*************PROJECT END DATE*************
At the time of this writing it appears as though we will wrap Project Santo Domingo the last full week of April. We have agreed to help the Scandinavian Childrens Mission (SCM) with rebuilding schools in Santo Domingo. SCM is in the process of evaluating whether they can target 4 or 5 schools for rehabilitation. Our exit will hinge on their decision on the number of schools to be rebuilt.
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Santa Misericordia Elementary School
Our very first project in conjunction with Scandinavian Children’s Mission (SCM) has been completed! It was so much fun to take a devastated school and make it almost new for the children and families of barangay Santa Misericordia. Our volunteer work included roofing, interior walls and ceilings, electrical, windows, doors, and painting (expanding the skill sets!). In total, 7 rooms were rehabilitated. Each day 6-12 volunteers worked on site, enjoying the students’ company and eating wonderful food prepared by the teachers and community members. The learning that took place (by our volunteers!) will enable us to be better suited for the continuation of our relationship with SCM
Lidong Elementary School
Our second project with Scandinavian Children’s Mission has started as well! This school had not been touched since Super Typhoon Reming struck Novemeber 30 and it was disconcerting to walk amongst the lahar and learning materials scattered on the classroom floor. Undaunted, we spent two days shoveling the inside and cleaning up the outside of the elementary school with the help of many local residents. Currently the roof has already been replaced and the interior walls are going up! It won’t be long before we turn over another school!
Tarping
Holy carabao! Our latest tally shows that we have provided dry space for almost 150 families!! Thanks to all of the volunteers, I am happy to announce that we have completed all of the work orders for tarping in barangay San Isidro. Nice work, team.
Alimsog (Aaaaahlimsog)
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the end of the Alimsog safari. What started as 3 day rotations by the volunteers into an isolated barangay to build fishing bancas and rehabilitate a school turned into a love fest. The volunteers loved the remoteness and warmth of the community, and of course the interaction with the children. The community, in turn, loved the hardworking fun-loving volunteers who dedicated themselves to helping. The memory of our volunteer presence and their efforts will far outlast the tangible aspects of the projects and I know all of us will have a special place in their heart for Alimsog (sigh).
Baleti Daycare Center
If you look back to some of the first photos posted, you will find one of a collapsed daycare. It was made of native sawaali siding between posts supporting an anahau roof. Well, we rebuilt that building, better! Now a block building with a GI roof covers a cement floor for the preschoolers of Baleti. Our builder Jun, working with our volunteers and members of the community took great pride in the construction process to complete the sturdy new building. What a beautiful change for the better.
Sitio Kawayan: 1000 Coconut Seedlings and 1 Chapel
The most recent safari was not to Alimsog, but to Kawayan where the coconut trees were devastated. This is a very small farming sitio in barangay Calayucay, accessible by an arduous drive, risky motorbike ride, or exhausting hike. Lucky for us we had the help of local volunteers Noel and Chat Estillomo (owners of Costa Palmera Resort) to guide us throughout the project. The volunteers camped at the Estillomo farm while working to distribute and plant coconut seedlings to the surrounding neighbors. Imagine slogging through muddy rice paddies, as well as up and down hills carrying 10+ coconut seedlings strapped to a pole! We also helped the residents rebuild their chapel/community center which was destroyed in Typhoon Milenyo, prior to Reming. The residents were at a loss for words to express their gratitude to our group of volunteers that had come so far to find and help them.
Sweepstakes
Our home barangay elementary school, Sweepstakes, is almost completely renovated. A loyal group of volunteers have worked diligently to make the school better than its pre-typhoon state. From additional GI roofing, ceilings, windows, and electrical work to painting the buildings’ exteriors, the work rolls on. Our final project is the renovation of the former library/physical education space which was in a state of disrepair even prior to the typhoon. When we finish all of the rooms will, again, be usable by the San Isidro students.
Village Photo Project and Kid Snaps
With as handsome a crowd as we have here, we can’t help but keep taking pictures, printing, and distributing them! The most recent batch went to the residents of Alimsog, keepsakes for families without photo histories. In an interesting twist on the photo project we are now giving one-time-use cameras to some of the children and letting them take the pictures! We develop the film and eagerly wait to see what they have given us, then the volunteers gather around the photos, much the same way the residents and children do! We certainly have found some interesting perspectives and have posted some of the kids’ photos on our flickr site.
Thanksgiving
No, not the American holiday, but what the residents of the affected communities call their celebrations in our honor. The volunteers attended a thanksgiving in Alimsog that included singing, dancing, speeches, and yummy food. Then the teachers of the Santa Misericordia school took all of us to a water park (something like you can imagine, but also hit hard by lahar flows that destroyed the basketball and tennis court…….. and isolated the pirate ship ??) Bottom line is the Filippinos are very happy to have us and are very willing to show that gratitude. We have a busy schedule of celebrations lined up for the next few weeks!
Power
For those of you interested: the power went off 30 November, 2006 during typhoon Remng. The power returned to our volunteer center on 10 March, 2007.
Last, but certainly not least, a thanksgiving note to Mr. Monsef, my colleague. Darius arrived here in late February to give me two weeks of R&R and did a masterful job of running the operation during my absence. Thank you, and I do respect the mustache.
Marc Young
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
Project Santo Domingo
