We were so fortunate to again receive the blessings from our sponsors in Singapore when 9 Volunteers visited us on June 5 for our 2nd Annual donation of school supplies for our “Back to School” program. The Volunteers raised funds from their colleagues in Natwest Markets Singapore and also collected baby clothes and useful items to bring to the school for needy families in Barangay Obo. They were also joined by some ex-RBS colleagues and family members who wanted to be involved in supporting our school.

The Volunteers had a busy schedule purchasing supplies downtown after learning more about Cebu on their City Sightseeing Heritage Trail. They also enjoyed a Day Tour to the Oslob Whaleshark Encounter followed by swimming and bamboo raft ride at Kawasan Falls. This was a great introduction to Cebuano culture & hospitality and showcased the natural beauty of our island.

We are very thankful to the members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from Dalaguete who watched over our Volunteers during their visit.

Unfortunately we had heavy rain for most of the morning so we had to postpone our Welcome Program to the afternoon. Instead the Volunteers delivered supplies directly into some of the classrooms. They spent time in the morning with Kindergarten and Grade 1 where they distributed new school uniforms and raincoats to the children. As we enter the rainy season these raincoats will be really useful for travelling to and from school each day.

After lunch the rain cleared and we continued with the distribution of school supplies to students from Grade I to Grade VI.

The Volunteers also brought children’s and baby clothing for distribution to the needy families.

We have been expanding our network with sponsors and supporters and we were delighted to be able to organise our first Dental mission this year. Doc Ann and Doc Daniel gave us their time to check all the children’s teeth. This is the first time some of the children have had a check up as they lack access to basic dental treatment. An intervention such as this is really important to deal with tooth decay, provide fillings and extractions to enable permanent teeth to grow straight. We will be organising a follow up visit to provide a fluoride treatment for the children and necessary repair work.

Our other focus on health was the launch of Multi-Vitamin supplements for Kindergarten and Grade I to provide a boost to their nutrition requirements. Most often the children do not have a balanced diet which can stunt their growth and leave them behind the target weight and height as compared with their peer group. We hope this intervention will help boost their growth, strength and concentration. They children will receive 5ml daily for the next 6months as we track them. A very big thank you to our young Volunteers Shida and Ryan for administering the first round for the children.

 

Finally we must say a big thanks to our hard working teachers for their daily dedication to the development of our happy smiling students from Barangay Obo. Salamat kaayo sa tanan!

Check out the video highlights here…