Filipino expats Rose Cordero (red blouse), Zeny Ala (blue blouse) and and Jovy Baltazar (yellow blouse) pose with Penny Sagembo (right) and the Tembari kids during the trio’s visit of The Center.
From left: Rose Cordero, Hayward Sagembo, Zeny Ala, Jovy Baltazar and Penny Sagembo. (More pictures below story).By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
A Friend of Tembari Children
ON SATURDAY, three ladies drove up to The Center to find out what help they could offer to the Tembari Children.
Our Filipino expat visitors were Zeny R Ala, owner of Associated Builders & Contractors Ltd (ABC), who is also the administrative and finance manager, Jovy G Baltazar, GM of Paradise Business Consultants and Rose Cordero of Avenell Engineering Systems Ltd.
The three visited The Center during my special Saturday feeding gig in which the Tembari Children were served special lunch usually paid for by two sponsors.
However, last Saturday’s lunch was shouldered solely by Zeny.
Immediately after meeting the Tembari Children, the threeladies had promised Hayward and Penny Sagembo, the Co-Founders of the Tembari Children Care (TCC) center, that they would do networking to market the future of its young wards.
Networking means they would tap their respective clients and contacts for possible assistance to The Center, especially with one that concerns the children’s education.
And they would even use Facebook to spread the news about the good things that are happening with the 98 children at The Center, and possibly reach out to many new potential donors and supporters.
The Tembari children are composed of orphans, abandoned, neglected and unfortunate children being cared for by grandparents and close relatives who are themselves economically deprived. That’s why they are all relying on The Center for the children’s food and education needs.
At present, we have 45 preschoolers who are holding classes from Monday to Friday at The Center and another 42 children at 11 elementary and primary schools around Port Moresby. The rest are toddlers plus a young girl who just came in this week.
The fees of the schoolchildren are paid for by The Center, using school fee grants from WeCaRe! foundation. On the other hand, the foundation received educational funding from Digicel Foundation.
At this time, the ladies were already looking at the next school year wherein they could tap their contacts for possible assistance concerning the school fees of our 40 plus elementary and primary schoolchildren should WeCaRe! become unable to continue supporting the Tembari Children’s schooling for one reason or the other.
About an hour ago, while Zeny, Jovy and Rose were on their way to The Center at ATS Oro Settlement, at Seven-Mile, a delivery truck from ABC brought in 10 bags of cement which will be needed to build the platform of our water tank system.
The material’s delivery was arranged by Zeny a day before. She promised that more building materials such as timber needed for this project would follow next.
Hayward had brief them on our desire to install a water system due to our difficulties with water. We would tap water from the mainline operated by Eda Ranu, which is several meters away from The Center’s premises.
Hayward also told them of The Center’s plan to build another classroom for our 45 preschoolers. We have expected that by next year, their number would increase to at least 55, one reason we needed additional space to accommodate them.
Zeny has instructed me to coordinate with one of ABC’s building engineers, Cocoy Erbina, whom she will assign to this particular undertaking.
With the coming of Zeny, Jovy and Rose, the base of The Center’s prospective individual and corporate supporters would somehow expand.
Zeny’s company had its own network of contacts whom she promised to tap for support; Jovy’s company has its own network of corporate executives that she could approach, and so with Rose, whose company has a rich rooster of potential supporters.
Through their Facebook accounts, they would link up with my own blog site www.tembari.blogspot.com to further give Tembari Children cyber exposure, which could generate possible support from Facebook visitors.
Indeed, the possibilities are quite endless.
By the way, the ladies brought with them four bundles of old clothing which were distributed to our volunteer mothers and to kids who were lucky enough to fit in one or two of the kiddy clothes.
And while waiting for my special lunch to be served, Zeny, Jovy and Rose had noticed that almost all the kids walked barefooted.
This was one of those things they would look into, they said.
Zeny, Rose and Jovy with the children during lunch on Saturday.
Tembari kids crowding at the back of the car for the goodies like purified drinking water, cordial drinks and cooking ingredients.
Hayward, Rose and Zeny collecting the bundles of used clothing from the car.
Children wash their hands just before they are to be served special hot corn soup.
Penny holds a dialogue (with laptop) with volunteer mothers regarding The Center’s livelihood assistance program.
A volunteer mother pose with a cooking “puto” (Filipino steamed cake) for snacks after the volunteer mothers meeting with Penny.
The newly-cooked “puto” prepared by blogger APH for the volunteer mothers.
Penny surrounded by children while explaining something to them just before lunch is served.Email the writer: alfredophernandez@thenational.com.pg
jarahdz500@online.net.pg
freddiephernandez@yahoo.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete