HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hi all
It's 9am on January 1st 2012 here - and the fireworks are still being let off. They started at 6pm last night and were still going at 1.30am mingled with lots of gun shots. According to the press more people are killed on New Years Eve by fireworks or gun shot than on any other day of the year which is a sad fact. We stayed in. Bit of a non-event for us - not even a glass of anything!
Daily getting reports of more bodies found following the typhoon in the south. The only sign here was high wind, a lot of rain and a few floods. Thank you for your prayers.
We managed a staff and volunteers Christmas party at PCF thanks to a donation from a visitor from the UK who wanted to bless everyone. It's amazing what can be done for so many people on so little.
We had karaoke (very popular here - had to hold Stan back), each department did a 'turn' (they are very talented), and all the volunteers had a certificate of thanks which we were made to present in a very grand ceremony.
After a sort out of the stock rooms we managed to give 160 people a goodie bag to take home with toiletries, tins of tuna and a bag of rice.
Very little time off over Christmas as many of the operations still continue as they are a life-line to many, school closed for lessons until Jan 3rd but everything else carried on.
We took some donors around the dump site on the 24th to visit their sponsored children and the 'Merry Christmas' we got from so many people was humbling. You cannot imagine what any of the people living there have to be merry about, and yet they continue to be cheerful and genuinely pleased to see us. I don't think I will ever get used to how proud they are to welcome you into their 'home', which in many cases is one room made of packing cases (and that's one of the solid ones), often housing 8 + people, no utilities of any kind close by.
We manged to get a Christmas lunch without rice, and a beer, at the ex-pat sports bar Howzat (google it!), even sprouts! And a teacher at the British School Manila gave us a Christmas cake - happiness!
We had our first full day off a couple of days ago, all we've managed up to now has been a morning at church. Our driver insisted we get away for some fresh air as Stan has been coughing for ages (the air is so bad here). We went up into the mountains to Tagantay where there is a volcano inside a lake. So beautiful and the air so clear, you wouldn't believe it's only a couple of hours from Manila.
On the evening of the 3rd Will arrives, so looking forward to seeing him, and we are taking a few days off although have promised we will check in regularly otherwise panic sets in!

Blessings to everyone for 2012, we continue to pray for wisdom and guidance - next challenge is to pay January salaries and start a repayment schedule that Stan has arranged for our creditors - up to now it's been one or the other, now we are aiming for both!
More photos soon.

Sue and Stan

OUR FIRST TYPHOON

Hi all
Just a very quick note to say don't be concerned if you saw today on the news the typhoon sweeping the Philippines. At the moment it is in the south in Mindanao, 300 killed there and they say it's a big one. Officially the typhoon season is over, but someone forgot to tell the typhoon! It's due to hit here tomorrow, already very windy.
 Please don't worry, but prayers would be good. It is likely that the power will go out but will try and update once it is on again.
Just looking at prayer points from last time:

• Creditors - God is good, most of them have agreed we can pay them over a long period
• The bitten child is improving
• HR problems - still ongoing - we pray about this daily
• Christmas lunch - sorted thanks to our wonderful president of the Philippine board who has a part share in a sports bar for ex-pats - 'proper' Christmas lunch with no rice has been booked:)

High points from this week:

• went with 200 of our children to see 'The Wiz' performed by pupils of the Chinese School of Manila. It was performed in a theatre in 'Resort World', which is the Manila equivalent of the London Palladium (needless to say in the rich 'Makati bubble' area). The kids were enthralled. We loved it to although it was quite strange having a Dorothy (and tin man etc) with an accent that belonged in a take-away!
• Explanation of 'twice dead' chicken - we have been trying to source alternative suppliers for our chicken, we were warned not to go to Divisoria, which is the market the locals go to which has extremely cheap chicken, but are 'twice-dead'. It is chicken that has died of disease and then used for food - nice.
• A 'situations vacant' sign asking for 'Financial advisers - no experience necessary', which explains the following -
• trying to extend our visa which cost £22 in the UK for 90 days but here cost 'starting from' 8,000 pesos (about £120) for a 30 day extension because officials charge what they like, quite acceptable practice here,  it is Christmas soon (Tagalog for I have presents to buy!), and there was a Y in the day (I made that one up!). We collect them Monday so he will let us know the 'extra's' then. They will expire on January 16th which is very soon, so will either have to do it all over again or come back to the UK for a cheaper, longer one. Will keep you posted.

Christmas blessings xxxx

PHOTOS FROM TONDO

SEVEN WEEKS - IS THAT ALL!

Hi all
We can't believe it's only 7 weeks since we arrived, seems so much longer, and apologies for delay in blogging, seems so little time. When we get home at night all we want to do is eat and sleep.
 With every day comes a challenge and a highlight, fortunately the highlights are tipping the balance, but only just.
I have just looked at our prayer points from last time -to update you -
Finance - still ongoing issues, still things coming out of the woodwork, Stan spent the last 2 weeks visiting creditors and coming up with rescue packages and payment plans. Interesting that all the local businesses have been supportive and delighted that a westerner is interested in helping Filipinos. The only difficult one to deal with has been a westerner!
TB nurses - thanks to those of you who gave us money before we came out, saying 'you will know what to use it for', our two nurses are now undergoing treatment and are no longer contagious so back working. Bless you, you know who you are.
Coca Cola -Stan's new 'best friend' is the man from Coke! They have given us some funding to make some improvements to the Livelihood department including new sewing machines, and to improve our 'day-care' facility - grand name for the bit of the room at the back  where the mum's are working and their babies and toddlers can play. Bless Coke (I've been drinking a lot of it since I came here as the water is decidedly suspect!).
Jane -is back in the UK supposedly resting, but emailing every day and fundraising every spare minute. She is coming back out in January so are preparing for a whirlwind!. Bless Jane and her amazing vision.
The staff -apart from one or two we are finding out are not the team players we thought they were (but they will be, we are working on it!), they are amazing and working so hard. Bless them.


Brief details of highs and lows in the last 3 weeks -

• Japanese guy from 2nd Harvest Asia turned up to give us  soya based, nutritionally balanced breakfast food for our feeding programme. The US sent it to Japan after the tsunami but the Japanese wouldn't eat it,  he said it's because they are such picky eaters! Our kids not so fussy, they are wolfing it down.
• Volunteers here from a church in the New Forest, when they left they agreed to pay for the food for the staff and volunteers to have a Christmas party.
• Group of 15 gap-year volunteers here for a week from the US with a group called 'Up with People'  - left agreeing to sponsor some children. (If I can manage the technology you may see a photo of them in their jeepney - local mode of transport here, much prettier than a Stagecoach bus and much cheaper)
• All of the creditors we have seen so far (apart from the westerner:() have agreed to let us pay them over 7-12 months.
• Netsuite (computer people) hosted a party in their tower block for 64 of our kids, with Jollibee meals (Philippine's equivalent of McDonalds) and a visit from Jollibee himself (a bee!). They sent a bus to collect us and all of their staff adopted a child for the day and bought them gifts that the kids had put on a wish list. What reminded us all where the kids come from was (a) they had never been in a lift, and (b) they only ate half the meal, the rest went in a bag to take home.
• Netsuite are coming out to Tondo on the 17th to put on a party for all the rest of the kids they couldn't take to the tower block.
• This week we have 25 students from ISM (International School of Manila) helping with teaching, sorting ring pulls for bag making, helping to serve lunches and anything else we ask - they came with bags of rice, clothing, new plates and mugs for the kids.
• BSM, (The British School in Manila) that we have got to know well, have invited  groups of our kids to the school regularly for swimming and art lessons. Six of their parents have just sponsored children, one is helping us to install a new computer system that Netsuite has donated and another has just raised 30,000pesos to complete two blocks of showers at the school (which is a real need as all the kids arrive in the morning straight from the dump site where there is no water).
• The Chinese School of Manila who have given us 200 tickets to see their production of 'The Wiz' next week, and supplied buses. 

        BLESS THEM ALL

Not so good news (1)

 This week one of our kids was bitten by a rabid dog, nurse comes running in to ask for money to take them to hospital for treatment, no money to spare so Stan had to empty his pockets and we just found enough.  Bundled nurse and child into our car to go to hospital.

Good news is that the child has survived, but very poorly, has to go for 6 more jabs (total cost 5000 pesos (about £65) and neither the parents or the dog owner has so much as a peso, so you wonderful people that we mentioned above have not only paid for the two TB nurses treatment but also this child. An option that was suggested to them at the public 'hospital' (and I use the term loosely), they could find them some other patients to share the needle! To give you an idea of the conditions in this hospital, two weeks ago they had a ward of 22 women who had miscarried; one week later they had all died from preventable infections. It reminds us to be so grateful for the NHS. In the words of the child's parents, " the people who paid are angels sent from God to look after us". 

Not so good news (2)

This week in the Manila Enquirer (a 'proper' newspaper not to be compared with the National Enquirer in the US), the bishop of Manila asked for urgent action by the government to address the problem of the poor and quoted the number living on 52 pesos a day (under £1). The government's answer? The next day they reduced the threshold to 46 pesos.

Not so good news (3) - a reminder for us to take care in Tondo

(a) A 41-year-old woman was shot in the head and killed Friday evening as she was about to board a passenger jeepney on her way home in Manila, police said.

Marilyn Esponilla  of Duhat Street in Tondo was declared dead shortly after arrival at the Mary Johnston Hospital.

Senior Police Officer 1 Mario Asilo  of the Manila Police District homicide section  said shooting happened around 6:50 p.m. at the corner of Zamora and Chacon streets in Tondo

(b) The Manila Police District is investigating the motive behind the fatal shooting of a 58-year-old businessman in front of his hardware store on Tuesday night.

Luis Ang, owner of Louiemar Hardware store on Torres Bugallion Street in Tondo, died from two bullet wounds on his nape after he was shot by an unidentified gunman

PRAYER REQUESTS

• for the children, the staff and the volunteers to have a blessed Christmas break (only a few days) - we finish on the 23rd and are back on the 27th :(
• that Stan continues to receive positive support from our creditors.
• that the bitten child continues to improve.
• that the two HR problems we have can be resolved amicably.
• that we can get a Christmas lunch that does not include rice.

Love to all our friends and family - have a blessed Christmas

Sue n Stan xxxx

ONE MONTH IN MANILA

Hi all
Difficult to know where to start, so much has happened in this first month, impossible to keep it brief so please persevere to the end.
 Sorry no more photos, we have loads but just no time to put them on. Usually out of the door by 6.30am (to avoid the horrendous Manila traffic) and often home late if we have meetings.

Those of you who are friends on Facebook, have just put a link on to a video taken on the dump-site, in the school, the PCF church (under water) and the cemetery at Navotas where the children live amongst the tombs. Sorry can't put the link on here but ask someone who has Facebook, it's worth watching and you can see the challenges for yourselves.

• We mentioned Navotas in last blog and said it couldn't be worse than the dump site here - it was. The houses are built on top of the tombs, which are piled on top of each other like filing cabinets, relatives are slid out so a new one can go in. Some of the tombs are broken and a child was seen recently playing with a human thigh bone. Not only that, this area is overlooking the sea and 88 of the shanties, including some families, were lost in the last typhoon. The community is incredibly supportive of each other though, they take families in and there are often 30 sheltering under a couple of sheets of wood with a tarpaulin (if they are lucky) on top. A lot of work went on here when the last typhoon was raging, hundreds of emergency relief packs of shelter, clothing and food were made up and delivered by PCF.
• We are still talking finance, which is very depressing, but when you see what is happening here and how it must continue it spurs you on. Fortunately the board both here and in the UK are very supportive and have come up with some 'rescue packages', we pray for more funding to come in then all will be well. The ironic thing is, there is money in the bank that is reserved for specific projects so can't be used to pay the wages. Apparently in fund-raising speak wages aren't attractive, so no one wants to fund them, but the reality is without the teachers, social workers, nurses, sponsorship team, drivers, cleaners etc etc we wouldn't be able to operate. Anyway the staff are all sure God has his hand on it, so we are not to worry! When we look at the children at the school who are well nourished (they have breakfast and lunch here and take a pack home for the family), innoculated, flourishing and their mum is working upstairs in Livelihood making bags and jewellery and supporting her family you know how worthwhile it is. However we at the moment are serving 1000 families regularly, and a few more when we can and there are 15000 families on the dump-site you see there is still work to be done.
• Stan preached the sermon at the dump site church last Sunday (complete with wellies - it is permanently flooded). It was a packed 'churches together' service and I have to say he did pretty well. To be fair though, part of it was 'borrowed' from Jon Hills - so thanks Jon!). I was asked to preach today and I was competing with Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao, for the ignorant amongst you he is a world class boxer who was from a very poor Filipino family, so is a real hero here. He is also a congressman, and is loved by all. He was fighting this morning, so wasn't expecting a big congregation - had 87 women and children and no men! (Usually hundreds!). I was quite happy about that as nervous enough anyway! (Manny won by the way).
• It is interesting how our jobs are splitting, whilst I was on the dump-site today Stan was invited to a Remembrance service at HTM (that's Holy Trinity Manila!), the Anglican church in Makati, the area that many of the ex-pats live and work. The high rises are a bit like New York and the area is wealthy - if I tell you the church is between the golf club and the polo club you will get the idea. After the service he was invited for drinks with the British Ambassador and then to watch the boxing. Not sure this division of labour is going the way I thought. The positive thing is, when he told the guests where his wife was they were keen to support PCF, so that's very positive (and they do have plenty of money!).
• The Manila throats have cleared up - must be getting used to the smog.
• All Saints Day big here - the evening before (All Hallows Eve) people go to the tombs and scrub them, and then on the following day they all visit their dead relatives and have parties. According to the Manila Tribune over 1million people visited Manila Cemetery that day.
• Interesting newspaper headlines this week (all our solicitor friends take note), "solicitors and con artists banned from Manila park". (As we read on we realised they were talking about people asking for money).
• Good news this week - we did manage to get into the Mall last night and Stan has found a perfect substitute for the Chosen coffee shop - he started with 'Gloria Jeans' and then found an even cheaper one 'The Coffee Bean', they even have a little card they stamp for a free one every 7th! Sadly may take Stan a long time to get the free one, much less free time! (Only 65 pesos though - under £1)
• We met a Canadian property developer who wants to buy land and build (legal) houses near to the dump-site. He sells top range properties and has asked the buyers to pay another $1500 on top so he can build a house in a deprived area - and they are doing it! He is finishing a project in Cambodia and then coming here - and he bought us dinner at the Intercontinental (where all the American/Canadian visitors stay) so not all bad news!
• More good news - we have just spent a day showing reps from an Australian charity - Emagine Education Everywhere - round the school and dump-site. They want to kit out a computer room for us (we just happen to have an empty room that would be perfect) and send a trainer over to train people in IT skills (probably as evening classes). IT skills are sought after here, so another way of getting off the dump-site.
• Employee of the month - we don't really have one but maybe we should. One of the social workers, Christopher, who is usually the one who comes with us round the dump site, is the nearest thing to a saint I have ever seen. As he walks round the dump-site the kids fling their arms around him, adults want to shake his hand. He is paid a pittance, most of which he gives away to them as he is walking around. He has damaged lungs due to the time he spends on the dump (there is always stuff burning) but just loves the people and says God has sent him here to help, so he must. He just loves them all. He was interviewed recently by a university doing a project here, do watch it. We are thinking of starting a 'sponsor a member of staff' scheme to run along the child sponsorship scheme and I think people will be fighting to sponsor Chris.
• Bad news this week - Sue bought a shirt - she is XL in Asian sizing - had to go out the back to find one big enough - she won't be buying any more (and she has lost weight on the diet of rice and beans!).
• Best sign of the week - in the red light district (don't ask!) - a strip club called 'Play and Display'

PRAYER POINTS THIS WEEK

• Finance miracles
• The TB positive nurses - now suspended with full pay until we can get them tested - trying to source funding for that
• Coca Cola - yes a funny one I know - but Stan is meeting with them tomorrow. They want to support us so he's going to show them some our ring-pull handbags and bracelets so they can see they do already! Hopefully they will give us money as well
• For the amazing staff and volunteers here
• For Jane returning to the UK on Wednesday that she knows her 'baby' is in safe hands

PHOTOS - FIRST 2 WEEKS

PCF visit Navotas

PCF visit Navotas

View from our school office window - with central Manila skyline

'Temporary' govt. housing project Smokey Mountain. Built 2004
following international outcry. Amenities still to be installed.

PCF student details - note ironic home address!

The new PCF school - built entirely from shipping containers - a world first!

Navotas cemetery - note dwellings built amongst the tombs

Navotas alleyway between dwellings

Fishing for supper - Navotas

Remains of stilt houses destroyed in 2011 typhoon season - Navotas

PCF communal toilet block - Navotas

Navotas shoreline. Note ship in background beached during
typhoon

Things you don't want to see when living on 20th floor of 39 storey
apartment block

UPDATE - WEDNESDAY 26TH

Hi all
Very brief update as it's late and we have to leave here at 6am tomorrow - we have a few photos we will put on when we have more time.
Sunday - went to dump site for the first time. Thought we had been prepared by past experiences for the squalor - we weren't. I could try and describe the sight - walls and walls of rotting rubbish, small paths in between ankle deep (and it's the dry season) in black stinking slime (how I love my wellies, most of the kids are barefoot or in flip flops). On top, built into and beside the rubbish are the 'houses', nothing more than shells built of wood, cardboard, whatever people can scavenge (in one case cigarette packets), no water or toilet. But seeing what it's like (and we will do photos next time) cannot explain the smell - like nothing I have ever experienced.
However -

• the kids are amazing with permanent grins
• church was amazing, ankle deep in water in the old school (an old warehouse), hundreds of people worshipping to music we knew, and in English! Sermon only slightly longer than Johnny's!
• 3 dump site mums fed all of us - hundreds - with rice, noodles, spicy sausage and papaya using two camping stoves and served it all in enormous washing up bowls.
• we went to the new container school in the middle of all this (more when we do photos) on Monday - wow! Light, airy, the containers built round a courtyard and purpose built and kitted out (by donation) classrooms, kitchen (all almost 1000 PCF schoolchildren are fed breakfast and lunch every day). Seeing them in their (donated) uniforms - every child has two - well fed and happy is humbling

Of course 1000 kids is the tip of the iceberg, we have a waiting list, but whilst they are at school they and their families have the services of the nurses (inoculations etc) and social workers (great need for them, more on that another time). Next step is to do something about the housing that they still have to return to, but first we have to raise some more funds!

Wednesday

Today was our first Managers meeting where unfortunately we have had to talk about holding back on some of the items on their 'wish lists' for now, until we can recover financially from the results of the school building, but we all agree that it was part of God's plan it was built, a miracle that it has been and is fully operational. 

Tomorrow off with the social workers to Novotas, this is a cemetery where the homeless families live in the tombs or in shelters overhanging the sea. Many of the shelters were washed away in the typhoon together with the families, so a lot of support needed for the survivors. We are told that this place is even worse than the rubbish tip but it is difficult to believe. 

Prayer points -

• For protection in Novotas tomorrow. The people are very suspicious of strangers, so we will need to stick close to the social workers who have the families trust.
• That God will provide again to ensure that no front line services have to be cut when we discuss budgets.
• For us the first two Sundays of November - we have been asked to preach the sermon at the dump site church, Stan the first week, me the second. Pray that God will give us the words.
• For 'Manila throat' that we both have to clear up - both of us have squeaky Mickey Mouse voices. Respiratory problems are common here, the pollution is so bad.
• To resolve a concern with the nurses I am meeting with tomorrow - two of them have tested positive for TB - they need to continue to work but there are health implications for them and their colleagues - pray for a resolution please.

Sorry it's so long, will try harder next time. Love, prayers and many blessings to all of you

Sue and Stan xx

WE HAVE ARRIVED!

Very brief update as not much in the way of internet access yet. We arrived after two 8 hour plane rides with a 3 hour break in the middle in Dubai. PCF collected us at the airport and we had our first taste of Manila rush-hour traffic in our 2 hour drive to our apartment (about 10 miles). Apparently 420,000 cars drive in and out of Manila every day and I think we were behind most of them! It made the M25 look like a country lane, the noise was incredible and everyone had their lights on because of the smog.
Our 'condo' for the next month at least is on the 20th floor of a 40 floor block, the view is incredible (although Stan daren't stand on the balcony and look!) and joy of joys has a flush toilet - luxury! Oh and a guard at the door with a machine gun. It is very tiny, just one room really,  but close to the PCF offices and in an ok part of town, we will make the most of it. The dump-site is about an hour away, not in an ok part of town so will be a bit of a shock, our first visit will be in a few days. Tomorrow is the first of our meetings with the managers of the projects so will have more to say later.
You may like to have a look at the following, a documentary about the work of PCF by some of the university students in Manila.
http://youtu.be/ctdSki1iX9I
If the link doesn't work go to Youtube and search 'serbis pcf' and you should find it easily enough. It's headed 'a documentary with subtitle'


Prayer points -

• For a positive first meeting with the managers
• That they will accept that we are here to support them
• For our safety on the first trips to the dump-sites where they can be very suspicious of strangers

With love and prayers from an extremely hot Manila

Sue and Stan

TWO DAYS TO GO!

We have the visas, we have (almost) packed, we have met with the UK board of trustees and Jane and are reassured that we have their support and trust. As we said before it's an enormous task, but we know that God has directed us to this, so we trust in Him to give us everything we need. 
We have said goodbye to Will and the dog (who couldn't wait to get to Alison's house - the dog that is, not Will!), are saying goodbye to our wonderful church family tomorrow and we are now ready to go.

We leave on Monday morning and we will update you when arrive in Manila (and have slept and washed!).

Prayer points

• Protection for the journey - 8 hours to Dubai, 2 hour stopover then 8 hours to Manila
• That we are taking everything we need
• That the arrangements (we think) made for being collected at the airport have worked
• That we have a bed in the accommodation that (we think!) is arranged
• For Will that he continues to enjoy his time at Sheffield and will be supported should the need arise
• For the children and families on the rubbish dumps that the flood waters will subside and they will stay safe
• For the families of the PCF sponsored children that were killed in a landslide following the recent typhoon

Psalm 40 v 5 'Lord my God, you have done many things - your wonderful works and Your plans for us; none can compare with You'

ROTHWELLS LATEST MISSION

On the 17th October we are travelling to the Philippines - Manila - to head up a charity called Philippines Community Fund. It was founded in 2002 by  Jane Walker who saw the poverty on the rubbish dumps and the small children working there and felt God telling her to do something about it.

The charity has just opened it's second school, provides a feeding programme, health-care, churches, adult literacy classes, livelihood programmes for the families, building projects and a child sponsorship scheme. (For more information see p-c-f.org)

Taking over from Jane will be a real challenge for us, she was granted an MBE in 2008 and made Woman of the Year in 2009 for her work with the people on the dumps, but she now wants to concentrate on fund-raising in the UK and has asked us to take over in Manila. We will be heading up a team of 90 people who work in the various projects and are looking forward to getting to know all of them and seeing the projects for ourselves.

Whilst it seems at the moment an impossible task we are encouraged by PCF's achievements in 2010 and with God's help and your prayers our aim is to build on that -
1009 PCF students at school
36 PCF college students
356 PCF parents earning
657 children fed twice a day
200 children, elderly and pregnant mothers fed once a day
18,000 people received medical help
440 new homes built
4 toilet blocks built for 1500 people

We have quoted below the Mission statement and Vision of PCF and pray that we can keep this at the heart of everything we do.

We hope to update this blog every couple of weeks and would love you to pray for us, we will let you know of any particular prayer needs we have.

Prayer points

• That the arrangements that need to be made prior to leaving the UK will all happen smoothly
• That the visas will be issued in time
• For our protection on the journey
• That Will receives support both at university and from his friends here
• That we will quickly get to know the people working on the projects
• That God will guide all decisions we have to make

Love and blessings
Sue and Stan



 Our Mission
To permanently improve the quality of life for the poorest Filipino communities, through education, nutrition, health, medical and family enhancement programs, regardless of religion, race or political boundaries
Our Vision
To free every Filipino child and their family from the effects of poverty