Open Hands Service Trip Day 1

    We have actively been sponsoring Open Hands and through them, we were introduced to Cherry and her difficulties of teaching in such an underprivileged environment. After hearing her story, four members of the Ecosave Club - Soo Lee, Daniel Kim, Justin Chung, Cindy Kim - traveled to the Philippines full of excitement, ready to serve the community and help Cherry.

    First, we went to Cherry's village and watched her teach math to the local children. The children, around 60 of them, were chaotic yet eager to learn. Following Cherry's math lesson, we taught a simple dance and thankfully, each and every one of the children were jumping up and down and having fun. We also handed out bubbles for the children to play with. To provide the children a better learning environment, we gave out school supplies such as whiteboards, notebooks, pens, pencils, and crayons. By the time we were done handing out the materials, everyone was hungry and it was time for feeding. We helped out by pouring porridge into small bowls and filled up their stomachs. 

  Then we drove down to Cherry's house and met a few other kids. She talked about how she was struggling to properly educate the underprivileged kids due to economic difficulties and a lack of resources. We learned that many children could not access proper public schools since they were not able to receive their birth certificates. We had the opportunity to interview her and ask a few questions regarding her life. Overall, Cherry showed us great hospitality and it was a humbling experience to witness how she went through her daily life.