After a stay at the hotel in Aringay near the seaside, off we go to our first distribution in the same town. We were met at Carmen National High School by lots of smiles from the children and their parents and other family members. The school site is also an assembly location for typhoon and flood evacuation, which is always a concern here in the Philippines.
We distributed 300 bed kits to the wonderful children of Aringay, all of whom were happy to give us a high five whenever we put up our hands. All of the children and their parents were very appreciative and were very thankful to everyone in Canada whose donations made this possible. After our distribution, we were treated to a fantastic lunch prepared by the local school parents. Before we left, we were given a lovely gift bag of local treats and a weaved tray to take home.
We boarded our van and off we went to our next distribution, two hours drive drive along the coastal highway in Luna. We were greeted at Luna National School by the children and their families with cheering and waves. The local Vice Mayor gave all SCAW a warm welcome speech and a sincere thank you for choosing his town and this school.
We received a nice gift bag and certificate of thanks from the Vice Mayor, then we were treated to a delicious afternoon lunch known as a Merienda. After a brief tour of the magnificent cathedral in Luna, we drove to Laoag for the night.
Both Aringay and Luna were new sites for bed kits distributions and they each went very well. Three cheers for the SCAW Philippines team and each local team for excellent planning and organization before we arrived to do the distributions!
Brian Barr for Team Philippines 2016
