Malaybalay is a small city in the rural district of Bukidnon, set high in the central highlands of the Island of Mindinao. Mindinao is the island on the far right side of the screen in this picture - ie the southern most island of the 7000 islands that make up the country known as The Philippines.
MELBOURNE to MALAYBALAY
Malaybalay is a small city in the rural district of Bukidnon, set high in the central highlands of the Island of Mindinao. Mindinao is the island on the far right side of the screen in this picture - ie the southern most island of the 7000 islands that make up the country known as The Philippines.
ARRIVAL
After 24 hours of travel we arrived at night, and were welcomed by Geff Long - Director of Kids International Ministries (http://www.kidsim.org/)
The next morning we arose to find what used to be the toilet ...... and our accomodation.
Actually it wasn't as bad as it looked. Our rooms had ceramic tiled floors and the beds were comfortable. Some rooms even had an ensuite toilet and cold shower facility.
Certainly a lot better than most of the people in the region were used to.
The only real problem was the water supply.
Almost every night the showers would run dry ...
Clean water had to be trucked in twice a day.
THE SITUATION
Mount Moriah Christian Camp - as it was called - used to be a farm - bananas and mangos. The owners had been holding holiday camps for children, in very simple accommodation, on the site for many years. One day Geff Long came to visit saw the potential for development, and the possiblity of constructing a full time childrens home. The owners donated the land and agreed to let Jeff Long and his team from KIM begin construction of a new camp and childrens home on the site.
Here is the view looking back up the driveway towards Mount Moriah.
This is one view of the complete site. From left to right - kitchen, mess hall, camp accommodation (wehere we stayed), tool shed, site office and the beginnings (part one of four) of the new childrens home. In the fore-ground - was the site for a future - full sized socced field and basketball court.
When finished - this was going to be a very nice place to live.
Here is the view looking back up the driveway towards Mount Moriah.
This is one view of the complete site. From left to right - kitchen, mess hall, camp accommodation (wehere we stayed), tool shed, site office and the beginnings (part one of four) of the new childrens home. In the fore-ground - was the site for a future - full sized socced field and basketball court.When finished - this was going to be a very nice place to live.
MALAYBALAY CITY
On Sunday Morning we went to Bethel Baptist Church in Malaybalay City.The message was related to the theme of the season - "The Gift Goes On".
Many of the young fellas spent the rest of the morning shopping for fireworks. New Years eve was traditionally a time of great celebration and you could buy just about everything from tom thumbs to rambo packs, and multi-rocket launching cannon packs.Martin (who works for the ATO) was happy to point out the consequences of not paying your taxes on time.
Interestingly - in another part of this town there was a billboard displaying the names of people who had payed their taxes early and had thereby attracted a 5% discount !
WORK BEGINS
At first it seemed like an impossible task. So much to do and so many jobs left unfinished.
Every morning work began at about 6:00am with a short time of prayer, and a few instructions from John Tucker.
Everyone was keen to get started.There was plenty to do ...
- Recycling Timber
- Tying wire to make steel reinforcement for columns and beams
- Shifting Bricks
- Mixing Mortar
- Laying Bricks
- Making Formwork
WORK INTERRUPTED
When it rained - everyone stopped working ...
Except for the painters.
The rain, and the mud, proved no problem for the highly skilled truck drivers.
For example - this guy - backed his truck up the slope, through the mud, full speed, slipping and sliding from side, seemingly out of control - but he didn't hit or break anything on his way through. Amazing !
WORK CONTINUES
It only rained for two half days, and work was quickly resumed -
- Cutting Bamboo in the forest
- Making Scaffolds
- Tying wire to make steel reinforcement for the suspended slab
- Shifting Rocks
- Shifting Sand
- Mixing Concrete
- Pouring Concrete
WORK ENDS
OK - we didnt get to finish part 2 of 4 - but what we did achieve was significant. Some 200 cubic metres of concret in 6 hours.
And in the first part of the building - each of the ground floor rooms was painted and tiled. Each bedroom was given a special lift with a custom painted feature wall.
Everyone was happy.Especially the kids - who found sldiing down the dirt more fun and more interesting than anything else that was going on.
... and the associated community centre which housed a medical centre, school, church and basketball court.BOAT TRIP
We went for a canoeing trip - up the Pansanjan River - three passengers to a canoe with two boatmen.
Absolutely spectacular - a must see experience if you ever visit the Philippines.
REFLECTIONS ON THE TRIP
Overall it was a great experience. 50 people working together. Long days (working from 6 to 6) hard work, with a few set backs because of the weather and short term shortage in supplies, but we had almost no sickness, and a really good group dynamic that meant that every one seemed happy. Plus the food was Fantastic.
While we did not achieve as much as we had hoped - we did achieve a lot. We made good progress and left the site ready for the next team to forge ahead. If all goes well the first part of the home should be ready for some of the kids to move in by the end of January. Remarkable.
Would I do it again? Sure would - given the opportunity.
Recommend to others? Sure would - we had kids as young as 8 on the trip and adults as old as 60. Everyone had a role to play. Everyone enjoyed the time together.
While we did not achieve as much as we had hoped - we did achieve a lot. We made good progress and left the site ready for the next team to forge ahead. If all goes well the first part of the home should be ready for some of the kids to move in by the end of January. Remarkable.
Would I do it again? Sure would - given the opportunity.
Recommend to others? Sure would - we had kids as young as 8 on the trip and adults as old as 60. Everyone had a role to play. Everyone enjoyed the time together.
REFLECTIONS FROM THE PAST
Some people asked me why I was doing this. Basically, it seemed like a good idea at the time, and besides, I felt that it was in keeping of the sort of things that my father used to do.
Ultimately it was about providing a home for children who have been orphaned or abandoned.
The childrens home was closed in the early 70s in favour of 4-5 smaller cottage homes where 6 - 8 children would live as a family under the care and supervision of foster parents. The building was bought by the Sisters of Charity and is now the home of about 50 adults.
My fathers motto:
Ultimately it was about providing a home for children who have been orphaned or abandoned.Back in the 50s my mum and dad helped to establish and maintain a childrens home in Melbourne.
The childrens home was closed in the early 70s in favour of 4-5 smaller cottage homes where 6 - 8 children would live as a family under the care and supervision of foster parents. The building was bought by the Sisters of Charity and is now the home of about 50 adults. My fathers motto:
"The purpose of life is to help other people."
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