Philippines

Location Talisay, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines http://www.bacolodcity.gov.ph/ The Welcome Home lies in between Talisay and Bacolod City. Bacolod City is the main city of Negros Occidental, an island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Known as the City of Smiles, it holds a festival called MassKara every year - originally organised to relieve an economic depression for the area in 1981. The Welcome Home houses, at the time of our trip, seven families. The adults of which are deaf mutes. The purpose behind the home is to bring people out of the slums and into a place where they can develop their own livelihoods. Objectives To install lights at the Welcome Home Village for the Deaf, Talisay. Installation included the school building and twenty-five homes. Outcome Welcome Home Village, Talisay School building complete; seven homes completed; lights installed to the main meeting gazebo area. Peace Village, Sagay Two school classrooms completed; two rooms in the Youth Centre building fitted with the remaining lights. Both villages are under the direction of Couples For Christ's Gawad Kalinga project. After completing the necessary buildings in the Welcome Home Village we were left with extra kit. After inspecting another needy Gawad Kalinga community in the north of the island the work schedule was adapted to include this school and utilise the remaining equipment. Reports Roger Mugridge's General Report on Lights For Learning and the Philippine Trip of 2007 [report] Images taken by the team during the trip [pictures] Trip Recordings 1] The Welcome Home School Listen to Lights For Learning as they install lights into two communities in the Philippines. Hear how the team came to being there and why their work was so valuable to the Filipino people. We hear from members of the team, of Gawad Kalinga and of the local Couples For Christ group responsible for the village. Gawad Kalinga's Bob Magalona speaks to us about the movement and its vision in helping encourage poor families out of the shanty towns and into developed communities where access to education is provided. We hear from LFLs Project Manager, Pete Genet and Logistics Co-ordinator, Mike Noble on the progress of the project. We explore important aspects of the small community and speak to the village Project Director, Santiago Franco. Presented by Adam Larking of LittleSmasher.com. Other Voices: Bacolod City Mayor, Evelio 'Bing' Leonardia; Village Project Director, Santiago Franco; Gawad Kalinga Provincial Head, Bob Magalona; Sue Larking; Peter Genet; Mike Noble; Andrew Noble; Michelle Stewart, and the Children of the Welcome Home Village of the Deaf. We also hear from Teody and Dennis, members of the local Couples For Christ group who were also the charity's generous hosts for this project. Links: http://www.lightsforlearning.org/ http://www.gawadkalinga.org/ http://www.bacolodcity.gov.ph/ Email: info@lightsforlearning.org © 2008 Lights For Learning and LittleSmasher.com [download] 2] Peace Village Listen to Lights For Learning as they install lights into two communities in the Philippines. Hear how the team came to being there and why their work was so valuable to the Filipino people. We hear from members of the team, of Gawad Kalinga and of the local Couples For Christ group responsible for the village. Gawad Kalinga's Emma Randall and Vincent Rivera speak to us about the movement's impact on Peace Village and its beneficiaries' access to education. We hear from the Mayor of Bacolod City, Evelio Leonardia and we hear how the work of Lights For Learning is contributing to the area. Presented by Adam Larking of LittleSmasher.com. Other Voices: Bacolod City Mayor, Evelio 'Bing' Leonardia; Gawad Kalinga Region Head for Child and Youth Development Programme, Vincent Rivera and Heart of the Father's Child and Youth Development Programme representative, Emma Randall. We also hear Oscar and AJ Lim, members of the local Couples For Christ group who were also the charity's generous hosts for this project. Links: http://www.lightsforlearning.org/ http://www.gawadkalinga.org/ http://www.bacolodcity.gov.ph/ Email: info@lightsforlearning.org © 2008 Lights For Learning and LittleSmasher.com [download] Full Interview with Santiago Franco Interview with Santiago Franco, Project Director of the Welcome Home Village, Talisay, Philippines. Adam Larking talks to Santiago about the issues the community is facing. [download] © 2007 Lights For Learning and LittleSmasher.com Pre Trip Interview The Pre-Philippines Trip Podcast, with Roger Mugridge and Adam Larking. © 2007 Lights For Learning and LittleSmasher.com [download] The Team Peter Genet Adam Larking Chris Larking Sue Larking Jean Mugridge Roger Mugridge Andrew Noble Mike Noble Michelle Stewart Lights For Learning