Sustainable Eco-Educational Development Inc.

A Summit For The Ocean (Freedom climb 2014 at Mt. Lanaya, Alegria Cebu)

Respect is innate to us-- Filipinos. We honor our elders and our ancestors. Having these thoughts incepted in my mind, I pondered that mountains were once part of the vast ocean. In some sense, they are also our ancestors observing silently the course of nature and humanity through time. Thus, they deserve to be treated with utmost reverence as well.

Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley once said, "There's a natural mystic blowing through the air, if you listen carefully now you will hear." Indeed, the mountain whispered. It greeted us with overwhelming hospitality- the shades from the towering trees, the aromatic ambiance and the relieving touch of the wind. As a gesture of kindness, it allowed us to reach the summit with loads of wisdom. Amidst its grandeur and fascinating sceneries, I felt so small and humbled from my vantage point. I am simply a fortunate guest co-existed with other creations. We have to take responsibility with our acts for it will replicate in one way or another; destructive or not. The mountain whispered again and introduce the body of water as its origin. Atop, the placid ocean seems like a concrete road, unblemished with a single ripple. It made me realize that the ocean and the mountain sustain their connections for they are in constant contact with each other. Their distance is just a gaze away. They tenderly whisper their messages through the gentle breeze. Nature is always living in harmony, may we respect its course rather than disrupting its ways.

Gone were the days when we took up arms in pursuit for liberty, Still, the battle is on. Our fight for a sustainable environment continues. Our struggle to raise environmental awareness and stewardship is of the essence. In our own ways, let's be a hero and a warrior for Mother Nature especially for our ocean. As we scream for freedom, may we also liberate it from our waste. Life has been extremely dependent on this liquid portion of this world and it puzzles me witnessing unnecessary waste on it. It is about time to stop making our oceans as trash cans.

As we enjoy the perks of freedom may we always remember that we are not the only one entitled to it. We have to consider the rest of humanity and all the faces of nature. After all, we are symbiotically connected to each other. Hopefully, we will give importance to these connections-- just as I conversed with the mountain and the mountain to the oceans.

Life Goes On In Dawahon

“In three words, I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on” –Robert Frost

When we arrived at Dawahon Island to distribute the school supplies donated by FMC Philippines, we can barely tell that the people living there have been victims of fire a few weeks back. You can see children gleefully jumping from a small pier to the sea. You can see a father preoccupied in cutting a piece wood to make a door frame. A mother was busy putting dried seaweed into a sack. As you go further in the island, you see children playing and running after each other amidst the charred house remains.

You can see that the people there are slowly and steadily trying to recover from the latest calamity that has hit the island. Starting from the end of 2013, Dawahon Island has experienced some of the worst calamities known to man. Earthquake in October 2013. Yolanda in November 2013. Tropical Depressions Agaton and Basyang also struck the island early this year where they experienced food shortage in the entire island. And finally, the fire that struck the island early May of this year.

Amidst all the calamities that they have experienced, you can’t help but be amazed at their grateful and positive attitude.”Naa man jud nay rason ang tanang butang. (Everything happens for a reason)”, one resident said. “Di man pud pwede nga sigeg ra kag hunahuna sa mga nawala nimong butang, kay sakit ra kayo na sa dughan (You can’t continue to dwell on what you have lost because it will just hurt you)”, said another. Another resident there said, “Nawala man among mga butang, pero basin naa pay mas nindot og mas daghan pa nga moabot namo. (We may have lost many material possessions, but we believe that there is better and much more to come to us in the future)”, said another.

But the best statement that we heard was, “Nasunog lagi amo balay but wala man nasunog ang dagat. Makatanom ra gihapon mig guso . Maningkamot aron mabawi pa namo balik ang tanan namong nawala. (The fire only burned our houses and material things but it did not burn the sea. We can still plant seaweeds and regain all the things that we have lost in the fire)”. They even showed the sense of community and cooperation in the packing of the limited school supplies that we brought to the island. Mothers helped packed the school supplies that will be shared by small kids who were affected by the fire. They thanked us non-stop for the school supplies that we have brought.

After facilitating the distribution of the school supplies, we left the island. But the people of Dawahon left a mark on our hearts. Usually after experiencing tragedies and natural calamities, there are many who rely on outside help to recover but the people have Dawahon have chosen to smile and recover on the limited resources that they have left. Their resiliency will truly inspire you.

In that quick visit, they have taught us lessons that other people will take an entire lifetime to learn. Everyone faces challenges in life in different forms but hopefully, just like the people of Dawahon Island, we can learn to smile, persevere and move on from own tests and failures.

Pahalipay para sa mga puya/ bata sa Bantayan Island- a Christmas Offering of SEED.

You’ve been with us when we helped those who were affected by the earthquake in Bohol. You’ve actively supported us in our relief operations in Ormoc and Bantayan days after Yolanda. You have helped us give food treats and loot bags to countless kids during Christmas. Thank you for extending your help in any way possible. While we were affected by natural calamities in 2013, we still made a difference by offering help in any form. We pray that we will have a safe and prosperous year in 2014 and may God bless us more with countless blessings. Thank you for all your help. Happy new year everyone!

-SEED

40 Days of Giving Hope

Every trip leaves a mark on us even although not all of us realize it. Our last trip to Bantayan islets left so many realizations that served as life lessons as well. As a background, a private company in Cebu asked Balt and I to interview families who have relatives that died during the Yolanda storm. We found two families last week and conducted preliminary interviews to get their background and promised to bring help for them when we come back. One family was located in the island of Biyagayag while one family was located in Balidbid but we still have to locate the family in the barangay. We went back to Bantayan Island last December 17, 2013.

We expected the trip to be easier compared to last week because we already have information from last week’s interview. However, we were in for a surprise. When we arrived in Bantayan, we decided to look for the family in Balidbid first. We rented a motorcycle and went to the barangay. After a couple of misdirection, we were able to finally locate the right path to their house. The path was harder than expected. We have to walk on foot in lush vegetation and rocky terrain. Finally, when we arrived at their abode and showed signs that there house was destroyed by the storm. We were also surprised that the people there were busy preparing for what looked like a feast.

We interviewed one member of the family and along the course of the discussion; we found out that the food prepared was for the 40th day after their father’s death. Before leaving, we promised them that we will come back later in the day to give them financial help. We left and went to Bantayan and bought house materials for the other family. We brought the housing materials to the other family in Biyagayag Island and also found out that they were also sharing food for the 40th day after the death of their relative. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the luxury of time to stay long on the island and immediately decided to go back to mainland to deliver the financial assistance for the family in Balidbid.

The low tide caught up with us, and the usually quick ride to Bantayan took longer time. We arrived at the mainland about 5 pm and hurriedly went back to Balidbid. On our way to the barangay, it was getting dark and the full moon can be clearly seen in the horizon. We traced our way back to the family’s residence and the rocky terrain was even made more difficult because of the darkness. We finally arrived at their house and even in the darkness; more and more people were coming in to join the family in remembering the death of their relatives. We gave the recipients the financial assistance that we promised to give them. They were very grateful with the help that they received and even offered food that we graciously accepted. On our way back to Bantayan at about 7 pm in the evening, you can’t help but go over the things that happened on the entire day.

First, we realized that it’s been 40 days since Yolanda’s wrath. It’s no surprise if we will hear that other families in other areas of the Philippines would also have a little salo-salo because it was customary for Filipinos to prepare food 40 days after a relative’s death. With so many people dead in Yolanda’s aftermath, I can only wonder how they remembered the 40th day of their dead relatives. Second, we realized that we have been working 40 days already in helping those affected by Yolanda. We have been conducting relief operations in Ormoc and in Bantayan Islets for the past 40 days and our operations unexpectedly brought us to different places in Leyte and Northern Cebu particularly in the islets. Lastly, was it a coincidence that we gave our help on the 40th day? Filipinos usually give importance on the 40th day because they believe that the soul of a dead relative stays for 40 days here in earth and after which they leave for the afterlife. We never expected or planned that we will be going their exactly on the 40th day celebration yet we arrived on that exact day to give hope and offer help.

Leaving that remote Bantayan barangay, we felt great for another day of accomplishment. The search for the family was not easy yet we were able to give them help exactly 40 days after their relatives passed away. Forty days have passed after Yolanda and we were still offering help and at the same time giving hope for the Yolanda survivors. We have not stopped and will continue to give them hope for the next days to come.

5 more days to go and it's gonna be our dinner for a cause already. have you reserved your tickets yet? if you haven't, it's not yet too late. pm me for your reservations. if you have friends who are interested to help, don't hesitate to contact us. we encourage you to bring toys and candies if you can on the day of the event. see you this december 13, 6pm-10pm at patio isabel. have a blessed week ahead! ^_^

Final Copy > RAK Project

After the relief operations in Can-ontog, we went to Hilongos, Leyte as our jumpoff point back to Cebu City. Our initial plan was to organize a feeding program but due to time constraint, we decided to pack relief goods. With a sack of rice donated by a friend and goods that we brought from Cebu, we were able to pack 30 goods. We distributed the goods to the houses in Di-Ke, North Filomena area because they were also experiencing difficulty after the storm. We end up distributing the goods house to house so we won't create commotion in the area. Despite the rain, we were able to distribute the goods successfully. We then ended the day with a mass in Hilongos Church. From Ormoc and then in Hilongos, this only showed that we can offer help anywhere we are. What a weekend indeed! :)

A group of beautiful ladies drinking tuba along the river after washing their laundry. Kids bathing in the cool water. Guys washing their motorcycles. Filipino ingenuity at its best. We were able to experience first-hand how we turn an inconvenience to our advantage. These are only some of the beautiful experiences/ realizations that we brought home coming from our distribution of goods in a barangay in Ormoc City. People continue to smile amidst all adversities and the genuine "thank you" that they say as a sign of gratitude never fail to melt our hearts. On top of that we were hosted by the Astillo family who made the experience worth our while. May God bless these beautiful people. :)