Our day began by meeting some friendly faces, and some familiar ones too. These were Kiwanis Club representatives - some having spent decades supporting SCAW's work - who kicked the day off with a brand of joyfulness that so perfectly reflected the warmth of the Filipino spirit that we had only started to uncover.
Then came the factory tour where we met cousins Marvin and Fred, stewards of a 40-year-old family business that has evolved from producing rice sacks to manufacturing apparel for some of the Philippines' largest distributors. While impressive in itself, it was their business plan that left me feeling like our overseas partners had secured a terrific supplier. The cousins explained how they were growing a collaborative network of cottage industries across Luzon - already employing over 100 people - outlining their business model that provisioned equipment and training to rural Filipinos with an aim of stemming the tide of labour migrants forced to leave their families and their villages for the grinding metropolis of Manila.
The afternoon brought our first distribution. We delivered 300 bedkits to 300 smiling faces whose patience seemed improbable in the 33 degree heat. We talked to many of these children and their curiosity was truly contagious and their ability to play rock paper scissors impressive.
It's been one day since we landed, and we're one distribution in. I've been struck by the kindness of the Filipino people, but I'm truly in awe of their resiliency. It's going to be a great distribution, and we're in the right place.
Team Philippines, 2025
World of Sweet Dreams 🇵🇭 and SCAW 🇨🇦