Sustainable Rubber Plantation Project.

The Rubber Plantation

The rubber plantation project that a group of my friends, former work colleagues, Marilou and I started back in 2009 is now approaching its fourth (4th) year of growth.

The young trees are now gaining height and girth and should be ready for tapping sometime towards the end of 2013 or early 2014. Once tapping commences Bethany will have 25 years of monthly income and with the just over 4 hectares plantation that will give a financial yield of 30,000 pesos monthly net income.

         The trees are maturing

Our dream was to plant a further 11 hectares which would then on maturity give Bethany Home a monthly income of 125/150,000 pesos, depending on world market prices and demand. This would truly make Bethany self-sufficient in terms of financing the existing facilities and allow the future donations from well-wishers to be used to maintain and update its infrastructure ensuring its long term survival.

Marilou and myself would like to appeal to all former Bethany children their supporters and Bethany well-wishers to collectively donate a little to ensure that this dream of being self-sufficient is realised in the not too distant future as remember it takes five years (5) from planting the rubber tree seedlings to tapping the latex. By planting trees we are also helping the environment and natural rubber is much better as a raw material than oil based plastics.



The Miller Family Visit CDO

Dusty, Hazel & Michaella at KL CdeO.

Very recently Adrian (Dusty) as he prefers to be called his wife Hazel and daughter Michella visited Cagayan de Oro following the tragedy of typhoon Sendong to visit Hazel’s family who live in the city.

Dusty hails from Australia and was a one time resident of Cagayan de Oro before returning with his wife and daughter to live there once more.

True to form Dusty though, “What can we as a family do to help those less fortunate when we return for our holiday to CdeO”. The Miller’s brought with them 50 sets of School Supplies and donated them to the children of Bethany, knowing that School Supplies is always an appreciated gift for any child attending school.

50 Sets of School Supplies

As always the Bethany staff was delighted with the gift to the children and once all the school age children have been catered for the balance of the School Supplies will be given to the less well-off elementary students who attend Bethany Christian School for which I’m sure they and their parents will be truly grateful.

It’s worth adding that Dusty when in CdeO always attends the Kingston Lodge Expat Group (KLEG) meeting held every Wednesday at the Lodge and gives generously to the weekly Charity Raffle, the proceeds of which go to various local needy causes. KLEG was able to donate 175,000 pesos in food aid with the donation coming from the proceeds of the Raffle as well as private donations from members and well-wishers in the aftermath of typhoon Sendong.

Once again a big thank you to the Miller family for their generous gift to Bethany and we all hope to see you again in the future when you may have an opportunity to visit Bethany Home here in Talakag.  

 

The Typhoon That Devastated Northern Mindanao.

On Friday the 16th December at approximately 10pm local time the Northern Tip of Mindanao between the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro and their surrounding districts was hit by the typhoon Sendang. The typhoon brought very heavy rains which by the time they ran down into the rivers which reach the sea along the northern coast it was around 4.30am Saturday morning. Most of the local inhabitants were asleep when the rivers burst their banks and the torrents of water swept through their homes. Many people were literally swept away in the swell of the torrents and subsequently drowned those fortunate enough headed for higher ground or even their rooftops or anything higher than the water level which included trees.

The aftermath of this dreadful event was to leave in excess of 500 dead and countless missing presumed drowned or buried in the devastation.

Both cities and particularly Cagayan de Oro which is closest to Bethany have been devastated with still large parts without power or running water. Aid agencies are working flat out to help those affected by the devastation and the resulting trauma.

Talakag where Bethany is located is still cut off from Cagayan de Oro due to the road being blocked by several landslides still to be cleared. There is also no power in Talakag area due to lines being down so there is no direct communications with them. There is also no water due to the power outage. I know the people of Talakag will make do as will the staff of Bethany till things can be put right that is the nature of the Filipino.

My concern is for the future when the mess is sorted and the children affected by this disaster need to be placed as will surely happen. Children will have lost parents and siblings, some parents will not be able to cope after loosing all in the storm resulting in children requiring care.

With Bethany not being funded by anyone other than individual donations they are going to require your help and urgently.

Please if you can spare a little let me know by direct mail to me and I will get back with instructions of how to send your donation to reach Bethany.

I don’t wish to post pictures of the disaster here as the situation has already been widely publicised and would only cause more distress to those who have been affected.

God bless all those who have survived this ordeal and give them the strength to continue.

FESTIVE GREETINGS TO ALL MY READERS

Well it’s that time of the year again when we recall the events past and look forward to those still to come.

Christmas is not just about receiving and giving presents but also to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ who from such humble beginnings is now known and remembered in all countries of the world we live in.

I would like to think that our founder Miss Lynip’s work at Bethany would also not be forgotten or that of the many people past and present who continued in her footsteps.

Bethany is a wonderful place for children who need love and care that due to often tragic circumstances makes it necessary. For those fortunate to have visited Bethany and witnessed first hand the dedicated work by its staff and seen the smiles on the faces of the children I’m sure you will agree with me.

My challenge since my promise to Miss Lynip in 2005 has been to try my very best to help ensure the continuity of Bethany and the great work it does.

I ask those of you who can possibly afford to do so please help us maintain the wonderful tradition of keeping Bethany alive and serving the needs of Filipino children. Whatever you give in the year to come big or small will be cherished and used for the benefit of all. I promise I will keep those of you wishing to know informed of the happenings at Bethany by way of this blog on a regular basis.

I wish you all a wonderful festive season and a happy and prosperous New Year and may your God go with you and care for you always, where ever you are.

UP DATE ON RICKY LOPEZ

Ricky Lopez whom I wrote about previously is coming along in leaps and bounds as the saying goes due to his therapy treatment for his autism being funded by Erin and Rodger Kadey from the USA.

My wife Marilou keeps the Kadeys informed on a regular basis as to Ricky’s progress which has been truly amazing since it began in late 2009.

Ricky has gone from being a disruptive and difficult child to someone who is now willing to communicate with others as well as show a willingness to learn new things.

I have often read and heard of a child’s hidden talent and its all about finding a key to release that talent.

Ricky with his Jigsaw.

Ricky has a talent for completing jigsaw puzzles and the more he does the advance and complex his undertakings become. To watch his face when he is doing these puzzles is a sight to behold and the concentration he puts in is something I never thought I would ever witness from him.

The above is an example of how a child if given a chance can develop despite their handicap. I do appreciate that in today’s world climate finances are tight and giving is extremely difficult however every little counts as Bethany’s needs never go away.

If the burden of care can be shared it becomes less heavy for the individual when spread amongst the many, its better to give $2, £2 or €2 than give nothing at all as when all the donations are counted a Bethany child will truly benefit.

PROFILE ON A MEMBER OF OUR STAFF.

Ratchel (Chi Chi) Sulatan.

Its 30 years this year since Rachel (Chi Chi) Mendoza Sulatan joined the staff of Bethany. Chi Chi as she is affectionately called graduated from Liceo de Cagayan University in her profession in general nursing in 1978. In 1981 she joined the staff of Bethany as a nurse.

During her work at Bethany she met her husband Fred Sulatan himself a former Bethany ward who was working after graduating in Cagayan de Oro city at that time and returning to Bethany at weekends to help at the home. In 1984 Chi Chi and Fred married and started their own family.

In 1988 Chi Chi and Fred officially became house parents to the Bethany wards and Chi Chi continued her duties as nurse. You can just imagine the Sulatan cottage with three children of her own and nine Bethany wards all living together as one big family.

Until the Sulatan children left home to further their education this was how it was for the family.

Chi Chi recalls that as many as twelve children had to be fed, washed and clothed and played with in her cottage with all the usual trials and tribulations of raising children.

Chi Chi went on to explain that over the years she has been a house parent between 50/60 children have been adopted from her cottage along with the numerous wards that passed through as they became older and moved on to other cottages.

She sits and recalls all the children by name as well as where they went to live at the time of their adoption and can remember particular characteristics of each child.

If Chi Chi and Fred were living in another country they would I’m sure by now be honoured by the relevant authorities of that country for their care and devotion to the wards of Bethany.

So thirty years on Ch Chi despite recently aggravating an old back injury soldiers on with her duties of house parent and nurse to the children.

When you visit Ch Chi in her cottage she is always smiling and cheerful despite the personal pain she suffers daily due to her back problem but one thing you can be rest assured of the children always come first.

Well done to Chi Chi for her thirty years of service to Bethany and lets not forget Fred her support in her very busy life.

BETHANY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL'S 55th FOUNDATION DAY.

The stage setting for the 55th year celebration.

This morning 4th September 2011 I had the pleasure of attending along with my wife Marilou the opening ceremony of Bethany Christian School’s 55th Foundation Year celebration.


Yes it’s now 55 years since BCS first opened its doors to teach the children from Bethany Home in its formative years and then the children from Talakag and surrounding Barrios in later years. Thousands of children have graduated from BCS with an excellent standard of education as provided by its dedicated teaching and support staff.



BCS Students at todays ceremony.


In the last five years I have to admit its had its ups and downs due to lack of financial support but this is slowly but surely being overcome by the efforts of the current Board of Trustees as well as the efforts of the membership of the First Baptist Church of Middleburg, Florida as previously reported here and not forgetting the parents and guardians as well as sponsors who also add their support by sending their children to be taught there year after year.

Joe Hutcheson talks about commitment in his speech

At this mornings ceremony Mr Joe Hutcheson (Financial Officer) gave a speech on the importance of being truly and fully committed to whatever you do in life, if you want to really be successful. His words were directed at not only the students but also their parents who were also in attendance. How true are his words when we reflect back ourselves to what we have achieved in our lives to date. Could we have done better had we showed more effort and commitment, of course we could have. With continued commitment BSC will survive and grow to fulfil the educational needs of the children of Bethany Home as well as those from Talakag and its surroundings.

The celebration is week long with educational, cultural and sporting activities involving all the students of BCS. I’m sure you would like to join me in wishing them a happy celebration with many more years of celebration to look forward too.