After months of being dormant, Davao once again felt our presence through a simple gift-giving event in Bangkal Davao City.
What Has Been
The last week of 2017 was a tough time for all Davaoenos. On Dec 22, Tropical Storm Vinta ravaged Mindanao and left massive floods in the streets of Davao. Residents in low-lying areas of the city had to spend Christmas in evacuation centers but still grateful that no harm has come to them; thankfully, there were no casualties.
Then on Dec 23, Davao's home-grown mall known as NCCC caught fire, claiming 38 lives. The whole city was in mourning. Mayor Sara Duterte postponed the scheduled festivities and called upon everyone to empathize to those who were affected by the storm and those who lost their loved ones and their jobs to the fire.
Difficult as it may be, bouncing back has been a way of life in Davao. The success of the city today only shines brighter because of its dark history.
In 1970's Davao City was dubbed as the Philippines' Murder Capital; dissension in the city was severe and murders were committed in the streets. The locals persevered and even formed vigilante groups aiming to rid the city of the elements who caused the the conflicts and finally, hope came in 1985. The city recovered and is now considered one of the most important cities in the Philippines. It was a tedious job but it got done with the locals and the government doing it hand in hand. That's how it was then and that remains to be now.
In the spirit of bouncing back from what happened in 2017, we joined the Children's Ministry of Bangkal in a simple gift-giving event in a challenged community in the city. The small gathering was supposed to be a Christmas party for the children but because of the storm, they had to cancel, and was instead held yesterday at 3pm in the hall of Leon A. Garcia Sr. Elem school. 36 kids enjoyed the spaghetti, fried chicken, lumpiang shanghai and cake that were served after some fun and games. They later on had a discussion on lessons from the bible with the pastor that was present in the event and brought home some toys and goodies.
What Will Be
We are not stopping there. It's just the beginning of the year and yet we already have a big project coming up in April. We were made aware about the plight of some students of Libertad National High School in a remote area in Samal Island, Davao del Norte. The post Project Proposal | SteemPH in Libertad National High School tells us how some of the students eat rice with sea salt for lunch, something they won't have to do if they know how to grow their own food. So in April, we are visiting the school in Samal, Davao del Norte aiming to impart basic knowledge on homesteading and provide basic tools necessary to start a vegetable garden in their own backyard. We will also be allotting some time to speak with the educators about Steemit and how the platform may impact them and their teaching.
In the coming days, we will be sharing updates on the developments of the project and post about the homesteading techniques we will share during our visit to the school.
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