Life in the Philippines is different from life elsewhere.  I have seen hardships that I never knew existed.  Sure I watch the National Geographic channel; I have seen UNICEF advertisements on television.  I have seen pictures of how rough life can be in other countries.  But I never experienced this first-hand, until I traveled to the Philippines.

 

Upon arriving in the Philippines, I was immediately struck with a beautiful tropical environment and friendly people.  A transportation system that consisted of Jeepney’s and pedi-cabs, both of which I have never seen before in my life.  I must say, the atmosphere was extremely different from that of the United States.  Though as stated, the Filipino people were proud of their culture and heritage; most everyone that I met was friendly and courteous.  The children were especially excited to see a foreigner, especially in the provinces, as I was usually referred to as “Joe”.  I take it this is a left over relic from the War (J.I Joe).

 

But look deeper, beyond the palm trees and you will notice a life of poverty not seen in the United States.  A life where every meal is a true blessing, as you may only eat once a day.  The sad thing is; I didn’t have to look any further than my wife’s own family to find this type of poverty.

 

Her family consisted of ten siblings, including her.  One of her brothers passed away at sea; due to a shipwreck (his body was never recovered).  The other eight siblings live in the same town they grew-up in; they maintain a close bond.  In the Philippines, family is everything; and family will always help one-another, when they can…  But in the Philippines, it’s a struggle to put food on the table for your own immediate family, much less your brother’s or sister’s family.

 

Meet Nonoy
Picture taken in 2012


 

This is my wife’s brother.  His wife, Mely, passed away just recently (from what I am almost certain was a preventable death, at least in the United States).  See in the Philippines, if you don’t have money, then you don’t get treated in the Hospital.  If you need a Hospital room, payment is made in advance; if you need an IV, again, you have to pay for it in advance.  No money, no medical assistance.  The same goes with education; no free meals or reduced lunches.  If you can’t afford lunch then you can’t go to school or you have to go to school hungry.

 

Nonoy works as a pedi-cab driver.  He makes approximately two dollar per day.  Yes, you read that correctly.  After paying rent for his pedi-cab (60PHP), he clears two dollar per day (100PHP).  To drive this home for you, a kids meal in the Philippines cost 62PHP, last time I checked (April 2012). Nonoy has eleven children, some of which are grown.  However four of his children are still young (school aged children); twins aged 9 (Kenneth & Kevin), another son aged 11 (Reynaldo), and a daughter aged 14(Alnea, who is a straight-A student).  As you can imagine without the income, support, and assistance (mentally, physically, and emotionally) of his wife (who washed clothes, by hand, to assist the family), Nonoy’s children will surely face a difficult life; a life of hardship with no education, and little to no nutrition.  Before they lost their mother, the children faced a difficult life, now their future is bleak.  Currently the children eat two meals per day; for breakfast they eat bread (rolls), usually no lunch, and then dinner (which is usually rice with sardines).

 

This is Nonoy’s House
(All Pictures as of April 17, 2012)

 

 

Another Picture of the Family’s House.

 

Meet Kevin (11 Years Old)

 

 

Meet Kenneth (On the left, 11 Years Old)

 

Meet Reynaldo (In the back, 12 Years Old)

 

 

Just the FACTS:

  • These children need help.
  • They can change their future, if given assistance.
  • They need food to attend school.
  • They need books, pencils, and paper.
  • They need clothes.
  • Any type of assistance will be accepted and appreciated.
  • These are not wants.  These are needs!

 

 100% of assistance will directly support these children.  Not one penny will go to another cause.  Pictures will be uploaded to this site, showing the support these children receive.  If you want to send a box full of supplies (as we have done in the past), you can either send the supplies to us; once we have a large enough shipment, we will send them a box (the lowest cost we have found to send a box to the Philippines is $95.00 USD, weight does not matter, but the items must fit in a box provided by the carrier) or you may send them a box yourself.  We can provide you with the address and carrier information.

 

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