November blog without November blues

On Tuesday - we were already in Camiguin - the annual sports festival took place and Aiza moderated the event for the 4th to 6th graders. Although the sports festival is more relays and exercise games than real sport, the kids always have a blast taking part.

Keno and Aiza were alone for two weeks so that the manager could show the social worker the daily work in peace. Aiza learned quickly and she enjoys the work and Keno also enjoys running the aid organization with her. During this time, Mäge and I “hunted” tiny underwater slugs and other small animals while diving, but also had a conversation with a Batulong student in Camiguin and accepted a new student from there into the aid organization. We don't have a branch in Camiguin, but if we know the families and we can trust that communication with our manager works, support is possible, especially in college.

Back in Calaanan, as always, there are a lot of things to decide and weigh up. Our caretaker is once again keeping us busy: this time because she felt severe stomach pain on Sunday and she asked Keno to accompany her and her husband to the hospital. The reason is that both 55-year-olds are practically unable to read or write (only attended three classes) and they are probably ashamed to admit that they cannot fill out a form in the hospital. Nevertheless, we as employers have to decide - to protect Keno, who can't go along with everything - that she has to organize other helpers and is not allowed to use our employees to do this, especially not on her day off. Alternatively, she could join us in the ALS (Alternative Learning System) class, where she would learn to read and write better and could complete primary school. But that would mean that she would have to admit her illiteracy. In addition, we have to note that she has once again decided to stop two of her three medications for her diabetes 2 - her blood sugar is now lower again (which is true, but still far from good). We have been trying to support and inform Diana in managing her diabetes for a year now and we believe that the time has now come for her to decide for herself whether she wants to take medication, check her blood sugar or go to the doctor and that she also bears the consequences of her decisions.

A mother comes with her daughter, one of our college students in their third year of accounting. She has two unsatisfactory overall grades and has to repeat these subjects. It appears that the teacher - the same for both subjects - had questions in the tests that were not discussed in class. Unfortunately we cannot prove this and it means that the girl, or rather her parents, have to pay the enrollment costs for the two subjects themselves. As we discuss this and realize that it is easy for the student to integrate the additional subjects in her final year, she and her mother suddenly begin to cry. We ask why... - they are tears of joy because they were afraid that we would exclude them from Batulong because of the two "failed grades" and are now happy to hear that the student can continue studying.

In the ALS class on Wednesday (a great state facility to enable people to complete primary school), which takes place in our center, there is a 12-year-old girl who recently went to regular school. But her mother works full time, her father is in prison and no one looks after her two younger siblings. That's why the mother decided that school once a week was enough for her daughter and that she should babysit her siblings during the other times. Since she only had to finish the 6th grade, it is actually the case that she will finish primary school next year, regardless of whether it is in the regular school or in the ALS class. Of course she would like to go to a class with her peers, but she may have a better education thanks to the more intensive support from teacher Leni. But what should happen next? You can only attend the upper school ALS class from the age of 16 and so she would have to go back to normal school next year. Her older brother is supported by Batulong and so we plan to talk to the mother if possible and find solutions.

Jacklyn, the girl with the cleft lip and palate, is having her first operation next week. First the interior of the mouth and the cleft or crevices seem to be closed, then about 2-3 months later the correction of the teeth and the lip reconstruction. The brave 12-year-old is happy, especially because the operation will be an outpatient procedure. We will report more later and our great social worker will accompany her and her mother when they “move in” at 4 a.m.

Keno finds out via Facebook that one of our 12th grade students is pregnant. Unfortunately, it's almost normal to hear about pregnancy every six months. Despite information and the consequence that Batulong expects the mother to take a year off and look after her baby, the young women seem to expect that the parents will step in in an emergency, which practically does not happen. Since this student is still in the early stages of her pregnancy, it should be possible for her to complete elementary school. After a year, she can then choose her college direction. In the past, some students have resumed their studies after a year and we have had very good experiences with this arrangement. Now it seems - although this has not yet been confirmed - that Batulong girls in junior high school are also pregnant and we have to investigate the rumors and clarify the matter in more detail.

Our two employees are super pleasant to work with and Aiza has easily fit into our everyday life at Batulong. Only now do we sometimes realize why communicating and working with her predecessor was so time-consuming and tiring. Now we hope that this team will stay with us for a while.

Many things that need to be changed or improved don't come to our attention until we're here. For example, it is a question to a student who is collecting his fare that leads us to a discussion about other scholarships (from the city or the social department) and later to a clearer definition of where else our Batulong students can apply for a scholarship should apply. Conclusion: we can work with our good team from Switzerland, but our visits here are important in order to really feel the aid organization and be able to give input.