the roof joists in place. However, for the first time we began to get a real feeling of what this house would mean to Joe and his family. We were increasing his home space four fold at least, he would have a leak free roof and the luxury of sleeping on new flat plywood. This sounds so little by our living standards back home but from our vantage point on the 1st floor you can see hundreds of ‘homes’ like the one we demolished and every now and again one of the new PCF houses like Joe’s towers above them. This is again an image that brings out such mixed emotion but overwhelmingly for me a positive one. Ray explained to me that one of these houses usually take 2 weeks for 2 carpenters working on their own to complete. He thinks that ours will be finished in about 9 days and he is pleased. The cost is about $350 or 250 GB pounds for the materials. With some better tools, aluminium ladders a few platforms a few hand drills, the work could be done in much less time. We brought 6 saws 4 hammers a few levels and a tape in the local mall for about 20 pounds and it makes so much difference.

It was approaching 2-00 and a commotion down stairs indicated our ‘army’ had arrived with the roof. I have never seen two young men so animated as Charlie and Big jack were. They were determined to see some roof go on before we went home for the day. As I said farewell to Joe I shook his hand and passed over a 100 peso note “for the drinks please” he took it with a feint smile of gratitude. It was impossible to get Charlie off the roof until he had seen at least 1 sheet go on. As we drove away in the bus we could see number 2 getting into place.

Dave had asked me to make a speech by way of a vote of thanks at the Ambassadors reception. The opulence of the surroundings compared with the experience of the day was so difficult to deal with. Our staff and pupils whilst very grateful for the ambassadors hospitality found the enormity of the contrast unbearable. By the end of the evening when I spoke I was an emotional wreck but I scraped through, all in all a very interesting day.

Day 4 Friday

We arrived on site at about 8-30 the same team as yesterday without Ray who had to spend the morning finishing another project. We were asked to erect a gazebo for the feeding project which we sorted quickly and then we went over to the house site. When we arrived at the house site there was about 40 local people standing around having a dispute. It appeared to be about the fact that the remains of the old house were blocking a ‘street’ which was a very narrow ‘right of way’ down the side. People were having to climb over the rubble and the construction materials to go about their business. Understandably tempers ran high but I suspect it is difficult for to understand why one family is getting a new house and so many others not. We just climbed on to the site and got on with building the stud walls for the upstairs of the house, the dispute fizzled out when a few bits of wood were moved. With the full roof on by now it made the conditions far more bearable than the previous days. Joe let us know that his family had slept upstairs under the new roof he was very proud of his new home.

We made fantastic progress this morning cutting the access to the stairs, putting in window frames and doors. At one point Lorenzo told me to a leave a gap for a door where I thought a window should go. He saw I was confused so he gestured to the overhanging joists and said the word “balcony”. It seems Lotia is going to get her wish of her veranda/balcony a 2 foot by 12 foot strip of ply 7 foot off the ground, what luxury.

Ray returned early from his other job and we were making great headway almost finishing the upstairs wall structures. We had several visitors to the site taking pictures and doing interviews. The ambassadors secretary was deeply moved by what was going on and we feel confident that she will help in any way she can. Just before lunch we had a set back. One of the main supports shifted in the ground and made the whole house drop by about 6 inches, slightly worrying since we were all up top at the time. I knew that we should have put some concrete in. Ray and Lorenzo took it all in their stride. We used levers and brute force to lift the whole structure back up the 6 inches and ‘whack in’ a large concrete block underneath a replacement support. This set us back a couple of hours but soon we were back upstairs completing the walls just in time to knock off at 3-30.

Earlier we had lunch amongst the feeding programme again and I noticed Big Jack had brought a loaf today and ate very little himself. After lunch before we returned to the house we were asked to take the Gazebo down again. There had been a lot of discussion about leaving it up. the PCF workers were convinced that if it was left it would not be there tomorrow. This led to and idea that we could build a lean too out of timber and tin which could remain in place. Within a couple of hours a plan was in place to start this on Monday approval was given and materials ordered. I suspect 100 pounds worth of materials a days labour and a much improved environment for the feeding programme to take place. We drove home feeling very satisfied with the day looking forward to two ‘days off’ and returning on Monday to put some walls on.

Day 5 Monday

The 3 of us arrived at the site at about 9-00 to see that Ray and Lorenzo had been working all Saturday while we had been at Nomads with 100 children from the school. They had almost completed putting walls on the upstairs, it looked fantastic, and the family had enjoyed proper shelter for the last two nights. We arrived with the gift of a ladder. All of the building so far and with every house they build is built without any ladders or platforms or scaffolding. They work upwards from what they build, adding extra supports to stand on which are removed when they are no longer needed. They were very pleased it cost about $50 in the mall it was the sort that can be changed into a platform. They had made their own ladder to put the walls up, a flimsy selection of two uprights with a series of cross pieces quickly nailed on at various angles. I told Ray that he was in charge of the ladder and he must make sure it was kept securely, he would not have been happier if I had given him a month off with full pay. during the day various other carpenters came over to see the new toy and each time Ray proudly explained that he was in charge of it. I asked how they managed to put up the wall boards without two ladders. Ray explained that Lorenzo does not need one he is “a human spider man he hangs on with his feet” and he mimed the position of Lorenzo hanging by his feet while hitting in nails.

We made fantastic progress in the morning putting in the supports for the down stairs walls. Charlie and Big Jack were getting more and more confident in their cutting and whacking in nails, and their relationship with Ray and Lorenzo was developing into a real friendship. We had lunch again at the feeding centre with the children and their families. Charlie and Jack went to play basket ball with the local lads, after all it was only about 34 degrees. Over the weekend the dump basket ball site had been completed, it looks magnificent a real concrete flat court with proper nets and lines, looking quite out of place amongst the surroundings.

I stayed at the feeding centre and as usual attracted a small crowd of little children curious to talk and play. Today they were mostly girls about 5-7, they spoke no English, not even the customary “what is your name”. We played hop scotch together and I taught them the words hop, skip and jump and demonstrated the difference. They then learned counting to 10 in English and I found myself hopping, skipping and jumping holding their hands as we shouted out the numbers. Their parents looked on in amusement.

The afternoon went very quickly particularly as our transport arrived early whisking us away before 3-00. I explained to Ray that I would not be there in the morning as I had to go and start the mural at the new school. With one more reminder to look after the ladder we were away.

Day 6 Tuesday

By the time I arrived at around 11-30 charlie Big Jack Lorenzo and Ray had made great progress. The boys were keen to explain that they had built the frame for the back downstairs wall on their own. They were now well on the way to completing the stairs but were having a bit of ‘Bad Nail” trouble. The failure to hit home a nail straight which we all suffered from at times always resulted in a chorus of a “bad nail bad nail”, at times the ground was littered with them. Interestingly they always disappeared by the next day after all this is a dump site where anything that can be recycled for money will be. Mark and the camera crew arrived with me. it was important that we tried to complete the house as much as possible before the end of the day as it was marks last possible day to film on the dumpsite. At lunch I explained this to Ray and Lorenzo over the left over pizza and pasta we had brought from the previous evenings meal.

I was to be interviewed with the owner family and we wanted an interview with them for TV at 2-30. It was agreed that we would have the walls up by then. we started back from lunch early and worked like Beavers to meet the deadline. At 2-30 we had the 3 walls up with one to go. The interviews were done and we pressed on to get the last pieces of wall up before the end of the day. our buses came at about 3-30 and we still had a couple of small pices to cut and place. I had no doubt that Ray and Lorenzo would finish the job. Just before we walked away we looked at the house with some satisfaction. A week ago almost to the minute we had started to build it. I had to spend wednesday and Thursday at the new school working with a fantastic team of artists on a mural which is another blogg in itself.

Last day Friday

We have just returned from saying our goodbyes at the new school, the Tondo school and the Dumpsite. With a splendid assembly with the whole school paying tribute to us it was a highly emotional occassion. Our students held it together brilliantly until the pupils cried as they said their last goodbyes. I spoke briefly in assembly and finsished by saying how tired we were and how we are looking forward to seeing our loved ones back home, but each one of us will leave a little piece of our hearts in Tondo.

My final visit was to Ray, Lorenzo, Lotia and Joe at the house. Charlie Big Jack and myself took a few small gifts for the team and family. they were receieved as ever with appreciation and gratitude. We had a photo of us all outside the house, we shook hands said our last goodbyes and drove off with one last look back at the house.