PUSONG PINOY TURNOVER ATKABUYAO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 Thank you our Philippines Charter Team Leader JOCELYNE ESTOQUE and her family for driving all the way to the mountain province of Tuba, Benguet to bring donations of jackets and sweaters to the student of Kabuyao Elementary School.  Grocery items were also given to the teachers to show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication to their students.  

LITTLE LIGHTS' MESSAGE TO PUSONG PINOY

 

 

 

Little Lights shared these photos to Pusong Pinoy with this message:

"Thank you so much, Pusong Pinoy, for all the educational materials! This meant a lot to our ministry work for these children. God bless you for all that you do to help our marginalized children in the Philippines!" 

Little Lights Ministry has been a Pusong Pinoy recipient since 2010.  It planted its humble beginnings in February 2010 at Sitio Tawi-Tawi along the riverbanks of the Pasig-Cainta boundary where drug dealing, drinking sprees, gambling, and street brawls are a way of life. Out of this concern, Little Lights was born. As the ministry continued its mission, they came across out-of-school and never-schooled children, which led them to start "Learning Lessons," a progressive Montessori-type learning system for ages 2 to 15 years. Little Lights currently serves more than 1,000 underprivileged Filipino children and their love ones to have a better way of life. 

Deeply inspired and motivated by the works of Little Lights Ministry, Pusong Pinoy has been sponsoring their feeding and learning program since 2010. Click HERE to read about other PP projects for Little Lights Ministry.

PP'S 2014 FOOD DRIVE RECIPIENT-DUEG RESETTLEMENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

As Pusong Pinoy launched its 2014 FOOD FOR THOUGHT Food Drive, here's a closer look at the recipients of this project.

DUEG RESETTLEMENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, one of the recipients of our 2014 Food Drive, is located in Sitio Dueg in Barangay Maasin, San Clemente, Tarlac in the Philippines.  It is hundreds of feet above sea level and is adjacent to the mountains of Zambales.  It is the resettlement area for the Aeta community affected by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the early 90s.  There are currently over 400 settlers in the area.  

The closest school in the community is located at the foot of the mountain.   Due to the very rough terrain with steep curves, mud and rocks, the only means of transportation to get to the school is by a passenger "dump truck".  As the community grew over the years, the Department of Education (DepEd) built a school to cater to the growing population of the children in the community which is now known as the Dueg Resettlement Elementary School. 

The school is led by a very passionate principal, Mrs. Claudia Toledo. She has a pool of dedicated teachers who contribute 100 pesos a week from their meager salaries to cook porridge for the students to motivate them to attend the school.  The teachers sleep at the school during the week and only see their families on the weekends, because traveling to their homes at the foot of the mountain can only be done once a week.  There is no electricity or other form of comfort or entertainment at the school.

The Aeta children live very poor lives. Although they are used to this kind of living as passed down by older generations, it is a pity that they do not even have the comforts experienced by poor children in the lowlands. They sometimes eat only once a day.  The children sometimes come to school with a packed lunch of rice and siling labuyo (wild chili) or ginger. These children do not even know how some food items taste. It is no surprise that many of them are considered malnourished by the DepEd.  Ultimately, children who come to school hungry or are chronically hungry will not perform well in school. 

For our 2014 Food Drive, we are asking donations towards the purchase of  RICE and POWDERED MILK.  The Aeta children rarely drink milk.  It is a rare luxury in the community.  On March 22, 2014, Pusong Pinoy will once again go to the community to bring food items from this food drive and pairs of slippers from our Project Tsinelas.  A feeding event is also planned during the turnover. 

If you would like to be a part of our 2014 Food Drive, please email us at info@pusongpinoy.org.  To make a donation, please click on the Donate button below. Thanks in advance! 

DONATE ONLINE 

Click on the links below to read more about this community:

BOOKS & TREATS FOR DUEG ELEM SCHOOL (NOV 2013)

AETA COMMUNITY RECEIVES LOVE FROM PP (DEC 2012)

PUSONG PINOY VISITED "SHIP" CHILDREN'S RECOVERY UNIT

**FACES OF THE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN BLURRED TO PROTECT THEIR IDENTITY**

 

Pusong Pinoy sails off to visit SHIP!
 

On November 4, 2013, Pusong Pinoy team and volunteers visited SAFE HARBOR INTERNATIONAL PHILIPPINES (SHIP) Foundation, a non-profit children’s home located in Baguio City.  It is DSWD-accredited orphanage and recovery facility for severely-ill children.  SHIP cares for neglected, abused, abandoned, and orphaned children.  During this visit, there were 30 children living at the home - orphans, infants, and young children suffering from leukemia, lupus, intestinal hernia, congenital heart disease and other medical conditions.

 

Pusong Pinoy brought groceries, multivitamins, school supplies, arts & craft materials and storybooks.  The children were also treated with a special meal of cake, spaghetti, hotdog, juice, and pizza.  The children were ecstatic!  It was indeed a party, as the little angels ran around, laughed and played with the volunteers. The school supplies, arts & crafts materials and storybooks are invaluable resources which will enable the kids to enhance their reading and creative skills.

MARISSA DE LA PENA, SHIP Baguio Coordinator, is doing a terrific job of ensuring that the children are provided with physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual nourishment that they need. Neglected infants who arrived at the home are now happily thriving and some have started attending school.  On the other hand, the sick children, although not orphaned, stay in the home to receive the proper monitoring and medical attention which their parents cannot provide due to lack of resources and/or they live very far in the Cordillera.

Pusong Pinoy extends its heartfelt gratitude to our HEROES for their contributions to SHIP as follows:

 PP Scotland Team Leader DOUGLAS INNESS & JEAN INNESS

• 2 pax Anchor Fortified Full Cream Milk 700 gms
• 2 liters Bimoli cooking oil
• 3 dozens Tang litro pack powdered juice
• 3 pax Quaker quick-cooking oats 1200 gms
• 3 kgs white sugar
• 6 pax Komeya pancit bihon noodles
• 3 pax Milo chocolate drink 600 gms
• 4 kgs Clara Ole spaghetti sauce
• 4 kgs Sunshine spaghetti noodles
• 1 pax Sunshine spaghetti noodles 450 gms
• 4 kgs Sunshine elbow macaroni
• 4 pax Frito Crunch chicken breading
• 6 pax Bear Brand chocolate powder sachets
• 3 bottles Papa ketchup
• 1 pax iodized salt 500 gms
• 2 pax EQ diapers medium 24s
• 1 pax Huggies diapers medium 80s
• 1 pax Huggies diapers large 68s
• 1 pax Huggies diapers x-large 56s
• 2 tubes Unique toothpaste 150 ml
• 2 kgs Pride Antibacterial detergent
• 1 kg Pride regular detergent
• 5 sets colored pencils
• 1 ream short bond paper
• 5 sets construction paper
• 15 sets colored paper
• 5 pairs crazy cut scissors
• 2 sharpeners
• 7 sets crayons
• 4 boxes glass window art sets
• 9 coloring/activity books
• 3 pcs erasers
• 2 pcs water color kits
• 6 pcs clear glue

 PP Baguio Team Leader MAJOY LUMIWES
• 37 pcs pencils
• 4 pcs glitter pens
• 6 pcs party shades
• 1 set art paint
• 2 sets pastel colors
• 4 pcs paper binoculars
• 2 sets modelling clay
• 25 pairs warmers

 KARINA DELA PENA
• 138 storybooks

 CAB ONE FOODS
• 1 rectangular cake
• 45 pax spaghetti
• 45 pax hotdog in buns
• Orange juice

 PAULA RIVA
• 4 boxes pizza

 ANDRES DUCUSIN
• 59 multivitamins

 

Thank you to all the HEROES for making this possible! ♥

BOOKS & TREATS FOR DUEG RESETTLEMENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Books, treats and meals - are what dreams are made of, for the 200 Aeta students of Dueg Resettlement Elementary School, in Barangay Maasin, San Clemente, Tarlac.

On November 2, 2013, Pusong Pinoy team from the Philippines and Scotland traveled over rough terrain to feed the children pansit (rice noodles), sandwiches and juice. They also brought 500 books, and instructional materials.  Food items were also donated which will complement the school's Feeding Program conducted by the teachers once a week.  With the donated food items, the teachers will be able to provide breakfast/snacks to the children twice a week.

A million thanks to the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army for transporting the PP Team, volunteers, and donated items to the community.  Special thanks to our PP Team - TL DOUGLASS INESS, CTL NINGNING DOBLE, TL JENNY OLIVA, TL MAJOY TOYAOAN LUMIWES, TL JOANNE SUYAM and to all the volunteers who joined them on this trip!.

Lastly, our deepest gratitude goes to all of the HEROES who made this possible!

WEEKLY FEEDING PROGRAM

1 sack 50 kg rice

1 sack 25 kg rice

20 packs bihon noodles

3 pails of Rebisco biscuits

6 packs Ovaltine 840 gms

3 kgs white sugar

10 packs Sunday powdered juice

10 kgs Sunshine spaghetti noodles

10 kgs UFC spaghetti sauce

10 kgs Sunshine elbow macaroni

20 cans evaporated milk 310 ml

12 packs Alaska powdered milk 700 gms

1 gallon soy sauce

2 gallons Spring cooking oil

8 packs marshmallows

READING PROGRAM & INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

501 Story books

Radio/CD Player (Brand New)

 6 pcs C batteries

50 library cards

120 pcs book pockets

20 packs geometry tools

52 6-inch wooden rulers

5 binder folders

1 ream binder filler paper

1 set Brain Quest activity cards

1 protractor

1 set story strips

1 set playmat

19assorted toys

31 pcs assorted children’s clothes

  

For more information about Pusong Pinoy, please visit our website at www.pusongpinoy.org.  To make a donation, please click on the Donate button below. Thanks in advance! 

DONATE ONLINE 

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Click HERE to read more about Dueg Resettlement Elem. School.

PUSONG PINOY FOOD DRIVE 2013

Pusong Pinoy believes that good nutrition is important for good learning, so we have now officially launched our semi-annual FOOD DRIVE benefitting the kids of DAMASCUS FOUNDATION and LITTLE LIGHTS MINISTRY. Get ready to HAVE FUN while making a positive impact on the lives of disadvantaged kids in the Philippines.  Thanks in advance!

DONATE ONLINE 

 * Any amount is greatly appreciated *

 For more information about this project, please email us at

info@pusongpinoy.org

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Deeply inspired and motivated by the works of Damascus Foundation and Little Lights Ministry, Pusong Pinoy took on this food drive project to help these organizations continue their mission which is in line with ours - to promote literacy to eradicate poverty.

ABOUT DAMASCUS FOUNDATION

Damascus Foundation (DF) is a non-stock, non-profit foundation located in Dona Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan in the Philippines. It is a home for drug dependents, street children, and individuals with behavioral problems. It caters mostly to charity cases; youth who have been victimized by the drug menace in our country. Its holistic approach to rehabilitation aims to give hope and provide opportunities for a normal and functional life, providing these kids with physical, mental, and spiritual development.  Apart from its rehabilitation center, DF also runs a preschool, Damascus Learning Center (DLC).  A lot of children in far-away barrios of their town do not have the access to preschool or kindergarten education. Most of their parents cannot afford to send them to school because of financial difficulties. For this reason, Damascus opened DLC for the children of indigent families of the town.  Its mission is to nurture back to health and educate undernourished children in its town and provide livelihood opportunities to their parents. 

ABOUT LITTLE LIGHTS

Little Lights Ministry, as part of Kerygma Asia, planted its humble beginnings in February 2010, at Sitio Tawi-Tawi along the riverbanks of the Pasig-Cainta boundary where drug dealing, drinking sprees, gambling, and street brawls are a way of life. Out of this concern, Little Lights was born. As the ministry continued its mission, they came across out-of-school and never-schooled children, which led them to start "Learning Lessons," a progressive Montessori-type learning system for ages 2 to 15 years.

  

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LITTLE LIGHTS MINISTRY
10 SACKS OF RICE (Php14,500php; $353.66)
5 KILOS KNORR SEASONING (Php1,475; $35.98)
10 PACKS OVALTINE (840g) (Php1,600php; $39.02)
30 PACKS SUNDAY JUICE (powder 400g) (Php1,440; $35.12)
72 KILOS EQUAL SUGAR (Php3,456; $82.29)
40 PACKS SPAGHETTI SAUCE (1Kg) (Php2720; $66.34)
3 GALLONS COOKING OIL (Php873; $21.29)
50 CANS EVAPORATED MILK (370ml)(Php1,150; $28.05)
2 SACKS OF STICKY RICE (Php5,300; $129.27)
40 KGS. SUNSHINE SPAGHETTI (1kg) ($2,160; $52.68)
40 KGS. SUNSHINE ELBOW MACARONI (1Kg) (Php2,760; $67.32)
50 PAILS REBISCO BISCUITS (3Kg) (Php1,1250; $274.39)
50 PACKS BIHON (500g) (Php1,350php; $32.93)
TOTAL AMOUNT: P50,034; $1,220

DAMASCUS FOUNDATION
10 SACKS RICE (P1,4500; $353.66)
20 PAILS REBISCO BISCUITS (3Kg) (P4,500; $109.76usd)
7 GALLONS SPRING COOKING OIL (P2,037php; $49.68)
25 KGS. SUNSHINE ELBOW MACARONI (1Kg) (P1,725; $52.07)
15 PACKS ALASKA POWDERED MILK (700g) (P2,760; $67.32)
25 KGS. EQUAL SUGAR (Php1200; $29.27)
25 PACKS UFC SPAGHETTI SAUCE (1Kg) (Php1,700; $41.46)
15 PACKS OVALTINE (840g) (Php2,400; $58.54)
50 CANS CDO CORNED BEEF (260g) (Php8,350; $203.66)
250 PACKS PAYLESS RAMEN NOODLES (Php2,250php; 54.88usd)
100 CANS 555 SARDINES (425g) (Php3,400; $82.93)
25 KGS. SUNSHINE SPAGHETTI (Php1,350php; $32.93) 5
50 CANS LUNCHEON MEAT (Php2,250; $54.88)
TOTAL AMOUNT: P48,422; $1,181

AN AETA COMMUNITY IN TARLAC RECEIVES LOVE FROM PUSONG PINOY

PHOTO CREDIT: PAUL RANDEE KIMAYONG (TEAM INJURY)

Pusong Pinoy believes that no child should be left behind and advocates literacy for every child. It takes a clear stand, when it comes to its support for the Millennium Development Goal 2 (MDG 2) which states the universal importance of primary education. It strongly supports the international initiative, launched in 1990 in Thailand, on Education for All, by making an effort to reach remote communities which have children of indigenous origin.

The Aeta community in Sitio Dueg, Maasin, San Clemente in Tarlac, is one of the many resettlement areas created by the Philippine government to accommodate the Aeta tribes which were left homeless after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. The people have lived in the mountains of Sitio Dueg since then. Dueg Resettlement Elementary School was built to cater to the education of the Aeta children in the community.

On December 15, 2012, as part of Pusong Pinoy’s Christmas project, Pamasko ng Pusong Pinoy 4, Pusong Pinoy Pasig Team Leader JENNY OLIVA, together with volunteers from TEAM INJURY, a Manila-based mountaineering group, turned over 500 storybooks and 198 pairs of slippers to the teachers and school children of this community.

To reach the site, the group traveled three hours from Manila to the San Clemente Municipal Hall and another one and a half hours in a dump truck to the eastern slope of Zambales mountain which is a part of Maasin, San Clemente. The teachers either walk for hours or ride the same dump truck to the school every Monday. These teachers also contribute a portion of their meager salary to provide a feeding program for the pupils. Apparently, many of the children come to school hungry and weak.

Team Injury, likewise, prepared gift packages for the teachers and children. The teachers received packs of manila paper, 8 boxes of chalk, 3 dozen permanent markers and 1 Webster’s Dictionary. The children, on the other hand, received the following: 250 apples and 189 gift packs containing school supplies (pad paper, pencils, sharpener, eraser, crayons, pens, pencil case, ruler); toiletries (face towel, toothbrush, shampoo, toothpaste, bath soap); and snack items (juice, cupcake, chocolates).

To the Dueg Resettlement Elementary School principal, teachers and pupils, it was a Christmas day on December 15!
Thank you to all the HEROES who supported this activity! Special thanks to USA Newport Beach Team Leader CARL BERNARDO for donating 198 pairs of slippers and to TEAM INJURY for all the Christmas surprises provided to the kids.  You have brought tears of joy and wide smiles on their faces!

PUSONG PINOY'S FOOD DRIVE 2012"FOOD FOR THOUGHT"

Are you ready to have fun and make a difference? With great excitement, Pusong Pinoy launches its 2012 Food Drive project, "FOOD FOR THOUGHT", to benefit the children of Damascus Foundation in Bulacan and Little Lights Ministry in Pasig.

To make it more exciting, we have a month to complete our list of food items. Pusong Pinoy's Team Scotland will head this project but everyone will be pitching in to help out.

Be a part of this exciting project!  If you wish to make a donation, please click on the button below:   

You can also send a check to:

PUSONG PINOY

3233 Grand Avenue Suite # N-521

Chino Hills, CA 91709

For remittance to the Philippines, please send us an email to:

pusongpinoyorg@gmail.com 

UNLEASH THAT LIGHT WITHIN YOU HEROES & SUPERHEROES!

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Below is a list of the food items that Little Lights & Damascus requested:

LITTLE LIGHTS MINISTRY
10 SACKS OF RICE - P1,600 / $39.02 per sack
2 SACKS OF STICKY RICE - P2,200 / $53.66 per sack
40 KGS. SUNSHINE SPAGHETTI - P60 / $1.46 per kg
40 KGS. SUNSHINE ELBOW MACARONI (1Kg) - P70 / $1.71 per kg
50 PAILS REBISCO BISCUITS (3Kg) - P235 / $5.73 per pail
50 PACKS BIHON (500g) - P32 / $0.78 per pack
20 PACKS UFC SPAGHETTI SAUCE (1Kg) - P65 / $1.59 per pack
10 PACKS PREME COCOA (500g) - P80 / $1.95 per pack
10 PACKS OVALTINE (840g) - P165 / $4.02 per pack
50 KGS. EQUAL SUGAR - P50 / $1.22 per kg
50 PACKS CARNATION MILK (370ml) - P25 / $0.61 per pack
3 GALLONS SPRING COOKING OIL - P327 / $7.98 per gallon
5 KGS. KNORR SEASONING - P285 / $6.95 per kg
30 PACKS SUNDAY JUICE (powder 400g) - P55 / $1.34 per pack

GRAND TOTAL: P50,506 / $1,231.85*

Click HERE to read about other Pusong Pinoy projects for Little Lights Ministry.

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DAMASCUS FOUNDATION
20 PAILS REBISCO BISCUITS (3Kg) - P235 / $5.73 per pail
15 CANS OVALTINE CHOC POWDERED MILK (840g) - P165/$4.02 @can
7 GALLONS SPRING COOKING OIL - P327 / $7.98 per gallon
50 CANS CDO CORNED BEEF (260g) - P40 / $0.98 per can
50 CANS LIBERTY LUNCHEON MEAT (426g) - P45 / $1.10 per can
25 KGS. SUNSHINE ELBOW MACARONI (1Kg) - P70 / $1.71 per kg
50 BOTTLES HUGS MULTIVITAMINS (250ml) - P122 / $2.98 per bottle
15 PACKS ALASKA POWDERED MILK (700g) - P190 / $4.63 per pack
200 PACKS PAYLESS RAMEN NOODLES - P9 / $0.22 per pack
10 SACKS RICE - P 1,600 / $39.02 per sack
100 CANS 555 SARDINES (425g) - P33 / $0.60 per can
25 KGS. SUNSHINE SPAGHETTI - P60 / $1.46 per kg
25 PACKS UFC SPAGHETTI SAUCE (1Kg) - P65 / $1.59 per pack
25 KGS. EQUAL SUGAR - P50 / $1.22 per kg

GRAND TOTAL: P49,910 / $1,217.32*

Click HERE to read about other Pusong Pinoy projects for Damascus Foundation.

For questions or more information about this project, please email pusongpinoyorg@gmail.com or to PP Scotland TL DOUGLAS INNESS at douglasinness123@btinternet.com.

*The dollar to peso conversion for this project is $1 = P41

PROJECT LITTLE BITES FOR LITTLE LIGHTS II

Once again, Pusong Pinoy had a food drive benefiting the children of Little Lights Ministry - "LITTLE BITES FOR LITTLE LIGHTS II".  Part of the donation received from ICONS was used to purchase food items for this project. We are truly grateful to all the ICONS heroes for making this possible!

On April 15, 2011, our Philippines Team Leaders SUSAN CHUA, BENG DIZON, and LANCE BUCOY turned over the following food items to Pastor JOSEPH and JEANETTE CASAJE of Little Lights Ministry:

5 sacks RICE

30 kilos RICE NOODLES (Bihon)

20 kilos BEANS (Munggo)

2 sacks STICKY RICE

50 cans EVAPORATED MILK

40 kilos SPAGHETTI

40 kilos MACARONI

50 pkgs POWDERED JUICE DRINK

50 packs COCOA POWDER

25 kilos SUGAR

35 pails of BISCUIT

25 kilos OVALTINE

25 packs POWDERED MILK

25 kilos TOMATO SAUCE

50 sachets TOMATO PASTE

2 kilos KNORR CHICKEN SEASONING

2 kilos KNORR BEEF SEASONING

TOTAL CASH VALUE: PHP50,680

Little Lights Ministry, as part of Kerygma Asia, planted its humble beginnings in February 2010, at Sitio Tawi-Tawi along the riverbanks of the Pasig-Cainta boundary where drug dealing, drinking sprees, gambling, and street brawls are a way of life. Out of this concern, Little Lights was born. As the ministry continued its mission, they came across out-of-school and never-schooled children, which led them to start "Learning Lessons," a progressive Montessori-type learning system for ages 2 to 15 years. Deeply inspired and motivated by the works of Little Lights Ministry, Pusong Pinoy took on this project to help them continue their mission which is in line with ours - to promote literacy to eradicate poverty.  Click HERE to read about other PP projects for Little Lights Ministry. 

PROJECT LEND A HAND - IN THE EYES OF PUSONG PINOY HERO DOUGLAS INNESS

Project “Lend a Hand” touched the lives of 100 preschool children at the Day Care Center at Ulingan, Brgy. Vitas in Tondo, Manila. Pusong Pinoy Team Leaders worked in partnership with Flickr-based photographers, Photokalye, led by Peegee Silo. Volunteers trudged through mud and trash to deliver essentials to the small day care center in the “ulingan” or charcoal-making area along the coast of Manila Bay in Tondo.

Children entertained volunteers by singing songs taught to them by DSWD social worker, Teacher Jemima. After this, the bags containing rice, groceries, school supplies, and snacks donated by PP donors from around the world were distributed by PK and PP members and parent and community volunteers.

As we approached the site, through a chaos of tricycles, people and a blur of colour, the pungent smell of decomposing waste slowly invaded our car. On such a hot, humid day, the smell intensified, as we steered through puddles along a heavily-rutted track. Rubbish and mysteriously-bundled plastic waste lined the road. People wore camouflage – blending with the same tired, jaded colours as the rubbish around them. A palette of tired brown. The brightest sparkle came from their shaded, quizzical eyes.

Bright blue bags of food and the gleaming delivery 4x4 truck, dazzled in the light. Clean, fresh, new. Eager helpers unloaded the heavy bags- two each. A comic balancing act of bags, cameras, scarves and umbrellas ensued, as small, dark figures climbed tentatively up a mountain of compacted waste. The surface of decomposing plastic was strangely spongy- like walking on a water bed of bubble wrap. A man-made, no-man’s land. Feet were placed carefully, gingerly. Occasionally, oozings of mud, seeping fluids and excrement had to be negotiated, as feet slid in unpredictable directions.

In the distance, machines gouged out chunks of decomposed waste. A welcome breeze blew over this alien landscape, teasing our nostrils with the pervading smell of wood smoke.

This was Ulingan...

Slithering down a slope, we reached the shanty. Random boards, planks, sheeting had been persuaded to reluctantly become ramshackle buildings. Dust and soot covers everything in a tired grey blanket. A monochrome world. Dark water laced with rubbish lapped spindly foundations. Narrow alleys between houses led off to piles of rubbish. People gazed unblinkingly from the cool security of shadows and doorways. Distorted strains of music could be heard. A welcome drink of just-too-warm fizz failed to quench thirsts – the straws of different lengths, the colours faded.

One side of the track was in hot shadow: the other in bright, blinding heat. Heavy blue bags now cut raw grooves into hands. Trickles of sweat run. A crowd ahead, under a bright Pusong Pinoy banner, clustered round the day care center. Volunteers stumbled through the throng, over piles of sandals, teetering up a steep ladder, into a small, softly-lit room. A small library, torn posters – an attempt at cheeriness. The teacher accepted coloured pencils, eager to bring more colour to this grey world.

Wide eyes gaze up at the visitors, in patience and expectation. Fresh faces, runny noses – some in crisp white, others in faded colours. Adidas, Polo, Juicy – imitation designer brands: incongruous. An electric fan in the ceiling struggles to stir the heat, as we taste our sweat and feel overwhelmed. We feel as if we want to give everything.

Chocolate cup cakes and orange juice treats are enjoyed. Eyes widen. Smiles at last. The tension broken. The children come to life – smiles, laughter, tears. Just children. The blue and white bags are distributed and a pair of slippers and a toothbrush added. An orderly queue: eager hands. Some stay, some leave, with anxious adults waiting outside. We climb down the steep wooden steps – back to the street. Now, volunteers are more relaxed, the task accomplished – a difference made. A few moments of giving – the result of weeks of planning, donating and organizing.

As we re-trace our steps, children wash and clean using new soap and toothbrushes.

The charcoal-making site is on the return route. Ramshackle carbon-black sheds look as if they’ve been blitzed – a fragile chaos of charred wood. Fumes intensify, toxic smoke chokes your throat, invades you. Everything is seen soft-focus through a haze of grey. Dark ghosts in the smoke, burning wood, packing, silently. The cleanest things in Ulingan are the neat, white bags of charcoal. Converting waste into money - it’s a big price to pay.

Further on, we pass homes made from a confetti of rubbish. Inside one heap a peaceful sleeping face can be seen, swathed in a cocoon of waste.

After a cooler warm drink, we returned to Manila. Trying to comprehend, rationalize, understand. The pervading influence of wood smoke and Ulingan was on our clothes for days and will remain in our minds forever…

Douglas Inness is from Ayrshire, Scotland. He was the Head of English in a secondary school. Now, he devotes his time to his passion - photography. Pusong Pinoy extends our utmost gratitude to Douglas for joining the team and significantly contributing to the project efforts to provide a variety of goods for the kids of Ulingan. We would also like to thank his wife, Jean Inness, for celebrating her birthday during this event.

Click HERE for more information about PROJECT LEND A HAND.

PUSONG PINOY SHINES ANOTHER LIGHT

Last month, Pusong Pinoy launched a major project - LITTLE BITES FOR LITTLE LIGHTS. We collected food items and books for the benefit of the children of Little Lights Ministry. Thanks to our wonderful heroes, we completed this project in only five days!

Little Lights Ministry, as part of Kerygma Asia, planted its humble beginnings in February 2010, at Sitio Tawi-Tawi along the riverbanks of the Pasig-Cainta boundary where drug dealing, drinking sprees, gambling, and street brawls are a way of life. Out of this concern, Little Lights was born. As the ministry continued its mission, they came across out-of-school and never-schooled children, which led them to start "Learning Lessons," a progressive Montessori-type learning system for ages 2 to 15 years. Deeply inspired and motivated by the works of Little Lights Ministry, Pusong Pinoy took on this project to help them continue their mission which is in line with ours - to promote literacy to eradicate poverty.

On September 25, 2010, our Philippines Core Team Leaders SUSAN CHUA and VANGIE CRUZ REYES gave the following donated items to Little Lights Ministry:

2 SACKS of STICKY RICE
50 CANS of EVAPORATED MILK
30 KILOS OF SPAGHETTI
50 PACKS OF POWDERED JUICE DRINK
25 PACKS OF COCOA POWDER
5 SACKS OF RICE/50 KILOS PER SACK
25 KILOS OF SUGAR
30 KILOS OF ELBOW MACARONI
50 LARGE PAILS OF BISCUIT
500 CHILDREN'S BOOKS
200 NOTEBOOKS
412 PENCILS

The next day, the rest of the Philippines Core Team (CTL Leader JOCEL ESTOQUE, TL BENG DIZON, and TL CLAUDETTE LAGMAN) visited the children of Little Lights Ministry and distributed children's books. The children also enjoyed delicious snacks from donations of this project - biscuits and champorado (chocolate porridge). Our thanks go to Pastor JOSEPH CASAJE and his ministry for their dedication to these kids. Once again, thanks to all our wonderful heroes for making this project a success!