Tiwala spreads Christmas cheer to poor communities in Albay (December 2011)
Tiwala Kids & Communities shared the joy of the Christmas season by distributing gifts to 88 kids and their families in four slum communities in Legazpi City. Three separate Christmas parties were held from December 14 – 16. There was much happiness on the faces of the children as they received food, toiletries, school supplies, and clothes. They also enjoyed the games and presented song and dance numbers.
A separate Christmas party for parents was held on December 15. It rained hard that morning but there were still forty-seven parents who attended the event. Mrs. Doris Padilla from Golden Harvest Christian Church gave an inspiring message to the parents and reminded them that Christmas is about love, peace and thankfulness. The parents also expressed their gratitude to Tiwala and wrote notes of appreciation to Tiwala teachers and staff.
Tiwala would like to thank Blessings in a Bag, Albay Governor Joey Salceda, Legazpi City Councilor Melissa Abadeza, and Victory Christian Fellowship Legazpi City for their gift donations to the kids and their families.
Tiwala Continues Partnership with Bicol University (December 2011)
Bicol University (BU) continues to help Tiwala in reaching out to poor communities in Albay. Through its College of Education Student Council, BU launched an oral hygiene campaign on December 16, entitled “I Smile, You Smile”. Students from Bicol University facilitated the program among the kids of Tiwala. Aside from explaining to the kids the importance of brushing their teeth properly to avoid tooth decay, they also distributed gifts to the children and interacted with them through creative presentations and games. Tiwala is grateful for its partnership with BU in reaching out to the slum communities through its literacy and educational programs.
Christmas is in the Air! (November 14, 2011)
As the cold northwest monsoon (Amihan) blows and signals the start of the Christmas season in the Philippines, Tiwala kicks off Christmas-inspired enrichment classes in four slum communities in Legazpi City. There are 83 children enrolled in the said program and classes will run from November 14 – December 15. Kids will learn about the story of the first Christmas as well as make Christmas crafts, play games, sing Christmas carols, and learn the values of faith, gratitude, and obedience. Tiwala will conclude the classes with a Christmas party and gift-giving program on December 16. If you would like to bless the 83 Tiwala kids by donating food and/or gifts for them, please feel free to contact us on +63 (0) 52 435 1193 or email us at info@tiwala.org for more details. Many thanks!
Science Enrichment Classes Awarding Programs (October 28, 2011)
Tiwala concluded its 12-week WOW (World of Wonders) Enrichment Classes on October 28 by conducting an awarding ceremony for all the kids who excelled in class, showed good behaviour, and completed the sessions. A total of 78 kids benefited from the program. Aside from giving away prizes and playing games, the kids also presented a song and dance number entitled “God of Wonders.” Tiwala received positive feedback from parents, who expressed that their children enjoyed the classes and experiments so much that they were determined to not be absent for any of the sessions. The parents also showed appreciation toward the Tiwala teachers for creatively and lovingly teaching their kids.
Tiwala Moms Are Sending Livelihood Products to Singapore (October 27, 2011)
After various product development and market tests, Tiwala finally shipped two batches of livelihood products to its partner organization in Singapore, Blessings in a Bag (BIAB). For several weeks, Tiwala mothers in Legazpi City busily worked on braided bracelets, trinket magnets, and fancy clothespins. They were grateful for the additional income they were earning from the products. Emily Teng, founder of BIAB was delighted with the products and said, “The bracelets were definitely a big hit at the recent event!” Tiwala also recently forged a partnership with Light of Hope Foundation who is also interested in marketing and selling the products locally.
If you want to help poor families earn additional income through this livelihood endeavour, feel free to contact us at +63 (0) 52 435 1193 or email us at info@tiwala.org for further details.
Tiwala Holds Appreciation Dinner for Volunteers (October 17, 2011)
To show gratitude to the volunteers who help Tiwala in the delivery of its services, a volunteers’ appreciation dinner was held on October 17 at the Layag Restaurant in Legazpi City. Volunteers who mentor the Tiwala scholars, facilitators of our family strengthening programs from two partner churches, and UK Volunteer/Board Member, Timothy Beer attended the event. On behalf of the staff and beneficiaries of the organization, Tiwala’s Executive Director, Emmylou Hallig, expressed gratitude to the volunteers for giving their time, abilities, and resources to help Tiwala with its mission to build strong foundations in the lives of poor children in Legazpi City.
Tiwala Scholars Update (September 30, 2011)
Tiwala’s Scholarship Program is running smoothly, thanks to the dedicated staff, volunteers, and donors of Tiwala. Mark, Roddremar, Sheila May and Ana Marie are the four underprivileged children receiving scholarships from Tiwala this year. They are all in first grade and have shown eagerness to attend school. Dedicated mentors meet with them weekly to tutor and pray for them. They are also enrolled in Tiwala’s enrichment classes. The first few weeks of school were challenging for the scholars as they adjusted to the school environment and routines. Tiwala’s social worker worked closely with the children, teachers and school officials to ensure the children had ongoing support. The children are now coping well with their daily routine and schoolwork. We also observed that since joining the program their health conditions have improved (including noticeable weight gain). We attribute this to the daily meal and snack component of the scholarship grant.
There are many underprivileged children who would greatly benefit from being enrolled in Tiwala’s scholarship program. If you would like to sponsor a child, please contact +63 (0) 524351193 or email us at info@tiwala.org for further details.
Family Strengthening Program Adopts PEACE Curriculum (September 2, 2011)
Tiwala, through its Family Strengthening Program, seeks to empower parents and help them fulfil their parental roles and responsibilities. In its bi-weekly meetings, parents of Tiwala kids are given practical guidelines on how to raise their children well. Volunteers from Golden Harvest Christian Church and VCF work with Tiwala to conduct parent discussion groups. Tiwala implements the PEACE curriculum in its discussion sessions: Proper Parenting, Excellent Education, Achievement, Community Involvement and Entrepreneurship. The facilitators are receiving good feedbacks from the attendees. They said that they find the meetings both informative and enlightening. A total of 30 parents in four slum communities regularly attend the said program.
Science Classes Launched In Four Slum Communities (August 7, 2011)
Tiwala is thankful for the ongoing support of the local government officials, who have allowed us to expand our literacy programs in their community centres within the four slum communities we work with. Tiwala recently launched four new science enrichment classes in these communities. With the theme ‘World of Wonders’ (WOW), the children are now being given the chance to learn various science concepts in fun and exciting ways. Class activities
include science experiments, games, crafts, worksheets, singing, and storytelling. The classes are designed not just to improve the academic skills of poor children but also to enable them to get to know the Creator who made our world of wonders.
We’ve Moved!
Tiwala Kids and Communities recently moved to a new location to be more efficient in the delivery of its programs. Please take note of our new contact details:
Office Address: 70 Washington Drive, Legazpi City Albay 4500
Telephone Number: +63 (0) 52 435 1193
Mobile Number: +63 (0) 919 608 999 7
Website: www.tiwala.org
Email Address: info@tiwala.org
Tiwala Distributes Gift Donations to Communities in Albay
Tiwala kicked off the back to school season (June) with a series of gift distribution to different communities in Albay province. Excitement and joy were on the children’s faces as we handed out clothes, toys, and books to them. Kids under three Christian ministries in Albay received the donations: Grace Berean Bible Ministry Inc., Heaven’s Gift Christian Campsite, and Jesus the Great Shekinah Church. These three Christian ministries are partners with Tiwala in reaching out to children and poor communities in the Bicol Region.
Aside from these three groups, three schools also benefited from Tiwala’s gift distribution: Taysan Elementary School, Taysan Resettlement Integrated School, and Maoyod Day Care Center. Books and educational toys were given to them. The school officials were delighted to receive the donations as public schools in the provinces only get a meager amount of funds for their libraries. The quality books and reading materials we received from Blessings in a Bag and we subsequently donated to these schools are a great help in making their book collection more functional and appealing to the needs and interests of young readers.
Christmas in June!
Christmas came early for Tiwala this year when God sent a truckload of donations last June 18! The twenty-eight jumbo boxes of toys, clothes, school supplies, and hygiene packs were donated by Blessings in a Bag, a Singapore-based charity and faithful partner of Tiwala since its beginnings. It took an entire week for the Tiwala staff to sort and organize all the donations. They were filled with amazement and joy as they opened the boxes. They look forward to handing out the blessings to hundreds of children and families.
Tiwala Launches Scholarship Fund for Underprivileged Children (May 2011)
Recent statistics show that more than two million elementary school- aged children do not go to school. Although public education is free, school-related expenses like transportation fare, snacks, lunch, school supplies and other learning materials are beyond the financial means of poor parents. As a result, out of 100 kids who enroll in Grade 1, only 65 of them will be able to graduate from elementary level. Tiwala seeks to be part of the solution to this problem by putting up a scholarship fund. (Read more)
The Tiwala Scholarship Program aims to provide educational assistance to severely underprivileged children. It will not only cover the cost of uniforms, school supplies, and other school-related fees but also provides one hot meal a day to the child and school snacks. Aside from this, the child attends after-school tutorials with Tiwala. He/she also has a mentor, a volunteer from a local church who is outside of Tiwala and the child’s family, who meets once a week to spend quality time with the child, encouraging and praying with the scholar. Tiwala is partnering with public schools and community officials for program implementation and monitoring. We currently have four children under the scholarship program and hope to expand as funds come in.
Click here for information to donate to the tiwala scholars
Click here to if you want to receive a profile of the scholars
Tiwala Elects New Board of Trustees (May 2011)
The members of Tiwala Kids & Communities voted a new set of Board of Trustees last April 30. The Board of Trustees are responsible for the setting of policy for Tiwala, monitoring its operations, advocating for Tiwala and making crucial decisions for the organization. Tiwala is excited to have on its Board a strong team of five dedicated and experienced professionals who are willing to give off their time, resources, and expertise to guide Tiwala in achieving its mission and goals:
Going Green Summer School (May 2011)
How do we help children learn to take care of their environment? Tiwala launched a summer program called Home Planet with the goal of helping increase awareness of our responsibility to be good stewards of the earth and its inhabitants. A total of 181 children from six communities attended the program. The kids had fun learning new songs, listening to Bible stories, playing games, planting seeds, making crafts from recyclable materials, and discovering how they can help take care of God’s creation in their own little ways.
Tiwala also had the privilege of working with the officials of the five villages where the summer programs were conducted. The village officials eagerly supported Tiwala and promoted the event to their constituents. Two local churches also willingly partnered with Tiwala and provided the facilities and volunteers needed for a successful program. Tiwala is looking forward to further strengthening its relationships with the village officials and local churches in order to further its goals and mission.