Dear Friends,

SCHOOL AND FARM IN MAPA

    Our graduation at the end of March, 2010, was the usual bittersweet affair.  Our guest speaker, Susan Sykes is a Filipina who married Phil, a British Overseas Volunteer, after they met in Cagayan where they both taught at the same college.  They went back to Britain, worked in social services there and have now returned to the Philippines to retire.  Sue told the students about her own experiences in having to go away to high school and how much she had missed her family.  She encouraged our students to continue their education even though she knows how much they miss their families.  She told all of them to do whatever they could to continue their education, even though it might mean separation from their loved ones.

    As soon as the graduates started singing their song, it began to dawn on them that they won’t be seeing most of their classmates again since they come from many different places.  Soon the tears were flowing.  But it was still a very happy day for them and their parents.

HANDICAPPED

We have been assisting twenty-four year old Marvelous to attend the special education, (SPED) for blind and low vision students.  Marvelous is totally blind, but had received mobility training, when he lived in Manila.  He is now living with distant relatives here on Camiguin.  He gets around very well and is very articulate.  He and a blind young woman, who has never attended school, were both invited to a special computer training program in Davao.  So we supplied the transportation money to get there.  We were amazed at the new technology and how much Marvelous learned there.  He can now use the internet and was able to get a program online that speaks his messages to him.  He was unable to take the government department of education exam to possibly get an elementary equivalency last year because the Braille exam never arrived.  This year, his SPED teacher has promised to read the exam to him if they don’t receive the Braille version.  After high school, he hopes to eventually become a pastor.

Speaking of pastors, a young man whom we sent to Davao many years ago for cleft lip and palate surgery is now a practicing minister.  The comment of the neighbor who told us this was that he didn’t have a permanently disfigured face, so he is able to stand up in front of people and preach.

We had a first recently.  Rica, two and a half years old, was referred to Diane because of a waddling gait.  When Diane saw her at the rehab center, where they had started doing physical therapy, it seemed that her legs moved alright, but the legs were very bowed.  We had her seen by the orthopedist, when he made one of his monthly visits to Camiguin.  He ordered x-rays, which confirmed his suspicion that she has rickets.  Rickets is caused by Vitamin D deficiency.  The body can produce enough Vitamin D on its own if children (and adults) get enough sunlight on their skin.  And since it is sunny all year round, it is very rare to see rickets in the tropics.  We couldn’t get a clear picture, but perhaps Rica had been sickly and kept indoors for a long period of time.  Then when she started walking, her bones were very soft and became curved.  Sadly, there is nothing that will correct this.  The physical therapy was stopped and Diane instructed the mother on diet and regular exposure to sunlight.

BABY HOME

We have a little bit quieter house.  Diane brought Andrie to Manila for his visa medical and interview at the U.S. Embassy in Manila in mid-April.  We had received a welcome book of pictures of his family, so when his adoptive parents, who are both Filipino-Americans, and his aunt who lives in Manila arrived on May 3, 2010, Andrie warmed up to them very easily.  And they were thrilled to finally meet their son.  They all departed on May 5, 2010.

We had worried that Marco might miss his constant companion of the past two years, but he still has James to play with.  And he seems to enjoy the extra, undivided attention he now gets.  Diane brought him to Cagayan de Oro City to submit his passport application the last week of May, 2010.  We now wait for the passport to be issued and then his adoptive parents from Finland will come to meet him and take him home.

That will leave seventeen month old James.  He will take a few steps between two people with urging, but isn’t really walking yet.  He loves to stand and walks around the furniture and walls and he climbs up a few steps.  Although he makes lots of sounds, he still is behind in language development, but does make spurting sounds, which indicates his palate is functioning well.  He is a handsome boy with almost constant smiles. The two boys love going out in the yard, where we made bamboo parallel bars to encourage James to walk.  But he usually stops part way and turns to watch the passing fishing boats and the gentle waves rolling onto our beach.  A passtime we all enjoy.

James gently touching Marco's face

Marco

Andrie & Marco

James

Grace and Peace,

Tom and Diane Palmeri

For pictures of some of the children already assisted, click here

    We now have a two page leaflet/brochure that you can print out and give to your friends or send to them electronically: http://family2family.org/Brochure/fam2fambrochure.pdf .  We also have a blog that shows video/audio:  http://familytofamilycamiguin.blogspot.com .

    Contributions are IRS tax deductible (ID#42-1087104) and eligible for matching by employers.  They should be payable to "Family to Family, Inc.".  If in U.S. dollars, they should be sent to:

Family to Family, Inc.

c/o Carroll County State Bank

Box 67

Carroll, Iowa  51401

    Packages, letters and peso checks should all be sent to:

Tom & Diane Palmeri

Box 37, 9100 Mambajao

Camiguin Province

Philippines