We had another encounter with a philanthropist that left us in awe. Her name is Jane Walker and she is the founder of the “Purple School” and the Purple Community Foundation. This is the Purple School that we learned about in the MTC during our training. Her school, which was made out of shipping containers (but you would never know it- it just looks like a regular four story building) was what led us to Tondo. The Purple School is no longer a school, but this organization has kept track of all the students who attended the school . They give them support, scholarships when needed, tutoring, food and all the support they need to eventually leave Tondo and have productive lives. She was telling us that over 90% of their students who graduated have gone on to college. 20% of those are magna cum laude! Can you believe it? These are kids who might be fourth generation Tondo/dump dwellers. Of course, the dump has closed, but Tondo still exists and is still probably the worst slum in Manila. This tiny woman has dedicated her life to helping the people of Tondo. She came here on a vacation and asked the taxi driver to take her to the slums she had read about. What she saw stayed with her and she went home determined to do something about it. You will have to Google her and read her whole story. Or Google the Purple Community Foundation. The story is fascinating and shows that is is very possible to help people up and out of poverty. It was such a privilege to meet her. She doesn’t live here any more, so she isn’t here that often. Tess from Upskills (and Purple Community Foundation) invited us to Tondo to meet her and I am so glad she did. Tess is an amazing person as well. She has likewise dedicated herself to the people of Tondo and has such a big heart. As you can see, they make a lot of products from old tires and soda can tabs. It’s amazing really! They are also trying to get a bakery started to add to their livelihood projects. We are developing that project that will hopefully be ready to present very soon.

Tess and Jane

A community worker making upcycling products

Jane showing a bag made from airplane tires

They also make boots and shoes out of recycled rubber

Tondo- This man is taking care of his pigeons

Finding entertainment where they can

Click on images to enlarge

Speaking of projects, it was a red letter week for our humanitarian team. Our team was able to present seven projects to our highest level committee and they were all approved! Two of our projects were a long time coming. We have been working on them since we arrived. Sometimes it takes a lot of patience, tweaking, reworking, and meeting with lots of people to get these projects ready to present. It was really wonderful to see them come to fruition (well at least to see them get approved). Elder Huff had one of his very rare emotional moments in our meeting on Friday with the committee when he realized what everyone had accomplished. It was a very happy time for all of us.

One other highlight: Elder Bednar and his wife are visiting the Philippines. For those who don’t know, he is an apostle in our church. It’s always a looked forward to event for the local members when an apostle visits. He and his wife spoke at a devotional at our church on Saturday and there was a very full house waiting to be spiritually fed. It was really wonderful to be in the midst of these local latter day saints and to feel of their devotion and faith. So that’s it! Another memorable week in the Philippines!