Dear Sponsors and Friends,

We hope that the previous month was good for you and your family. I learned that this month is the celebration of your Memorial Day. We hope that you have a great one.

We also have a similar kind of celebration, but it is not exclusively for servicemen who fought during the world war but, for all our heroes who have fought for our freedom even before these wars.

We call that day, “National Hero’s Day,” which is being celebrated on the last Monday in the month of August. It is a national holiday and we are really making an effort to do something for our country as individuals to show gratitude for the people who fought for the freedom which we enjoy now. We are grateful for them as much as you are for all your heroes.

We were hit by a typhoon just recently. It left the country on Sunday. The past whole week was filled with heavy rains and really strong winds. Some parts of the country were affected greatly, especially those in Bicol and Samar, which are in Visayas. Those places are hit frequently with typhoons so people are used to it but still unsure of the damage it could cause them. They are always being warned by the local government to be prepared just in case.

We are happy to announce that the 600+ sponsored children in the Philippines are all doing great. Although all of us have had our own bad experiences from this calamity, the children are still doing okay and thriving from your support.

School will begin as early as June 6 and the kids are really excited. Before classes begin, high school and elementary schools have what we call “Brigada Eskwela”. It is an activity where they call on all parents and other volunteers to help them clean the classrooms, paint the walls, fix chairs and tables, and all else to prepare the classrooms for the students. It is done on different schedules all over the country.

This project is being headed by the Department of Education. Some students also go there and help the parents with the cleaning and other things. I was able to participate in this activity during my elementary and high school days. I know that the parents are really happy and they have a better understanding of the kind of educational facilities that their children learn in.
Though what they can give is only their time, at least they have done something for the education of their children. A few of the well-off families and organizations donate some supplies to schools but this doesn’t happen too often.

I know that you have once felt the excitement of going back to school each year; the excitement of seeing your friends and showing them your new notebooks, bags, and other things that your parents bought for you. Your sponsored children are also feeling that same thing. Maybe not all of them will have new school materials, but they are always happy to be in school. Your support for them and all that you give to them are the things that keep them in school. The food that you provide for these more than 600 children everyday is a great help to them. That might be the only food that they will have for that day and without it, they would have gone to bed with an empty stomach and little desire to further their education.

We all thank you for keeping these children in school and for providing for them the nutrition that their little and developing bodies need. Besides nourishing their physical hunger, you are also nourishing their childhood with the good things that they need to motivate themselves to keep and stay in school.

Their lives might be facing a lot of difficulties, but knowing that some people care for them and are concerned for them makes a lot of difference. I am speaking from experience. I know what it feels like to feel love from people I haven’t talked with and haven’t seen before.

Thank you very much for all that you do for us. Your love, more than the temporal things, makes a lot of difference in the lives of your sponsored children. Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers. We hope that your lives with your family will always be bliss.

For the Sponsored Children,
Kristina Sunico