Exciting New News

We have a new school that we have implemented the "Meals at School" program in.  Sua Elementary School began it's first feeding day August 9th, 2011.  We are very excited about having this program available for these children.  Sua Elementary School is located in a very poor area of the Philippines and it is not uncommon for some of the school children to faint from hunger throughout the day.  We hope to change this real soon!  So far we have had a great response to the program and many of the parents, even, are getting involved.  Here are some pics from the first day

so excited to have the Meals Program in their school..

Their school garden after the flood...

The School food coordinator Maam Tomasa Aguilar and Sheryl ... getting ready for the food preparati

.. more firewood... their participation to the program... so cooperative!

the school daily attendance... 

The school is about 150 meters away from the main road

we arrived early... no teachers were there yet... so we waited for a while...

this is Paolo Buena, he and his brother are studying in this school

This thing touched my heart ... one by one they came carrying bundles of wood to be used for cooking their meals

...and here's another one...

a father bringing a bundle of wood too...

Update on the Typhoons

Manila, Philippines

Typhoon Juaning batters Bicol Region, Manila and other parts of the Philippines.

This has been one of the most devastating typhoons that has hit the country. It seemed like not everyone knew that it could be that great. Many areas were still left flooded up to this posting, classes were suspended on the previous days for the safety of the children. Electric posts and trees have fallen, passengers were stranded in ports and airports. Water rose up so quickly that people in the affected area needed to be evacuated as soon as possible. Times like these are very heartbreaking.

The more than 600 children in Dugcal and Maravilla area who you sponsor have been doing okay despite this natural disaster. They might have been affected in some ways but they are all safe and excited to go back to school after it was suspended.

We all thank you for the help that you have been extending to these children. There is no greater feeling in this world than to know that somebody cares for you especially in these troubled times.

God Bless you for helping the children so much, particularly at times like this. They are so blessed to have the blessing of food, school support, care and love that you give them. Please follow us for more details on our facebook page and Facebook Cause at: facebook.com/givechildrenhope -

Kristina Sunico - Manila Give Children Hope Correspondent / Director for the Philippines

August Letter to Sponsors

(pictures not taken from our representatives, but outside sources)

Manila, Phillippines -- Typhoon Juaning batters Bicol Region, Manila and other parts of the Philippines.
This has been one of the most devastating typhoons to hit the country. It seemed like not everyone knew that it could be that great. Many areas were still left flooded up to this posting, classes were suspend on the previous days for the safety of the children.

August Letter - Hello to Give Children Hope Friends and Sponsors,

      This month has been a great one, despite the typhoon that just hit our country leaving a lot of areas still flooded up to this point in time.  Classes have been suspended for 2 days in the Camaligan area. The education department has decided to suspend the class because of the typhoon.  Typhoons bring so much rain that it would be difficult and pose a danger, as far as the safety of the students are concerned.         

      This month really is the “typhoon month” for our country.  Classes in the areas under storm signals 1, 2, and 3 (and even those surrounding) needed to be suspended. This kind of season will last up until September though it will still rain the following months. More than 20 typhoons are expected to enter the Philippines in one year. 

      Not only are the classes affected, but also the majority of the children's families are greatly affected during these times of the year. Their homes are not always spared from the destruction. Their makeshift dwellings are, most of the time, thrown away by the typhoon and by the strong winds. Then they have to build their house again using the materials which were left and from the scraps which were brought by the typhoon from other places.  If you could only imagine these things happening. Imagine your entire home being taken by the strong wind and you cannot save anything but yourself.  Imagine that after the typhoon you find yourself in a desperate situation and realize that you will, again, start with nothing. That’s the most common and the most heartbreaking moment in the lives of the people here in the Philippines as we face these natural calamities.          

     Though the children were affected, they were still able to enjoy the Meals at School Program, which you have provided for them.  I am sure that they will be more than excited to go back to school and taste this sweet blessing for them. We are so glad that, even in these troubled times, the students are still blessed with this warm, peaceful feeling that someone cares for their needs.

     The children are so blessed because of your love and concern for them.  You have been blessing more than 600 children and no one can imagine what impact this could bring to their lives.   Your sponsored children in the Dugcal and Maravilla Elementary Schools are doing great and we can see on their faces the happiness and the excitement of being in school. Their life is still very challenging but the Meals at School Program has brought a lot of change. This will always be a part of their lives, and to us who help in making your donations work for these needy children. Thank you so much for all the effort and all the sacrifices.  To see these children happy and to see their lives change for the better is so rewarding.  All your donations are a great help in proving for the needs of these children.  What great joy it is to be able to feed one, but being able to feed more than 600 hungry children is the greatest!                

      We hope that you and your family will always be blessed and be happy. We love you all and we are always excited to keep you updated and make sure that your donations are being used in the way you want it to.

From the Give Children Hope sponsored children,

Kristina Sunico

Updated photos from Maravilla School

Here are some recent photos taken of the students eating lunch at the Maravilla school in the Philippines.  The program continues to be a success and a motivation for the children to attend school and gain an education.  Thank you for your continued support.

New Letter from Our Representative

Happy Independen​ce Day!

Our Future is as Bright as our Faith

Dear Sponsors,

    The month of June has passed by so quickly. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. This month has been so full of exciting activities for the children!  Though we have been hit by several typhoons, we are so grateful that your sponsored children and their families are all doing ok.

    Most of the areas were left flooded by the typhoon, so the Education Department had to cancel the classes several times this month to secure the children's safety. A lot of the schools have been turned into evacuation centers for the families whose homes have been destroyed by the typhoon and for those others whose homes have been covered with the waters. They stayed there for a couple of days, if not more than a week, until they could safely go back to their homes.

   This is the usual scenario in the Philippines during the rainy season. This is why most of us are preparing during the summer days. This situation is very heartbreaking... especially when you see children and babies sleeping in the cold and their bodies wet. A lot of families gather together and stay in a small classroom which is not really very healthy. The local government gives them relief goods but that doesn't last long.  They need food, water, clothing and medicine but only a few of those things can be provided, so one has to sacrifice for the benefit of the other who is more in need. We are glad though that we have never been a victim of such an undesirable situation.

     The Meals at School Programs of Give Children Hope, which you sponsor, are doing well despite these calamities. The number of children in the schools have increased. For many of these children it is the only meal they receive during the day.

     We know for a fact that the children were very motivated to attend school and the Meals at School Program has been a very effective invitation to those first-timers in school. They don't have to worry about going to school and having nothing in their stomachs. What they know is that they are excited to be in school and there are people who will help them so they will not go hungry during their tutorage.

     Without anything to motivate them, it would be somewhat harder for these children to choose between going to school and being hungry, or going to work so they could have something to eat. The students at the Dugcal and Maravilla Elementary Schools are so blessed to be the recipients of this wonderful program. We may not know exactly what change it does to their lives, but we are sure that we are giving these children even a small piece of hope and happiness that they can be a better person despite their poor situation.

    You have more than 600 children who are benefiting from this program on a daily basis and you just don’t know how happy they are to have these wonderful blessings!

    We know that you are celebrating your Independence Day on the 4th of this month. We want to wish you a Happy Independence Day!  We had our Independence Day last June 12 and we also celebrated the 150th birth of our National Hero.

    We want to thank you for all that you do for these children. May we remember that as we celebrate our independence, we are giving hope to hundreds of children.  We hope soon, that they will be free from the bondage of poverty as they continue to do good in school and appreciate all the help that they are receiving from the wonderful people like you.

With our love to all of you and your family... Happy Independence Day!

For the Sponsored Children,

Kristina Sunico