Project Rice on Bantayan Island
March 2006: Bantayan Island
My favorite of all my Bantayan Island images, and the backdrop for quoting the needs of the poor Families there, as told to me by Patricia Hudson from the USA, who's been a local resident & respected business owner there since 2004.
In March 2006 I was with Pat when I asked her to access the needs of the poor there, and soon after she began talking, I brought her my notebook and asked her to put it in writing.
I remember staring at what she was writing:
'...Children DIE here, from simple fever...'
'...Young women come to my house to ask me to help them buy medicine for their children...' (1,000 Pesos = about $20.00 US Dollars)
That day in March 2006, I pledged to Pat to bring whatever donations I could earmark for children's simple medicines there - to help those Families who come to her for aid, come November 2006 when I'll arrive.
NOTE: I'm totally dependant upon donors for this - if you can help, please do.
Please read Pat's complete quote here:
From Patricia Hidson, on Bantayan Island - March 2006
RE: Medical Needs of the local Poor Families in Ste Fe.
7 % of the children born in Santa Fe do not have their births registered
30% of children under the age of 5 do not have the normal immunisations or vaccinations because there is not enough vaccine provided by the Central Government.
Local families cannot afford to pay the 1000 peso to buy the immunisation from the city. Measles and chicken pox vaccine is not available at all. DPT is not available for all the children.
Also, we have no hospital on the island that can deal with premature births or children born who need assistance. The nearest hospital to help is a 5 hour trip by boat and land. The majority of these families cannot fund the trip, as it's too cost prohibitive.
Young women come to my house to ask me to help them buy medicine for their children. The simple things like calpol, robitussin, fever reducer are outside the normal household income. The result is that children die here from simple fever.
The common practice becasue they do not have the money is to wrap children up in blankets to help sweat out the fever. Children die from convulsion caused by over heating and dehydration.
In the case of a child born with a defect or premature the common practice is to put the child in a separate quiet room and wiat for the child to expire. In normal western countries we would be prosecuted for not trying to prolong life. I find this very difficult to deal with emotionally but I understand that the people here have no other alternative.
Children have died here from asthma attack because of lack of medication.
Education is another area where a small amount of assistance can make a big difference in a childs life. For as little as $100. you can help to renovate a class room to make the environment more suitable for learning. The class rooms were built by the americans in between the 1st and 2nd world war.
Very little investment has been made to sustain these buildings because whenever cash was available it was put towards books and educational equipment. Parents and children are always willing to assist with any projects to help improve the school.
They have the time, they do not have the financial resource.
Patricia Hudson/Bantayan Resident & Business Owner
March 2006
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WOW!!! WHAT A NICE VIEW AND I REALLY LIKE WHAT YOU POSTED MAM PATRICIA HUDSON....AMAZING....FANTASTIC TALAGA....I EXPRESS MY EAGERNESS TO BE ONE OF YOUR RELIABLE ADVOCATES...FOR CHILDREN PROTECTION...
MARKINGS*****
ORVILLE N. ROSILLO
BUCANA, BOULEVARD PORUK 4B
SR. SAN VICENTE FERRER CHAPEL, DAVAO CITY, PHILIPPINES...
GOOD LUCK!
GOD BLESS YOU!!!
Hello! How may I contact Patricia Hudson? I have been to Bantayan and plan to return Nov/December. It has been my intention to do something to help the kids/schools in Santa Fe area, so I am happy I found this posted.
I taught for 7 years in Manila and travelled a fair bit; not hard to see where help is needed in many areas, but Bantayan is such a lovely place and I would like to do something useful there...