Having the family gathered around I asked what Crysle would like to be in the future. She replied "a teacher". So I said to the family I would like to make them all a partner with me . The deal was that I would see to it that Crysle who obviously was very smart, would go to college if she proves well in her current studies and the family must in return keep her safe from the boys so that she doesn't end up with 2 children like her sister at 17 and continue the cycle of poverty. I told them that Crysle is their asset and must be protected and after becoming a teacher their lives would improve and the younger children would then have their own chance as well. The family agreed and I told them I would sometimes provide them with jobs on the land in order to help with daily needs. They were quite happy to accept this as well. So it seems we have our first student in residence to be.

My first first student in residence to be

Having presented Crysle with a box of Japanese chocolates for guiding us , the following day she wanted to respond with a gift to me so she went hunting in the jungle and caught a wild chicken which she presented to me. After thinking over how to accept and what I would do with a live chicken I told her I was happy to accept but would she please raise it for me. You can see the smile on her face when she agreed to do so.

Crysle's 17 year old sister with newborn baby

Crysle and sister in front of their house

View of the lower half of property with the Sulu Sea inlet in the distance

Crysle's Secret Garden

Crysle, our jungle guide.

Arriving to view the property we were greeted by the property caretaker and his family. His daughter Crysle volunteered to show us around. In contrast to me being fully prepared with insect spray, strong boots, long sleeve shirt and long jeans to enter the jungle with all its unknown creepy crawlers, Crysle casually led the way wearing only pajamas and was barefoot. She was really at home pointing out which plants could be used for shampoo and as medicine for different types of sickness. She quickly showed us a flock of beautifully colored parrots as they flew overhead. I asked her through a translator to show us her favorite spot and she took us along a small stream which was full of tiny fish to a quite enchanted pool of clean, cool spring water in a clearing that was shaded by the branches of some big trees and she scooped up the water and drank, after which she told us that this was the spot the family got their drinking water. Natural spring water in these parts is considered a blessing so this property was indeed enchanted. Having asked about her schooling she replied that she didn't go to school anymore because she was bored. She would read the textbook provided by the school in a week which the teacher planned to teach for 3 months so she said she'd rather go hunting in the jungle. However later on her mother said that with even with elementary schooling provided free the family still found it too hard to come up with the money needed for notebooks and pencils. I was to learn this is not an isolated case.

12 year old "Crysle" stole my heart

Papa displaying "cooking" area

Mama and baby in "kitchen" area

Return to Tokyo

After six weeks of property hunting in The Philippines including the islands of Mindanao, Bohol and Palawan I arrived back in Tokyo last saturday to a cold wet day, having finally secured 2.3 hectares on Palawan in an area called Luzviminda about a 40 minute drive from Puerto Princesa. I'm very satisfied with the lush jungle property that has it's own cool water springs, banana, mango, tamarind, jackfruit, coconut and cashew trees.
Now the next step is to consult with architects etc. to design and construct the facility for the children.
Before I get too far ahead of myself I'd better back up and cover what got me into all this.
I first arrived in Asia in 1978. First Korea then Taiwan, HK, on to Cebu Philippines for a few years then to Tokyo where I've since lived and run a business. Finally a holiday home in Phuket Thailand in1989. Being used to tsunami warnings in earthquake prone Tokyo probably saved our lives and that of our visiting Canadian friend from the tsunami that devastated Phuket beach towns on Dec.26, 2004. We felt the sway of the earthquake and quickly moved to higher ground just in time to avoid the full surging force of tsunami that the earthquake off Indonesia produced, hitting our beach at Patong that resulted in so much death and destruction. There was no way I could continue to live in our place, sitting on the balcony while having a drink watching the sunset. Those days it seemed to me were gone. So how to come to grips with it all was a bit of an undertaking that resulted in a flash idea of " ok, I'm going to help some of the many children who lost their parents and homes in the tsunami". Well, you should have seen Phuket in the months following the tsunami. The area was awash with aid agencies along with the usual shyster types that seemed to appear out of nowhere to take advantage of the many hearts being tugged at from all around the world. The aid money flowing in was incredible at that time. So there isn't much that one more person could do that wasn't already being done so slowly making my way to Manila for Xmas 2005 I was quite shockingly reminded of the poverty in The Philippines. This is the place where I will do what I can to help improve the lives of just a very few of the children that are all over the streets in Manila and other big cities begging and being used by adults in ways that are best not discussed at this point but you get the picture. The Philippines is such a beautiful country with some of the friendliest people in the world. Always smiling despite their severe hardships has many times choked me up.
With support from Neil , my longtime UK friend now living and working as an engineer in the Phil. I decided that I would set up a home for some of these disadvantaged kids and help educate and prepare them for a life that I hope will take them from the poverty they now live in to at least be in a position to positivly contribute to the development of their beautiful but troubled country.
Where to start such an endeavor? Manila seems the likely choice with its swarms of street kids but Manila is expensive and I am not a rich man so had to look for a location with the same needs but with a cost that I can deal with.
Starting in June 2006 I started visiting areas that finally took me to the island of Palawan. It is one of the least developed islands in the 7,000 plus archipelago but strikingly beautiful with its emerald green forests and mountains and long shoreline of pristine white sand beaches. The island is largely ignored by the central gov't based in Manila so the needs are as great here as they are in other parts of the country but the prices are such that I was able to secure a 2.3 hectare property on which to set up the facility. And this brings me up to date.