"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas



2014 was a fruitful year for Balay ni Charie. We reached out to 11 elementary schools in Capiz including Roxas City, Sapian, Dao, Tapaz and Pan-ay. Many thanks to our generous supporters. We are excited to celebrate our 10th year of giving school supplies to schoolchildren in Capiz in 2015.

Wishing all of you the blessings of peace, love and joy this Christmas and throughout the new year.

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Image by TravelswithCharie

Friday, August 08, 2014

At Lacaron Elementary School


Lacaron Elementary School

Continuing with our school distribution program, we went to Lacaron Elementary School in Dao, Capiz last July and reached out to approximately 240 children. The last time we were in Lacaron was in December 2011. It was really nice to be able to revisit Lacaron this year. 

Typical of July weather, it was a hot and humid day and we stayed outdoors under the UNICEF donated tent classroom. With the school principal, Milagros Jore Derayo, we gave each of the children notebooks, pens and pencils. Some kids took home prizes like crayons, toys, pencil cases, coloring books and more school supplies for giving the correct answer to our math, spelling and history questions. Here are the young students raising their hands to answer a particular question we posed to them.


The little ones are sometimes shy but generally eager to answer our questions. They are always excited to receive a prize. Everyone gets involved including teachers and parents who prod their children along to raise their hand and answer our questions.

Balay ni Charie is now on its 9th year and we are really excited as we get closer to our 10th year. A milestone for us! We hope to reach many more schools in the province of Capiz between now and 2015.

We thank our generous donors - Bock Loo, Nieva Burdick, Leda Albar, Monike Alberjeun, Ray Wong, Deborah Bartens, Rose Driscoll and many others who have helped us since our early years. We hope there will be more people who will join us in giving the children the tools they need to succed in school.


I am encouraged by the word inscribed on the t-shirt of the boy in the center of the photo. It says: NEVER GIVE UP. That about sums it all up. 


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Images by TravelswithCharie

Monday, March 31, 2014

February 2014 Activities

First Grade classroom, Agsilab Elem. School

February was a hectic month for Balay ni Charie. We distributed school supplies in four elementary schools in Capiz. Our first stop was in Sapian at Agsilab Elementary School. 300 students received notebooks, pens and pencils from Balay ni Charie. At Agsilab, we saw first hand the damages wrought by super typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. In one building, three different grades had to share the same room. Blackboards were used to separate one class from the other. The ceiling was gouged out. In another classroom, a red plastic tarp keeps the children dry from the rains. The kindergarten and day care kids were installed at the barangay hall across the street as there were no classrooms available for them. The good news is that all the children were able to continue with their studies. And maybe the buildings will be repaired during the summer break.

Agsilab Elementary School

Our next stop was at Agoho Elementary School in Pan-ay which is right on the beach. It has the most beautiful setting of all the schools but vulnerable to storm surges and flooding. I would have a hard time concentrating on learning anything if I were one of the students here because I would probably be gazing out the window or be distracted by the calming sounds of the sea. 290 children received school supplies at this school. We happily observed the work on the roofs of the buildings. Fortunately, the school received much needed help for repairs from a Christian group from Texas, USA.

Agoho Elementary School

Nieva Burdick and her friends and family sent a generous contribution of school supplies to Balay ni Charie. She shipped these supplies and t-shirts from New York in December 2013 and it was delivered in Roxas City in February 2014. This helped us immensely so we could reach out to two more schools - Malonoy Elementary School and Ilas Norte, both in Dao, Capiz. I was quite impressed with how the Principal, the teachers and the parents of the students at Malonoy Elementary School worked together to make all the necessary repairs to the classrooms damaged by the typhoon. What a herculean effort on their part to pick up the pieces and put everything back together in record time! Bravo!

Malonoy Elementary School

The sixth grade kids at Ilas Norte Elementary School received t-shirts and they were so excited to wear them. Here they are showing off their new tees.

Students at Ilas Norte Elementary School 

About 204 students in Malonoy and 295 schoolchildren at Ilas Norte Elementary School received school supplies. These distributions totaling 1,027 grade school students in Capiz were much needed replenishments after the super typhoon claimed all of the children's books and supplies. As Balay ni Charie, a grassroots foundation, enters its 9th year of service to the children of Capiz, it is grateful to all its generous supporters whose invaluable contributions allow it to reach out to more schools in the community.
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Images byBalayniCharie and TravelswithCharie