Where are we?... Tacloban, Philippines

(nice pic Seira!)

Christian & I currently reside in BLISS neighborhood, Tacloban City, the Philippines! We are volunteering with an NGO called Volunteer for the Visayans (VFV).

The BLISS baranguay (neighborhood), where VFV is located, was founded under the Marcos regime around 30 years ago as a housing project. People could rent their land for cheap, and build their houses as they chose.

The intent of VFV is to promote "intercultural exchange" between foreign volunteers and regular Filipinos in a somewhat poor neighborhood. The volunteers give back to the community by volunteering in different organizations around the city. Also the paid Filipino staff at VFV run programs of their own.

The program fees that the volunteers pay are enough to pay the (Filipino sized) salaries of the staff, and to keep some of the programs running. The other money comes from donations, and fundraising.

The three main programs at VFV are the foreign volunteer placements, the sponsored kids, and the community center.

For the first, the volunteers can get placed at different organizations in Tacloban, including orphanages, medical clinics, and government social welfare offices. The volunteers offer any skills, extra hands and initiative they can to these organizations. Volunteers can also be placed in either of VFV's other 2 programs, the community center or the sponsored kids.

Christian and I have been volunteering with these 2 VFV run programs, the community center and the sponsored kids.

The community center is just what its name implies. Smack in the middle of BLISS, it is a good location to run programs for the enrichment of the neighborhood constituents. For the kids there is educational "playtime" for nursery school kids, weekly feedings for malnutritioned toddlers, and a boys, girls, and juniors club - weekly activities for neighborhood adolescents and pre teens. There are even guitar lessons using some guitars that the center owns.

Also there is a mothers club, doing enrichment activities that focus on economic gains. I have been especially impressed with the mothers' group savings program. The cash strapped mothers did not save anything before they started in the mothers club. 2 years later, almost 25 of them deposit as little as 20 pesos (40 cents) every two weeks, and when an emergency arises (usually on the order of 400 or 500 pesos - $8-10) they have a way of taking out their savings plus a low interest loan using the other mother's money that they pay back. Before, they would be stuck with a medicine bill for example, and no way to gather the extra cash so quickly.

The last program is the sponsored kids. This is similar to the ads you see on TV - "pay x a month and sponsor a child in x", but it is a lot smaller with only about 100 kids served. Since I, Laura have been pretty involved with this program I will post a description of it on the sponsor kid excursion post.

Some of the activities that I, Laura, have assisted with are: tutoring the sponsored kids, helping the new sponsorship staff member to learn the donor-child database, leading girls club activities, organizing fund raising events. I am also the drummer in the boys club band - me and 4 teenage boys!

I, Christian, have also been volunteering in the Community Center helping out with anything and everything that needs me. It seems like everyday is a different day and there is always something to do. Primarily I have been the official photographer for most of the VFV placements, activities and excursions and also help facilitate the Boys Club. Other things I am involved with is the architectural work and some construction and demolition for renovations being done in the center, introductory guitar lessons, designing a logo and t-shirt and stage backdrop for the dance show. Also, every Tuesday, I assist in a feeding at a school that is in one of the poorest baranguays.

Currently Laura and I are coordinating an event called, "Rock the Community", which will be a concert with 10 local bands, a rock climbing wall, vendors and food to raise money for various VFV programs. I'm working to get a "Rock the Community" t-shirt designed by a boys club member made so we can raise some more funds for programs.

All in all, I (Laura again) think VFV does an excellent job on its limited Filipino sized budget. I think the financial structure of the organization is a great idea: Provide volunteers with a rich abroad experience and give them a chance to contribute. Use their program fees to run other programs that make a real difference in the city. Also the local staff is hard working, effective, and committed to helping out their neighbors.

GoGo takes a nap in a Tacloban - Bliss jeepney (bus)

Tacloban City is not what you would call a tourist spot.
Dirty and smelly, it is however the most developed place in Leyte.

"Cluster 2"
(the name of the street our house is on)