helping indigents | Rotary International Multinational Manila

Governor’s Visit – Liza Elorde

admin — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 02:10:29 +0000

On March 10, 2020, Rotary District 3810 Governor Liza Elorde and her team visited the RIMM headquarters. After an enjoyable lunch we had a fellowship meeting that was also attended by some of our club members from Japan and a guest Rotarian, Takashi Narishige from Mizunami, Gifu club in Japan who exchanged club flags with us. Governor Liza was presented with a District flag from District 9780 in Australia through our cooperating Geelong Central Club in Victoria. Australia and her team presented five of our club Rotarians with the Paul Harris Fellow recognition and pins.

Gov. Liza gave an inspiring overview of the many needs in the world and the place of Rotary to assist effectively. She pledged a District grant of $1,000 to assist the club with its support of the 64 families of the relocated AETA village in San Luis as with High School and College scholarships for deserving students and recommended that the club provide application summaries ASAP to the District. RIMM provided an overview of its many projects with the most pressing being cooperative disaster relief with the District, DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and the City of Alfonso after the Jan. 10, 2020 Taal Volcano eruption. Ongoing projects such as family planning, assisting indigent families, teaming up with DSWD and local barangay (village) captains to prevent/discourage sexual abuse of women & children by bringing perpetrators to justice, school supplies and school uniforms, birth certificates for indigents, donations in kind from Australia clubs, etc. were also discussed.

While the meeting was somewhat overshadowed by the uncertainty pertaining to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, it closed with participants pledging to cooperatively accomplish even more with the limited resources available.

Indigent Support in Usting Continued

admin — Sun, 29 May 2016 12:21:58 +0000

Since our direction of how to take care of the indigent baby girl with hemangioma in Usting, Luksuhin, Alfonso, Cavite was altered to more natural remedy with the Chinese herbal doctor in Chinatown, Manila, instead of going through PGH (Philippine General Hospital) with the modern medicine which is catered to indigents based on our discussion at our last club meeting, our club president and the incoming president visited the resettlement sites in Usting to check the status of the baby girl.

We took a van load full of fire wood provided by Academy of World Healing Foundation (AWH) for cooking duck eggs (balut) for their livelihood business. We also brought some foreign chocolates for the children.

The new plan of three children limit per couple from the new president was reminded to them.

The appointment was set with the baby girl with hemangioma with her mother for coming Monday to go to Chinatown.

A Club Meeting

admin — Fri, 27 May 2016 12:45:24 +0000

On May 26, 2016 the members in the Philippines held a club meeting at one of the club member Betty’s house in barangay Sicat, Alfonso, Cavite. She is a good chef and cooked many dishes for our luncheon meeting including tuna sashimi that she hand carried from General Santos, Mindanao.

The topic included the Philippines’ president-elect Rodorigo Duterte’s plan that enforces three children limit per couple. It makes sense to our club whose flagship program is family planning and which deems overpopulation is the root cause of poverty, joblessness, food shortage, lack of education and environment of destruction. Our club has been expecting something as drastic measure as this.

The other issue discussed was about the indigent baby girl who has hemangioma on her left arm. We have been taking her to PGH for many examinations including CT scan eventually to surgically remove the lump from her arm. However, the progress has been prolonged by various circumstances. We have started to feel that some invisible force was preventing the direction. Then Betty suggested to take her to a good Chinese herbal doctor who is highly reputed. Upon confirmation of feasibility with the baby girl and her mother, we made a plan to visit China town next week. The episode will be covered in the next article.

Helping Bereaved Indigent Family

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 04:35:05 +0000

The Php3,500/month family support handout for former parentless street child Nino, his under-employed grandmother Ester Stuazon and her 20-year old daughter Mhina ended in June 2015 after a 30-month support. Nino’s mother (Ester’s daughter & Mhina’s sister) was raped and murdered. Mhina, who graduated from high school two years ago has financially provided meaningful family support through part time job since our financial assistance stopped.

Ester informed us that the family was moving from their quarter in General Trias, Cavite to Binan, Laguna. Two of our club members visited them and gave financial assistance for their moving and Nino’s school supplies. Nino is 15 years old but is at 5th grade in elementary school as he was mentally disturbed and could not receive proper education in his early years. Mhina has obtained a job opportunity at a department store in Calamba, Laguna as a sales lady and is going to support the family’s livelihood.

Vocational Training #2 for Indigents as Electronic Technicians

admin — Tue, 19 May 2015 02:44:40 +0000

Continuing effort to provide vocational training opportunities to barangay Mangas II residents, Dindo, a local electronic technician, has decided to voluntarily teach electronics. He was actually the one who assisted one of the birth certificate project activities. RIMM took eight willing trainee candidates including Henry to Dindo’s shop for introductory lecture. Dindo explained about capacitors, resisters, diodes, etc. sampling a PCB from an old CRT-based TV, which is still popular among the households in the Philippines.
Since there were too many students to fit in the tiny room of his shop, some did not seem to have understood well. However, many were willing to come back to pursue their interest of learning electronics.
Many of the trainees did not go to high school but Dindo explained basics so anyone can understand.
Dindo is not capable of providing food and transportation but the trainees understood and still appreciated the free training opportunity.
In the meantime, all of the six automobile mechanic trainees at Danny’s shop are still continuing their training.

Vocational Training for Indigents as Automobile Mechanics

admin — Fri, 15 May 2015 01:17:38 +0000

Providing financial assistances to indigents sounds good and benevolent. Despite our intent, however, we would need to be aware that it might sometimes promote their laziness and dependency.
Instead, RIMM has sought to provide vocational training opportunities so that they can acquire skills to earn their own bread and butter. Luckily an excellent automobile mechanic in town, Danny, who has 15 years of overseas experience in the middle east agreed to provide free actual field training.
Six willing candidates in barangay Mangas II, Alfonso, Cavite immediately grabbed this opportunity and started on training in the following week three by three. Since they still have to earn income through their regular work which is selling of balots (boiled duck eggs) and chicharon (fried pork skin snack) in the afternoon, their training hours are designated in the morning only.
Danny grew up in poverty as well and he understands the predicaments of the indigents settled from a poor region. Danny provides transportation and shares meals with them on top of the free on the job training, none of which TESDA courses provides.
Danny’s auto repair shop is accredited by DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) as a class A facility and he can provide certificates of completion when they complete certain period of training. In fact, Danny told us that some mechanics trained at his facility got overseas job opportunities or higher positions such as chief mechanic.