Devastating Typhoon Hits the Phillippines

November 7th, the Phillippines was hit by a huge storm, Typhoon Haiyan, with winds reaching as high as 115 mph.  It is reported that approximately 10,000 lives were taken tragically, and many more people  affected.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to our filipino friends and the children of both the Maravilla and Sua Elementary Schools.  They will need our help especially at this point to help them overcome this horrendous obstacle.  If you would like to help in any way, your generosity will be much appreciated and put directly towards assisting our children during this time.  May God be with them and we thank you for all your continued support.

To donate please click the "Donate Now" button on the home screen or send payment to:

Give Children Hope

P.O. Box 2244

Orangevale, CA 95662

October Letter From Kristina Sunico-Nobles

To our Dearest Sponsors and Friends of Give Children Hope,,

We hope that everything is doing well with you and your families.

Children had their vacation about a week ago and they are ready for the summer vacation. Some graduated from elementary school, where graduations were held prior to the coming Easter. It was a very beautiful scenario to see the children go up the stage and receive their graduation diploma. Parents are undeniably very overwhelmed by these events in their children's lives. I can still remember the feeling I had when I graduated from elementary school as Salutatorian, I was then a sponsored child by Give Children Hope. I realized then that being poor is not a hindrance for a child to finish school and graduate with achievements. I am very blessed also to have “Give Children Hope” play a big role in helping me get through elementary school. I was so overwhelmed at that time while delivering my speech thanking all the people and my family in helping me achieve my dreams.

I know that your sponsored children in Maravilla and Sua Elementary Schools will be in that same situation sooner, I know how it feels to be able to finish a milestone in your life and especially if you have done with your sacrifices and the sacrifices and love of the people around you. It is so lovely to see a sponsored child graduate and receive his diploma. I was so happy at that time while writing letters to my sponsors of how happy I am during and after my graduation ceremony. I know that you will be very happy to see your sponsored children graduate sooner.

As we all celebrate Easter Season, allow us to thank you for all the help you have been extending to us. The Meals at School Program of Give Children Hope is being sustained through your generous donations. It continues to feed more than 600 elementary school children every day from Maravilla Elementary School in Iloilo and Sua Elementary School in Camarines Sur. It continues to supply them their critical meals every day. It helps them and their parents develop a sense of responsibility as they also help in preparing all the meals for the day.

Let me show you here one of the graduation pictures from Maravilla Elementary School. You can see the rest of the pictures by visiting Give Children Hope on Facebook.

May you have a blessed Easter and we extend our love to you and your family.

For the sponsored children,

Kristina Sunico-Nobles

Letter from our Representative, Kristina

August 30th, 2013

Dear Sponsors and Friends,

How have you been? We hope that you are having a great day as this letter reaches you.

We are so thrilled to hear Christmas carols being played as early as this time, as you know Philippines celebrate Christmas as early as September. We are positive that this will be a good one for us despite the fact that there are still a few typhoons that would hit the country until the end of this year.

You may have heard in the news about the recent typhoon that hit our country (typhoon was locally named Maring). It was really a devastating event as we see homes and properties being destroyed by flood water and lives were taken because of this disaster...

 nevertheless, we are always positive in this kind of situation. We know that other countries also experience disasters and we are just inspired on how they were able to stand up and move forward. We believe that being strong and staying positive are some of the good things that calamities bring us. We are so happy to see that a lot of people give all the help they could offer to all those that have been affected. Knowing that someone is at your back in these troubled times brings you a great hope that everything will be alright. 

Classes in Manila and other nearby provinces which have been affected by the typhoon were canceled for a week. School buildings served as evacuation area for those families whose homes have been destroyed by the typhoon. It was just sad that even some of those school buildings that are supposed to serve as evacuation areas were also reached by flood. This thing is a yearly sighting here in the Philippines, but every year brings a different story of hope and courage.

On the other hand, the Meals at School Program still went on in Sua and Maravilla Elementary Schools. We are grateful that the children and their families were somehow spared from the recent disaster since Metro Manila is the one that has been badly hit.

 We are grateful for the children and their parents for their usual support and cooperation for the every day feeding program. The children are more than happy to be served delicious and healthy meals every day. It is really great that they are being provided with this healthy meal. Likewise, we are always grateful for all your donations to the Meals at School Program of Give Children Hope. The everyday feeding could not be possible without your generous donations. The thought that you are feeding more than 600 students every school day is just amazing.

We wanted you to know the recent feedings being conducted to these schools. Please do visit Give Children Hope's Facebook account for the pictures of the everyday Meals at School Program as well as the recent school activities.

https://www.facebook.com/givechildrenhope

Thank you for keeping the Meals at School Program running and for loving the children.

For the sponsored children,

Kristina Sunico-Nobles
For the Give Children Sponsored

Children

Maravilla Elementary School Pictures

Our Maravilla Elementary school is seeing wonderful changes in the morale of the children since the Meals @ School Program began.  Many of these children arrive at school hungry because there is not enough food at home for breakfast.  With healthy warm meals provided, these children are able to focus on their studies and enjoying school rather than their hunger.

Excited for the new food to arrive

Preparing the meals

Sua Elementary School Pictures

Here are some great new pictures of our students at Sua Elementary school.  The Meals @ School program is running well with a lot of parent cooperation and help and the children are thriving.  We thank you for your contributions and want you to know that every dollar is going to help these children receive better nutrition and a better education.

An Update from Sua Elementary School

522 Blender Bottles were given to the children of Sua Elementary School June 3rd, 2013.  This was very exciting for both the children and our organization.  The Meals at School program continues to feed these children on a daily basis and try to make a difference in their lives.

Hard working and dedicated parents volunteering to prepare the meals

Fortifying the food with Malunngay leaves which has a very high nutritional value.

These children are too young for school, but we are pleased to say that they are able to benefit from the Meals at School program.  Their parents volunteer at the school and bring these children along for an added meal.

May Letter From Our Representative, Kristina

Dear Sponsors and Friends of Give Children Hope,

We hope you are having wonderful weather as you read this letter. The entire Philippines is now experiencing a very hot summer. Temperature would most of the time reach 36-37 degrees Celsius which is sometimes really unbearable. We are all being cautioned about heat strokes on its prevention and first aid. Just a day ago, it rained in the afternoon and surprisingly, it had little ice pellets. It’s not like a hailstorm but a moderate rain with a lot of small and big ice pellets. It made the weather cooler for a moment. We hope that your weather is not making you feel very uncomfortable, as for us, we are somehow adjusted to this kind of temperature.

It’s still a month left for summer vacation and the students are on their vacation spree. This is the time when most students would be vacationing with their relatives from other towns and some of the kids will just be staying home and helping their parents with whatever summer business they have started. I know an 8 year old boy who lives  a few blocks away from my house who is helping his parents with their summer business. They are selling the very famous summer treat called Halo-halo have you ever heard of this? It is a popular Filipino dessert that is a mixture of shaved ice and evaporated milk to which are added various boiled sweet beans and fruits, and served in a tall glass or bowl. The boy receives daily “salary” from his parents at the end of the business day. It is so wonderful to watch this boy as he is really into it. He is really focused on his responsibilities and it makes me think that this boy may be saving for something he wants to buy sooner. This is one way that kids learn to be responsible and learn the value of hard work and saving. I believe that most of the students in Sua and Maravilla Elementary Schools are doing this as well. I can attest to how hardworking these kids are and they really deserve to be rewarded.

Aside from being hardworking, the students have been very supportive of the Meals at School Program. If you have seen in most of the pictures on our Facebook page, the students would wait on the basketball court gate for the supplies of the day’s meal, and help unload and transport the supplies from the basketball court to the school ground which is a few meters away.

Sometimes 2-3 students help lift the sack or wood for the fires to cook the food and some would need the help of a wheelbarrow or pushcart. They are so happy doing this and I know that this thing gives them a sense of responsibility and they take care of every food ingredient and material so it reaches the school safely and without any damage. The feeding continues to feed the more than 600 students from Maravilla Elementary School in Pototan, Iloilo and Sua Elementary School in Camarines Norte.

In addition to the Meals at School Program, here’s what’s happening for the children at these schools.  From late last year until early this year, large shipments of more than 1000 books have been sent to these school providing each student at least 3 books/storybooks/coloring books. Also, there were schools supplies (notebooks, pens,pencils,crayons etc), clothings, shoes, washcloths, dishwashing liquid, scotch brite, and liquid handsoap. Each child also received bowls, drinking cups, and plates. These additional items have helped the children a lot in their everyday school and Meals at School Program activities and they all help to keep and maintain these items, especially the feeding materials, in a good condition. There is still another item to be given to each of the children come June which is the start of a new school year. We will be posting pictures constantly on our facebook page so you will be updated. For these and more, we are so grateful.

I know that the students are all looking forward to the new school year. Your generous donations help us in sustaining the Meals at School Program. Thank you for being so willing to help Give Children Hope in making a difference in each of the student’s lives and in continuously providing their everyday critical meals. We are looking forward as well in helping more hungry children through our Meals at School Program and to provide more school supplies to them.

We are grateful for your generous donations, and we want to keep you updated through our Give Children Hope Facebook page. Your every donation goes a long way. I know that the children are very excited to come back to school and they all look forward to the Meals at School Program.

We are extending our thanks and Mother’s Day greetings to you and we pray for your good health and may you and your family be continued to be showered with joy.

For the sponsored children,

Kristina Lou Sunico-Nobles

There are special days that come around every year like a person's birthday or anniversary. There are also very special and proud occasions that only happen a few times during the beginning of a person's life -- graduation.

Parents will never forget their child's first graduation from Elementary School. It is not only a ceremony that congratulates their child's accomplishments, it also shows them parents that their child is growing up.

It's not about how rich or poor you are, it's how proud you are as a graduate!

Congratulations to all graduates of Maravilla Elementary School! We are so proud of you!

More Books Are Needed

We really need more books to send to Sua Elementary and Maravilla Elementary Schools. If you have any great ideas how to collect more books or want to help us collect more let me know. The children really love to read and this book project is a big success in the Philippines.

Blender Bottles For The Philippines

Many thanks to Cody Leishman & Katie Henderson at Sundesa LLC for their generous donation to Give Children Hope of thousands of Blender Bottles that we boxed and sent to the Philippines! Maravilla Elementary School in Ilolo & Sua Elementary School in Camarines Sur will soon be receiving this great product! Also, thanks to our good friends JP, Eileen & Arianne Boinay who helped us in the big project of getting the boxes ready for shipping