going to Manila

You may have seen the news reports about a recent Typhoon in our region. Well, my employer has decided to respond to this need and I was selected as one of three from the organization to be deployed. I found out last night that I was going and I will be on an airplane tomorrow morning (Friday morning my time).

In case you haven't seen the news reports here is the most recent report from
CNN:

The worst-hit country, the Philippines, began the slow process of clearing up mud and debris Wednesday. Even as they did so, Filipinos kept their eyes peeled on another storm looming in the Pacific Ocean. In the city of Pasig -- part of metropolitan Manila -- enterprising residents used inflatable mattresses as makeshift boats to ferry people through flooded streets. The government, which some people said did not act quickly enough, opened up part of the presidential palace for aid distribution. Ketsana left at least 246 people dead as it passed over the Philippines. Another 38 people were still missing, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said. The storm affected nearly 2 million people and forced the evacuation of 567,000. At one point, 80 percent of the capital Manila was under water after experiencing the heaviest rainfall in 40 years. As the death toll rose, so did the collective grief. "I did not know what happened," said Gingerly Comprendio. "We were on top of a roof. We got separated. The next day when I came back to our house, I saw my eldest already dead and my aunt saw my other child buried in the mud." Ray Lee, a prominent judge, single-handedly saved 32 people using his jet ski. "There were cries for help, so I returned to other houses or roofs and retrieved
all the people there," he said. To help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe,
several nations have rallied to the Philippines' side.

To read the rest of the article, click here.
Irin News also has a good article on the need, to read that article click here.

I've never been part of disaster response before. I've never been to the Philippines. I imagine I will be living on adrenaline in coming weeks. I'll keep you posted as I am able.

Sisters of Charity

I'm pretty sure anyone who reads this blog is familiar with the person Mother Theresa. We often hear about her work in Calcutta, India with some of the most needy on our planet. Did you know she was part of launching a global mission? There is a sisters of charity branch in our town near the airport.

Recently, Kenyon and our host Caroline went to visit. They took with them powdered milk for the babies. Kenyon played with the kids. The majority of these children have HIV or AIDS and their health is very poor. They have been discarded by society, but found a place at this children's home with the sisters.

Many of you have asked what Kenyon is up to while I am at work. This was just one of his activities. Today, he has a meeting with the head guy at a local mission hospital he is hoping to work with. Likely, he will begin as a volunteer if they believe they can use his skills. I pray they find a place for Kenyon as he would do really well in an environment like that - triage, patient care, medical emergency - especially given his training and prior volunteer experience in the States. I'll keep you posted, keep praying that doors open for him to discover his unique contribution to this work.

accute malnutrition

Child mortality is such a big issue here that many families do not give their children a name before the age of 4 because so many children don't survive. Malnutrition contributes, directly or indirectly, to 35% of those deaths. We decided to do something about it.

In two urban slums surrounding our city we are beginning a project to help children who suffer from accute malnutrition. We will begin by assessing every child in the slums - there are thousands. For those with moderate accute malnutrition we will provide food supplements for 6 months. For those with sever accute malnutrition we will refer them to the local pediatric hospital.

The picture above is from one of the child assessments.

I have a great job and appreciate that I now know the faces of those we are helping rather than reading it in a report thousands of miles away!

Today I am 33

Today is my 33rd birthday. My life has turned out nothing like I had planned. I have experienced unexpected highs and unexpected lows. Overall, I am content. There are still unrealized dreams - like having children. With each passing year I wonder if it will ever happen. But, overall, I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams and wake up each day excited about what lay ahead.

What are my plans for today? Nothing special. I am going to language class in the morning. Then some colleagues and I have to drive to a nearby province to meet with the ministry of health about a maternal health project we would like to do in order to reduce infant mortality. We will return to the city late. I expect I'll be exhausted and fall in to bed ready for a deep sleep at the end of a busy day.

I've been asked what I want for my birthday as far as gifts. I'm not just saying this, but I trully want nothing. I have more than I need. I have a wealth of unbelievable experiences. I have people to share the journey with. I want for nothing.

So, here's to all the wonderful people in my life who have made living such a joy. On my birthday I want to celebrate you!

flood relief

Just before leaving on vacation I participated in a flood relief distribution. It is rainy season here, which means it rains at least once per day. I enjoy the rain because for a short time it cools off and I stop sweating.

In one of the urban slum areas we are working they are experiencing terrible flooding. Granted, some of the homes should have been raised when built or the land graded. That didn't happen, but that isn't the biggest source of the problem. Actually, there used to be a canal that drained the water adequately. Then someone purchased land near the slum area. The canal was in the middle of his land and he didn't like it, so he filled it. Now the water has no where to drain and it just backs up in to the slum. We've approached him and asked him to clear the canal, but he isn't interested in complying with our request, nor with the impact it is having on over 100 poor families. We, with some of the community leaders, are taking our request to the government along. Hopefully they will be more compassionate or at least interested in "saving face" with the presence of an International NGO there. Here are some pictures from the flooded community.

Anyway, with the help of community leaders we identified 83 families in need of immediate relief from the flooding. We decided to provide some basic food supplies. Here are some pictures from the distribution.

This project was completely led by our national staff. I was proud of their organization and professionalism.

What have you been doing lately?