An Updated Letter from Helen, Our Filipino Representative

Dear Give Children Hope

           Hello from the Philippines!   The Meals at School Program in Sua Elementary School is almost 3 months old now!  Everything is going well and the children are getting fed everyday.  The Principal, Mrs. Isabel Cordez, told me that the children are now a lot heavier, active, and have sparkling eyes! 

I have talked to one parent and she said how grateful she is for this wonderful program of Give Children Hope.  She knows, and is assured, that her children will not go hungry as long as they go to school.  Because her children do not have a good breakfast in their home due to poverty, for her and her children, this is a great blessing. 

They are sad that 3 months is almost over... they ask me and hope that this program will still continue to feed their children for the future.  With your continued support and efforts, we can continue to bless their lives as needed.  

On behalf of all these people... A million thanks to all of you!!!

Helen Grace Agawin

GCH -Cam Sur

"Meals At School" Program in Action

The children are so eager for their warm meals that they are always willing to help 

The Sua school just got a new water pump which means cleaner running water for the students

Poor Living Conditions

These are some pictures sent to us by our Filipino representatives.  It shows the humble circumstances that many of our students are living in.  It is easy to see why these children yearn for a better opportunity at life.

A kitchen area

This is a nicer bedroom than most because it actually has a bed.  Notice the dirt floors and holes in the walls.

A Message From Our Filipino Representative, Kristina

Dear Sponsors and Friends,

Time has gone by so fast and we can hardly believe that we are down to three months until this year ends. How have you all been? We are all doing well here, though we have been battered by several strong typhoons that you have probably seen on the news. The latest one we had were typhoons locally known as "Pedring" and "Quiel" that have affected Manila and most of the Luzon provinces. We are still expecting more, as we have an average of 23 typhoons per year. Some leave with little affect but most exit leaving us with great devastation. Most of the effect would be on the farmers.  Their crops and expected harvests sometimes all go to waste, thus affecting the entire country. Philippines is an agricultural country, so fishing and farming are the largest source of income among many Filipinos, especially in the rural areas. If the farms have been destroyed and there is no more to be harvested, we expect an increase in the price of commodities. It will be hard for all of us, as we have little income and we need to buy high priced foods. It has always been like that during typhoon season. So it is really smart to save and store food during this season so you wont have to  suffer with the other people, and you could assist them in any way that you can.

The school that we help feed is doing very well and thank God that they did not have to suffer very much. During this time, the Meals at School Program is really a great help for these children. The more than 600 school children that we feed everyday benefit so much from this program, as well as their parents and their school.  It is always hard for the parents, especially those that do not have much to provide all the meals that their children need.  What you do for the children is help them to realize that people are there to help. Their eagerness to be in school overrides their hunger, but with your help, it has never been a problem since.

Our volunteers in Manila are making sure that those who are in great poverty will be supported by this program. Thus, the sponsored school in the Camarines Sur area has been changed since it was determined by the school district that this particular school is not in the poorest situation. We felt sad that we have to leave the former school that we sponsor, but we hope that the help we have given them for several months has left them the motivation that they need to continue to be in school despite their circumstances. What we do now is really a great help though we want so desperately to do more.

The children have been blessed physically... most of them have been gaining weight since. We always try to provide the most nutritious food that we could serve them. The parents who have been helping for the preparation of these meals have been very great as well. They wanted their children to have the best meal during the feeding so they themselves make it a point to prepare the most nutritious meals that they know their children can have.

It is really true that people draw strength from each other. We all thank you for the things that you do for us. The impact of your goodness cannot be measured in specific ways but as we see these children endure each day and as we leave a smile on their faces, we know that we have done what we could for them.

Thank you so much for all the help that you have been extending to us. May you have a blessed month and we always pray for you and your families.

Please see latest pictures of the children and the Meals at School Program at Sua School and other places we serve children on our Give Children Hope blog at: givechildrenhope.blogspot.com/  and our Facebook at: www.facebook.com/givechildrenhope 

 

For the Sponsored Children,

Kristina Sunico

A Letter About Sua Elementary School

Dear Give Children Hope,

I was on my way to visit Sua Elementary School last Thursday... I left the house at 6:30 am.  Sheryl and I, with her youngest son Andrei (age 5), went together to Sua.  We rode a tricycle with all the things needed for the Meals @ School program.  When we arrived, some boys were already waiting for us along the highway to help carry all the stuff we had.  They were all so eager to carry the goods towards the school!  They do this every day, early in the morning  before the bell rings... so impressive!!!  That is how they show they appreciate and are grateful for the program.

At about 7 am, the high tide comes in so we look for a place to situate the stove so that we are not bothered by the tide.  I have suggested to the Principal that we hold a meeting every end of the month with all the teachers.  That way we can talk about how we can better serve the children and if they have any good suggestions and concerns that need to be addressed.  I have taken some pictures of these meetings last Thursday with 100% attendance. They are all very eager to see and meet the people behind this program. They all hope that someday you can come to visit them.

The Meals at School Program here is doing well and organized and, most of all, everybody is cooperating and happy.  We feel the true meaning of service, from the students, parents teachers and the School Principal.  They all hope that this will continue in their school.

On behalf of Sua Elementary School, I thank you all for the kindness and help you are extending, especially to these children.  I am doing the best I can to help GCH’s mission be fulfilled.  You can always be assured that the fund goes to them 100%...this I have promised you, and as always, may you all be blessed a hundred fold because you share.

Helen Grace Putong-Agawin

GCH-Camarines Sur

More Photos from Sua Elementary School

Meeting with the school teachers and principal... we have this meeting at the end of each month.  This is so we can serve the children of Sua Elementary School better.  They are so cooperative.  Thank you Maam Marcela Isabel Cordez (the school principal) 

Things are going great for the Meals at School program at Sua Elementary School.  We thank you all for your continued support.  The children are really showing progress in their attendance and performance at school.

August Letter to Sponsors

Dear Sponsors and Friends,

I am so overwhelmed that we are finally down to the last four months until this year ends. And as the “BER” months begin, Christmas spirit is now all over the Philippines. This is probably the only country in the world that starts celebrating the Christmas season beginning in September.  We all love it and it is traditional in our Filipino culture.

We hope that you had a very wonderful August as you celebrate good times with your families. Ours was great. There was a long weekend in celebration of the National Heroes Day.

Along with the continuing typhoon count, just this month, our country was again battered by a Typhoon named “Mina”.  It finally moved away last Tuesday leaving 22 deaths and millions worth of destroyed properties. We are still expecting 11 more typhoons as this year comes to an end.

As for our good news from here in the Philippines, with the recommendations of Helen Agawin (our Philippines Meals at School Program Coordinator) we are pleased to announce we have started our popular Meals at School program in a new school in Camarines Sut Region earlier in August.  The name of the new school is Sua Elementary and provides daily school meals for more than 300 Filipino children located in one of the most devastated areas of the Philippines.

We have rotated the meals program this year, from Dugcal School to Sua School, and feel especially good about this change.  Sua School was designated by the superintendent  as one of  three most impoverished schools in the Camarines, Sur school district. The meals will be a life-saver for the children coming to school relying on this as their only decent food for the day. 

We so much appreciate those of you who are helping to sponsor the more than 600 children who presently participate in our Meals at School programs.  You also provide individual sponsorship programs and other support for the children here in the Philippines.

Give Children Hope is now truely a global children's charity and we do not want to miss thanking sponsors for our other programs like the Give Children Hope Food for Families packages given to needy families in Brazil.  We also recognize other individuals who so kindly help other needy children wherever they live to have better lives.

I know that all of us can do something to help those in need. Whether it be great or small, everything touches their hearts and they will remember it for the rest of their lives.

We thank you all for what you do for these children. Your outreached hand to them makes a big difference in each of their lives.

Please see pictures of the children attending our new Sua School and in other areas globally on our Give Children Hope blog and Facebook at: givechildrenhope.blogspot.com/ and www.facebook.com/givechildrenhope

In behalf of the sponsored children,

Kristina Sunico

Manila, Philippines