One of the VIRLANIE program : Sponsor it !

VIRLANIE needs You !

If you’re going to San Francisco, Quezon, Philippines

Balik Probinsiya[1]

1st bus = A-B ; 2nd bus = B-C (total = 300 km)

Thanks to the board, I was able to join Helen for her 1^st journey: we visited the 20 families helped with the Balik Probinsiya project: 3 days in the Province!

We are 3:

- Helen, the social Worker in charge of this program has worked in Virlanie foundation from the beginning of this project: for the last 5 years.

- David is a friend, a 40 years old math teacher, ex-colleague from Pondicherry high-school – India. He is on a sabbatical year. So he wanted to join me, visiting the Philippines.

- And …. Me!

Friday, January 24^th

It’s 7 AM; we leave the volunteer house, and meet Helen at the Office, in Makati – Manila.

1 tricycle, 2 Jeppneys and 2 buses brought us to San Francisco at 6 PM – about 300 km trip.

Our back pack is light (we won’t be away for long and we’ll be hosted in a Virlanie-house). But Helen’s is larger: she brings the Christmas-gifts from the sponsors. In fact she has 2 full bags.

“All 3 can fit in that?” asked David when he saw the size of tricycle waiting for us.

“Yes we can!”, anyway, we are not going far …

Then the 2 Jeppneys brought us to the bus station.

The 1^st bus was really comfortable (with AC) – it starts when we arrive!

It will drive us to Lucena. We arrived at noon! Perfect we lunch in a one of the 20 restaurants in the hall of the new bus-station.

The bus to san-Francisco leaves at 1 PM. This is a less-comfortable and non-AC bus.

Let’s sing the song: « Bumpy road …. »

At 6 PM, just before the town, we arrived! It’s not night-time yet … the sponsor-children recognize Helen … they celebrate her arrival in a lovely way!

Balik Probinsiya - A flash-back will explain the creation of this Virlanie-program:

Payatas, this is the name of the area. It’s north of Manila. It is located at the dumpsite – also called the smokey mountain.

Thousands of people are living there. You’ve got it they live retrieving, and sorting what arrives on the garbage trucks.

For years … Virlanie has had a program[2], helping people living there. I’ve been there (see the page: http://phnoel9.blogspot.com/2013/12/visite-chez-les-plus-pauvres.html).

I’ve been to Payatas, with the Social Worker in charge of it.

I’ve seen 20 trucks queuing; unload their trash one after the other on the top of the dump mountain. Caterpillars are covering the trash with earth (to avoid a new explosion like in 2000). Of course people (from the bottom they look pretty small) collect as fast as possible before this will be buried by backhoe.

The breakdown of household waste creates methane CH4.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane

Methane is a gas that can burn, explode. In a heap of rubbish, a gas pocket is created; it may be big enough to be really dangerous.

In 2000, methane exploded, ¼ of the mountain collapsed on the slum below. The balance sheet would have been about 400 killed.

After that, officials wanted to destroy all the squats and started a program back in province (on a voluntary basis) - Virlanie was already there (there was a school, and it was also destroyed). We joined the program under the name of: Balik Probinsiya

The authorities have initiated the construction of a methane factory: mechanism for obtaining electricity by burning methane, as part of a UN program designed to fight against global warming (I think, this is to participate of the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol) ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_digestion

I know these factories grow all over the world ... it seems essential to me... obviously, the various articles on biogas say that we need to build these plants: environmentally and financially profitable ...

Methane storage (in Germany)

Back to our story: journey to Quezon …

According to “back to the Province project” of Virlanie: 31 families decided to return to their village.

The archipelago of the Philippines is a group of more than 7.000 islands where people do not speak the same language.

Virlanie, as I have told you, before the explosion already had a program in the slums of Payatas. So Virlanie has developed an outreach program to accompany the 31 families. And now Helen is the one managing it.

Of these 31 families: 17 return to San Francisco and two in San Narciso (There are about 50 km between the two villages) - this is where we go!

7 years ago, their parents were in the slum of Payatas – and they chose to go back to their village:

For everyone: parents, children, Virlanie, this is a challenge:

- The parents realize their life in the slum will not improve … how do they get enough income for :

o Living in their village, isolated in the South of the peninsula of Quezon province?

o Repay the loan for their land and house?

- The children have never lived in a small village,

- Virlanie settled this program :

o Buy the land for the house,

o Build the house 4x5=20m2

o Help the family to move,

o Provide live hood assistance to the family,

o Sponsor one child per family

Quezon is the country's leading producer of coconut products such as coconut oil and copra. A large part of the province is covered in coconut plantations. Other major crops are rice, corn, banana, and coffee. Fishing is also a large part of the province's economy. (Tayabas dialect)