Poor schoolchildren need milk, art materials and storybooks! Deadline is extended to June 30.

Poor schoolchildren need milk, art materials and storybooks! Deadline is extended to June 30.

ISANG BATA will be accepting donations until June 30, 2009. We are specifically asking for children’s storybooks, art materials like clay, art paper, crayons, etc., and milk! About 60% of the kids we’re helping are malnourished. We want to give them a supply of milk for daily consumption in school to help keep them alert, active and generally healthy. Cash and other kinds of donations are most welcome. For drop off and pick up arrangements, please get in touch with Ime Aznar or Dino Narciso through:

Ime – 0916.4120636; imelda.aznar@yahoo.com
Dino – 0905.2548486; bike_ko@yahoo.com

OTHER UPDATES:

Cash donations have reached P8,000 from the following: Jaymie Divinagracia, Mick Enrique, Irene Chia, Beth de Leon, Nikki Diyco, Janet Barbara and Jenny Weineke. We also received school supplies and other items from Karts Guerrero, Jason Jumaquio, Iten del Rosario, Jojie Recto, Jenny Guinto and Maroz de Mesa.

We gave medicines to the mother of a 9 mo. old baby girl named Andrea Tiu. Andrea has wounds all over her body which was diagnosed as mamaso. The doctor from the health center prescribed four kinds of medicines. Tiu’s mother, Benjie, used to be a manicurista, and her father is in jail. They used to have a shanty along the railroad tracks in Muntinlupa, but the community was recently demolished. Since then, the mom hasn’t been able to make money and constantly worries about where the next meal will come from. They currently don’t have a permanent residence and her children, and all the other children from that community, are exposed to the rains and the sun on a daily basis. Benjie wrote a letter to ask for help for her sick daughter. Arlene from Akap Bata showed me the letter and I decided to use some of the money to buy Andrea’s medicines. Andrea has three other school-aged siblings. Isang Bata will make sure to give some school supplies to them also.

I sat down last June 8 with Arlene from Akap Bata to discuss distribution of donations. We decided that since tuition is free and most of the kids just walk to school, we will use the cash donations to support their nutrition. Arlene told me that about 60% of the kids are malnourished. We would like to use the money to address that. The plan is to sponsor their daily snacks and provide nutritious alternatives like fortified muffins, porridge, etc. If we get more cash donations, we can do this for a longer period.

There are other items being worked out like the press release, the next project for the demolished community, corporate solicitations, etc. but it would be premature if I’m going to post details at this point. So that will have to wait until the next update entry.

Please keep the donations coming. We really need all the help we can get. If you would like to join us or send suggestions, please don’t hesitate to do so. Thank you, all.