Us

The sun here is brutal, it doesn't take long to turn 

3 shades darker and 3 shades redder.

For Lauren's birthday our friend Jess made this Texan boarder out of magazines.

Labor is Honor

By Alan Willis

World Vision sponsored welding classes for youth interested in 

building skills for better jobs.

 Of all the classes I have been involved with here, this is the first time all students were in their desks before class started. 

Sir Baduya demonstrates how to tap weld

Some mornings 

you've got to run like an antelope out of control

Lek-Lek's Birthday in Manjuyod (Mon-hoo-yod)

Different island, different fishing boat setups

Lauren and I traveled to the neighboring island of Negros to celebrate the birthday of our dear friend and fellow volunteer Alessandra, aka Lek-Lek. We spent the afternoon on a stilted house in the middle of a crystal clear sandbar which is part of her LGU's tourism projects.

Even though this is our neighboring island it took a quick 12 hours to get there.  In order - 1 bus, 2 tricycles, 1 ferry, 1 tricycle, 1 taxi and 2 more buses.  Whats surprising however is this cost us around $12 per person for all of these modes of transportation.

This woman, this specimen of posture, has the stance down perfect for Filipino sweeping which has it's origins in Spanish bullfighting.

Negros is known as the sugar cane capital of the Philippines 

The plantations here are grander on scale than anything we have on our island, it's a beautiful site.  With this beauty however brings to mind the brutal truth of child labor.  It is a strange feeling to be aware of the social problems that lie in the background.

The coast line where we were visiting was breath taking.  We took a boat out to a sand bar area where nipa huts had been built on stilts. The water was crystal clear, when the tide was at a low point it was just waist deep and as the afternoon past the tide came in but we were all able to still stand comfortably. 

Meg, Jack, and Lek-Lek making the jump.

It was a wonderful day full of laughter with other volunteers, beautiful weather during the rainy season and a sense of pure serenity from our surroundings.  It's moments like these that help us get through the lows.

After another wonderful evening with friends it was time to take the trip back. Planes trains and automobiles, better have my donuts.

It's Christmas Time in Philip-pines, Nanay's cooking' Adobo and Swamp-cabbage greens

It's almost September so that means it's time to decorate the tree. There really are only two seasons in the Philippines; rainy season and Christmas.

Banate Bay Boat Launching Ceremony

No prefabrication happening here

The Provincial government donated materials for the fisherfolk to build boats in our community after typhoon Yolanda hit last year. Having just been finished, the official launching was held recently for two different municipalities along our bay. 

These included Anilao (where Lauren works) and Barotac Nuevo (the neighboring municipality).  Some of these boats are larger than others and some have motors and some don't. What's amazing is all of these were hand made by the fisherfolk. It is an art form that is still very much alive within the communities. 

Livelihoods & Policy Writeshop

Youth livelihood training in the neighboring municipality

World Vision Production of Child's Rights Policy Writing Workshop

I work with the non-governmental organization World Vision. The mission we are working on here in the Visayas is to fight against child labor, especially here in the sugarcane planting region where we live. Not only are there local sugarcane producers here, but large plantations of sugarcane owned by one family which promote an environment in which families are forced to have their children join them in the field. This is the only way some families can produce enough yield to earn enough money to live off.  

This two day event was designed to teach local partners in the communities we work in how to create and write local ordinances covering children, their rights to education, and freedom from being subjected to labor.

Intrupahan Beach Trip 2

The most beautiful places in the Philippines can be located just around the corner. 

Our nearest swimmable waters are a mere 1 hour away, but are technically still part of our municipality. It is a beautiful walk through a series of 8 different coastal communities.

When the tide is out there is a small sand beach, covered in seashells and rocks that have been smoothed from the continuous current.  The nipa huts (indigenous habitat) provide a shady escape from the sun while the numerous coconut trees provide a perfect snack. Everyone, even the local dogs, love the coconut!!!