Tuesdays Away - Feb 15, 23 and more to come

Let me introduce you to a few of the Aeta people.  This is a group of indigenous people who for many years were forgotten by the Filipino government.  In 1991 Mt Pinatubo erupted, destroying the homes, livelihood and way of life of many of the Aeta.  They had no homes and no way to live as they always had - hunting, gathering and agriculture.  In the midst of their devastation came EVACF, started by Jenny Wallum.  Click here to read more info on their website. 

She recognized the need the people had to find a way of life that would sustain them while their land recovered.  These mothers and children are at a seminar on health for their families, one of the many programs for the Aeta people.  They were healthy before, but with their land destroyed, all of their traditional methods, foods and medicines were destroyed.  EVACF has introduced livelihood training, micro credits for businesses, has built schools and centers of traditional training to retain their culture. 

I have been fortunate to join Jenny on visits to the area the past two Tuesdays.  We have visited one of the schools in Bangkal, Abusay, Bataan, and distributed some school supplies that had been donated.  Here are some pictures from that visit.  we also visited one of the traditional training centers.

Kids are the same everywhere, so I hope you enjoy these pictures...I don't really have to say much about them other than - do you notice any difference between many of the Aeta children and what you would expect in the Philippines?

If you noticed how curly some of the hair is, and that they are a darker colour, you are very observant! This has kept them separate and forgotten for many years. EVACF has built over 40 schools, and only then has the government taken responsibility for the education.  They send certified teachers and a few books for the teachers, but school supplies for the children are all from donations.  The people here do not have the means to buy their own pencils and notebooks.

and yes, for those of you who know me, I had a WONDERFUL time! 

So wonderful in fact that I sat in gum while I was chatting and laughing with the children.....which made us all laugh even harder.  This is me in the midst of them when we were about to leave.

I cannot say enough good things about this organization.  On the left is Dr. Catherine Ramos (who is a dentist by profession) who is the link for EVACF for the NCIP (National Coalition for Indigenous People) in this area.  On the right is my friend Jenny Wallum (we sing low alto together in a small choir called Asia Minor).  She stared this organization and is still the leader of it.  They are holding up school uniforms that have been donated by a group in Hong Kong for the students who may need some clothes to wear.

This is the area of the school - beautiful, remote and a hard life.  The land is slowly recovering from the volcano, and so are the people.  The struggle is to ensure they recover in a manner that blends their traditional way of life with the environment they have been thrust into.  I encourage you to have a look at the EVACF website by clicking here and remember the Aeta people in your prayers. 

Enough for now....many more stories to share including pictures from Bacolor which was covered by 7 feet of lahar (lava) flow from the volcano...but I will leave you wanting more.  Love you all, Linda