We just returned from a trip to the Camotes Islands. Marly managed to over-estimate the battery of her mobile, I did the same for my laptops battery. Not that there was a lot of mobile-coverage, or Wifi-access, and besides, we were too exhausted to do much more than shower and sleep anyway. The day started around 2AM, so we could leave in time to get to the ferry in Danao. They leave at 05:30. And it takes 10 tickets before you get on the boat, the majority being various additional fees... Once on the island our first stop was at a small bakery for breakfast, and much needed coffee. Then some long overdue paperwork, and off to the Villahermosa Elementary School. No appointments, just go there and talk to the head-teacher, Mrs Genefer Cababat, to see if there was something we could do to support the school. Turns out there are a lot of somethings... From an Australian donor they will receive 5 computers (for grade 5+6, 45 children), once we managed to get it shipped well add a printer we got from Sander Pira. I just checked if the ink is available here (a detail I overlooked when negotiating with Sander :-) ), and it is for the round price of 2300 Peso. And solar-power to give them the opportunity to continue using those PCs during a brown-out (or after the next storm) wouldnt be luxury. Its expensive though... But there is so much more... Like an Industrial Arts-room (for carpenting, or weaving, for example), for which a bamboo-classroom would be perfect (cost: about 140.000 Peso, price to be confirmed), the toilets in one of the buildings were destroyed by #YolandaPH (Repair-cost estimated around 25-30.000 Peso), but since they are not classrooms they are way low on the priority-list. And frankly the classrooms on that priority-list are not quite promptly repaired to say the least, hence our bamboo-classroom in Hilantagaan... What else...: sports-equipment (baseball-bats, decent basketball-balls, some good badminton-rackets, those things. Nothing really expensive, but even then beyond their budget), science-equipment (bunsen-burner, some petri-dishes, erlenmeyer, test-tubes, a microscope and so). Most of this is not because of Yolanda, but because they are just a small village in a remote island. Which is kind of frustrating, for both of us. Marly sees the difference between when she went there as a child and now. I see the unfairness, for the children born on a small remote island. Reasons enough for us to try to help, even if we shouldnt. Im still thinking about a way to let the local government know that we expect them to chip in too. More tomorrow, with some pictures. And probably with a plea to contribute. You better start defriending me if you dont want to hear about any pleas... ;-)
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:38:24 +0000
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