Dear Give Children Hope Sponsors and Friends,

May you always have a great day! Our Give Children Hope Meals@ School here is continuously doing great everyday! .. The parents and the people of Sua School as well as are amazed with this wonderful program … They are so much thankful for all the people behind this especially to you! In behalf of them I thank you from our hearts!

I hope things are doing well with you. I am sorry for not always communicating very often. As a college instructor, I am just too busy with work especially that it is the closing of the semester, lots of things to do and to finish before the deadline.

I live in Camarines, Sur which is on the Main Island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is located at the southern end of the island.

As a mother, a grandma, and a wife…plus our meals at school program, I am kept really busy.

I want to give you an update on what is happening in our Meals at School here at Sua Elementary School and for the same program for the children at Maravilla Elementary School. We now have Facebook sites which have the posts and the uploaded pictures for both Sua and Maravilla ElemSchools. I hope you always get a chance to look at them.

All goes well here with the program. … in fact, we have mastered what to do in an organized and systematic way. The parents told me that even if they no longer taste what they cooked…they know for sure that it tastes very good because they know the exact amount of ingredients to put already.

If you can just come to talk with the parents, you will know how grateful they are for having this wonderful program of Give Children Hope. It helps them so much. A teacher told me of how some of her students do when feeding times come— they would bring with them a bowl/container with a cover, and after eating half of the serving they will cover it and keep the half to take home for their younger siblings, but most of the time they have the second or 3rd serving.

There was one time I went to see my sister Maribelle, she teaches high school students…when suddenly a group of young girls caught my attention they give me a respect in a typical Filipino way ( getting your hand to their forehead). I was wondering who these kids are they are not ordinary because I could feel their love and I could sense their happiness upon seeing me.

I asked them who they are and with excitement they said that they used to be students of Sua Elementary School and were beneficiaries of the meals at school of GCH. I know through the smiles on their faces and the respect they have shown me and excitedly telling me how they enjoyed their everyday meals that they were grateful to Give Children Hope.

I wish you can come to see how this program is doing and how it is helping a lot of children here and perhaps listen to their life stories.

Last night I was talking to my son-in-law in Manila telling me about the meeting he attended with the returned missionaries who served in Naga Mission. They have plans on helping other people too… and he said they made Give Children Hope an example. My son-in-law was surprised when he heard about GCH because he knew how true and how active the foundation is … and he raised his hand and told the group that he can attest to that; that he knows that GCH is doing well in the Philippines and is supporting Maravilla and Sua school children with the everyday meals at school program and other help it is giving the children here in the Philippines.

On behalf of the 600 children, teachers, and parents of Sua and Maravilla Schools.

May you all be blessed abundantly in life.

Sincerely,

Helen Grace P. Agawin – GCH Cam. Sur
GCH Philippines Meals at School Coordinator