Philippines farmland further diversifies to support new ‘Children’s Hope Center’ outreach

Photo: Two of our new students at the Children’s Hope Center on Cebu Island are happy to have received new uniforms, book bags, and school supplies for the recent start of the new school year.

We are happy to report that our native team has recently launched a free-range poultry farming project at our farmland enterprise. The new free-range poultry farming project includes 24 mature ducks, 23 ducklings, and 49 chickens, which are all in strong demand at the local market. They are easy to maintain and care for, so they will multiply quickly, yielding higher profits from our future sales. The poultry is also a healthy addition to our children’s diets, giving them a nourishing source of protein.

In other good news, our piggery is doing well, housing 9 pigs in the recently improved pig pens made of concrete. Our old pig pens were made of bars and galvanized iron pipes which decayed easily in the humid climate and lasted only 1-2 years, whereas the new concrete pig pens are much more durable and will last 5-8 years. This micro-venture at our farmland is a valuable source of income for us since each healthy, mature pig sells for $175 at market. We sold one large pig last month. The good yield is attributable to strong demand in the market as pork is a local staple.

We are thankful that our banana grove is flourishing thanks to abundant rain we enjoyed in May. We currently have 78 banana trees, and we look forward to a good banana harvest in September. In pursuit of our sustainability goals, our team has also maintained a hen house project which currently consists of 146 hens that produce at least 122 eggs per day. We expect production to increase as our newest batch of young chicks grow and mature. Things are also going very well at our two fishery ponds which are currently stocked with around 7,000 healthy fish. The main concrete-lined pond holds a volume of approximately 20,000 gallons (75,000 liters) of fresh water pumped from our on-campus well. Our coconut grove is also flourishing with 200 trees yielding coconut harvests 3 times annually — we reap a harvest of 1,400 coconuts per year. We are expecting our next coconut harvest in August. The supply of bananas, eggs, coconuts, and fresh fish vastly supplements the nutrition of our students and children in our outreach programs.

06_2016PhilippinesPicFramePhoto inset: (Top-left): Our Cebu team has a hen house project which currently consists of 146 hens that produce at least 122 eggs per day. (Top-right): Our Children’s Hope Center on the island of Cebu recently distributed new backpacks, shoes, school uniforms, and school supplies to the children for the new school year. (Bottom-left): Our Cebu team currently has 78 flourishing banana trees, which contribute to our sustainability goals. (Bottom-right): Our native Cebu team has recently launched a free-range poultry farming project at our farmland enterprise.

The further diversification and growth of our farmland enterprise is helping to provide a portion of the additional funds required to operate The Children’s Hope Center in its brand new, initial stages. Our Children’s Hope Center on the island of Cebu opened during the second week of March, and we distributed new backpacks, shoes, school uniforms, and school supplies to the children in recent weeks as the Filipino school year kicked off. 35 children (ages 5-14) are enrolled in the Hope Center’s after-school care program which includes homework tutoring and other activities, along with snack and meal services for children suffering from extreme poverty.

The program model has proven highly effective; this is our 5th Children’s Hope Center launch — the Hope Center model was first established in 2011 by our India team in the slums of Hyderabad, South India. The Cebu program is held in a new multipurpose facility on our main campus we’ve been slowly working on for about a year now. Our native team brings the children to the shelter after their classes at nearby schools and gives them a nutritious hot meal, assists them in completing their homework, nurtures and guides them on how to live in a suitable manner that blesses their local community, teaches them to value their neighbors, and boosts their self-confidence.

Thank you for your prayers and support which enable our native team to continue their hard work — enriching the lives of our children, breaking the cycle of poverty, and rescuing them from child labor.

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