Home school starts

Nim is the first of our kids here to try a different way of learning – in our new home schooling program. This way of learning is much more tailored to him and his needs. 

Street children – like the kids we take in – are often years behind with their schooling and they usually lack the social skills needed to enjoy school life. So Nim was years older that his class mates at elementary school and struggled to keep up. When the time came for high school we gave him the choice, knowing how he struggled to make it through elementary, and he chose to start home-schooling. 

So, he is now based here at the safe home on the farm. Every morning he has study time and he does a kind of apprenticeship on the farm where he is learning all the farming skills. Helping with our Livelihood projects is giving him other new skills and experience he can use in later life. 

Life skills time is also a part of his learning, involving everything from cooking to computer skills. We think that in the future, as more children come to us, others will follow this way of home schooling that can be tailored to their needs. Nim is certainly very happy with it!

Cashew fun

Spending time with Shiela's family is a delight; I always enjoy seeing them on my day off.

Her younger brother and sister Eric and Michel love to show me things I haven’t seen before and teach me games I don’t know.

They were excited one day to show me a cashew tree in fruit, close to their house. If you haven’t seen it before, this is what the cashew fruit looks like… the fleshy part can be eaten as a fruit and the nut is the part inside. Cashews really do grow on trees!

Badjao weekly outreach

Every week we hold an outreach activity at the new centre we recently built in the Badjao village. A group of Badjao youth and out-of-school children regularly attend. Now in their village, we are able to work with even more children. 

The activity includes basic education (many of them have no education), Bible stories/teaching, worship time, games, snacks, drinks and a fun time for all. Some of the team are learning the Badjao language.

It has recently been summer school holidays here on Palawan and our kids from the safe home came along and helped with the activities at the centre. It was wonderful to see them now confident and having changed so much since arriving with us – and helping others less fortunate to learn. Another pleasant reminder of the positive change we are making in their lives.

Keeping things running

I’ve got a new job title… supporting services manager. It comes with a few responsibilities – as well as being assistant house parent and other work at the safe home and farm, part of my work here is being in charge of transport and procurement (anything that need buying or collecting). 

So, I organise our drivers (all of whom I have trained to drive) and care for our vehicles, including a weekly check on them. 

Every Friday is our weekly shopping for food and supplies and a busy day in my week. Animal food, maintenance supplies and extra food (other than the food we grow on the farm) are on the weekly list, as well as finding any larger items we need. You can see in the picture sacks of supplies, everything needed to keep things running for another week.

Brightening up the City Refuge

Our regular activities at the Bantay Bata (the City Refuge for abandoned kids) now include brightening the place up. Despite the fact that the kids are locked behind the high-walled grounds, I love our visits. It’s always such a happy time with the kids... they are so excited and happy when they have visitors and activities to do.

Shiela and I lead a small team that visits the kids to help enrich their lives. Recently, our trips have included planting shrubs and flowers – and fruit trees, as in the picture – to help cheer up the place and hide the concrete walls.

The centre is part of the social services and is where any street kids, orphans or children removed from neglected/abusive families end up until other family can be found – or until they can go to a charity like us here at KNA.

Working with kids from difficult backgrounds, it always amazes me how they can still find such enjoyment in even simple games and activities even though they have been through terrible things.