RJ , one of Sarah's special education teachers

Class in progress in new classroom

After mastering sign language, the students study reading, writing, math, history, science etc. up to high school level with special education teachers whom Sarah employs.

New classrom

This new classroom was constructed for the school by another donor. It is a model on which the boy's dormitiory will follow. Basic concrete block construction. With the old dormitory being totally unihabitable the classroom will serve as the boys shelter until construction is complete.

One kind soul

After hearing Sarah's plea, one kind soul has pledged funds to construct a new boys dormitory. One might think the rich would be the bigger donors but oddly enough in Sarah's experience it is the average people who make up the greater number of donors. You figure it out. It is all new to me this past year but what a learning experience it is becoming. This photo is of the foundation work being done by the students themselves ( under a builder's supervision ) with the old dormitory in the background. Expected completion time is 6 months due to the rainy season and finding additional funds to finish the job.

Boys lodging and cooking facilities

It is hard to believe but up to 90% of the rural deaf in the Philippines never learn to communicate with sign language. In these areas they are destined to a life of servitude, sexual and physical abuse. Some of the stories are horrid. Having the kind soul that Sarah has, she has dedicated her life to helping to improve the lives of such victims. She liasons with the local Dept. of Social Welfare and takes in the cases most in need but as I mentioned the need is so great that there is never enough space at her facility to accomodate more than 30 or so students, a drop in the bucket but with limited funds there is no choice. Sarah does wonders with the small funding that is donated to her cause. Here is an example: you may remember the boys dormitory a rundown bamboo shack with a kitchen that is quite hard to imagine having to live and cook in but live in and cook for themselves her boy charges did and with gratitude that someone was kind enough to provide them with a shelter and a bonus of studying how to communicate and basic education.

Remember Sarah and her fine work?

You may remember Sarah, She is the director of a small deaf boarding school. Her school is located 2 hours south of Puerto Princesa. It is entirely a non profit foundation that Sarah directs and is constantly in need of funding which sadly is constantly lacking. I support and donate what I can but it is never enough This photo is of Sarah and her husband and students while on their way to a massage training seminar.

Toilet training

We picked up a new toilet for the family. Their first. Now its up to Papa to set it up and build a shelter.
Better than going in the jungle and a lot better than my experience as a child in Northern Canada, having to make a midnight toilet run in minus 30 degrees. But at least there were no creepy crawlers waiting for you as there as there are here. You never know what jungle critter might care to join you.

Kristina and Mary Jane

Quiet and shy Kristina

This is Kristina, Crysle's 17 year old single mom sister. She has a daughter, Mary Jane who is almost a year old. My next focus will be to get some kind of job training for Kristina so she can support and send her daughter to school in the future.

Boys gather rattan from the jungle for the baskets.

New Family Business

This has indeed been a good year so far for Crysle and her family. A new nipa hut home, children going to school and a rattan basket weaving business that all family members contribute to.

The Man!

Edward Solon Hagedorn was elected Mayor of Puerto Princesa, one of the Philippines' largest cities, in 1992. Immediately upon taking office, he showed that he was a different breed of politician. Through his Princesa Watch Program, he stopped the destruction of the City's terrestrial and marine resources from logging, slash-and-burn farming, blast, trawl and cyanide fishing. As a result, these resources have been restored. His Operation Plan Cleanliness Programme has earned Puerto Princesa the distinction of being the country's cleanest and greenest city, and today it is considered a model city and the country's tourism capital.

El Nido

Relocating to El Nido

Having spent most of this year ( while in Palawan ) working in and around Puerto Princesa, I've recently decided to relocate up to the northern part of the island to El Nido. Hopefully we will have the kids centre up and running in 2008.

Crysle and teacher Ruby Jane

Return to Japan

Just returned to Tokyo this last week after an exhausting 5 week trip to Palawan.
Crysle and family are doing much better.

Summer travel to Palawan Project

I will once again travel to Palawan next week to see how Crysle and her family are doing. She and her brothers started school this June.

Happy, happy kids

Want a shower? Carry the water

Local cutie

Fishing guys hanging out during the hot time of the day

Piggy under the shade of his lodgings on a hot sunny day

Fishing village near El Nido

There are many scattered villages along the coast of El Nido. Here are a few photos of a one such village, its long curving beach and very photogenic locals.

El Nido

El Nido is one of the more difficult to reach new must see locations in the Philippines. It is a paradise for divers, photographers and beachcombers. El Nido covers the northernmost tip of mainland Palawan. It is composed of 45 islands and islets, each has its own unique geological formations. Like the rest of Palawan, it is part of the Eurasian Plate, a plate that is entirely separate from the Philippine Plate to which the rest of the Philippines belongs. The limestone cliffs here are similar to those that can be found in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam and Guillin in China, as well as Krabi in Thailand, all of which are part of the Eurasian Plate.

Morning in El Nido

Who needs Nintendo when you have a couple tires and a few tin cans?

Kids everywhere in The Philippines love having their photos taken

Sunset at Roxas on the way to El Nido

One of the guardians of the "Monkey Trail"

PUERTO PRINCESA SUBTERRANEAN RIVER UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

After a quite tough 2.5 hour hike over the monkey trail passing along beautiful beaches we reach the underground river and embark on an hour long breathtaking tour in a small boat. The river is reputed to be the world's longest at 8.2 km.
The site contains a full mountain-to-the-sea ecosystem and has some of the most important forests in Asia.
It was inscribed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site on December 4, 1999.

Map of Palawan

Map of The Philippines

It's about time I displayed a map of the Philippines showing the island of Palawan just above Malaysia in the lower left corner

A real cutie eagerly showing off her blue eyed kitten

A few young beach residents

An exchange of sweet bread for some cute smiles

Sabang

Sabang beach is the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.
It is about a rwo hour drive from PP over a very rough road often impassable in the rainy season. A must see spot for tourists from around the world travel first to the beach then a quite tough three hour hike to the underground river. The beach is really quite beautiful, undeveloped and has a sleepy magical feeling about it.

Simon and Jinky

It is nice for me to introduce another couple of very interesting people very dedicated to bettering the lives of the local people, farmers in their case.
Simon is from the UK and an expert in sustainable organic farming. Simon and Jinky have a foundation and they invite farmers to train in techniques that result in healthier crops and farmers learn respect for the land so that the "slash and burn" style is reduced.
I was invited to and enjoyed a very delicious lunch cooked by Jinky using only vegetables grown organically in their garden.
I hope my students will have the chance to study with them and learn to eat healthy foods and a greater respect for their environment.
Very nice people to know and I also look forward to learning how to grow healthy fruit and vegetables for my project.

Teacher Ruby Jane

We were all fortunate when Sarah became involved with our endeavors. A woman with much heart, experience and dedication to helping the less fortunate.
She welcomed Crysle and brother Agustin to a week long workshop to learn basic sign language. It gave them the chance to see how others live as well to make new friends with whom they could communicate with only by using sign. Crysle has been studying with Ruby Jane, a teacher at Sarah's foundation.
After being out of school for some time, it will take some hard work on Crysle's part to catch up to the level of her age group, but she has promised to study hard.

Crysle practices her new Sign Language with Sarah

Crysle and Agustin graduate from Sign Language workshop

Sarah's mother, teacher Cristine and children

Boys cook in their own kitchen

Sarah needs our support

This is a photo of the boys dorm at the facility. Very basic shelter, but when it rains the boys get wet. Notice the dry fields?
The facility was able to feed the students by growing fruit and veges but since the water table has dropped to such a low level and the old water pump stopped working the staff and students sometimes go hungry for a day or more especially in the summer ( now ) when rainfall seldom comes. They desperatly need to drill a deeper well and buy a new water pump to irrigate the dry fields. Cost is close to $700.00 for water pump and drilling. If anybody feels they would like to contribute to a very worthy cause can contact me directly at: palawanproject@yahoo.com
Once water is flowing to the fields again they will be able to provide enough food for all staff and students.

Sarah's school for the hearing impaired

Sarah and her good work

Here is a story of a truly wonderful woman and her husband's efforts to bring a connection to the hearing world for some hearing impaired students.
This photo was taken in El Nido, an incredibly beautiful location on Palawan. Sarah is the Director of a facility an hour outside of Puerto Princesa dedicated to teaching sign language and basic schooling to students aged from 12 to 45. Sarah is in the center of her group of students on an outing sponsored by the mayor of El Nido. A large percentage of the hearing impaired in the Philippines never learn to communicate using sign language and so are sentenced to a life in not only a silent world but a world in which they have no way at all to communicate with the hearing other than basic gestures.

Children snack on tamarind pods

My project's target is helping children get an education who otherwise would continue on the poverty path. The only way I can directly help is to provide some conditions so a few can study, then with that helping hand they can hopefully look to a brighter future. Constructing a facility for the children is my ultimate goal but while I raise the necessary funds I am providing some assistance to the family of Crysle. Merly and Agustin have agreed to send their children to school. I will at this time thank my supporters for providing some needed financial assistance. It is from their generosity that Crysle and her brothers and sisters will re-enter school. As it is said, " one small step..". So much more is needed doing but it is a start.

Merly shyly accepts food pack

Before the visit we stopped in town to stock up on some basic foodstuffs, toothbrushes, oil etc.

Blogger Robert with Kristine Joy and Jhonas in background