A report from Selina Hohl

A new message appears on my mobile phone display: "We have booked!". I'm overwhelmed and can't categorise my feelings and thoughts at first. Is this really happening or am I dreaming? I'm flying to the Philippines!

An initial feeling of anticipation starts to take hold, the next moment fear spreads through me and I ask myself many questions: How can I make the children happy? Do I feel comfortable in such a foreign country, far away from my family? Does the Fatima Centre look like the pictures? What are the hygiene conditions like? What is there to eat? What does it really mean to live in the Philippines? Does the travel group get along with each other? Can I cope with the cultural differences and how can I process what I have experienced? Many questions that I don't have an answer to at first. I just have to get on the plane, get involved in the adventure and very soon I will get answers to all my questions. The time until departure passes more quickly than I thought and very soon the great journey begins. Last things are done and the original doubts disappear as if by magic. I only feel pure joy and excitement. I am ready and finally we are off! Packed with gifts, chocolate, school supplies, medicines, cuddly toys, seeds and much more, we can start our journey on 28 February! Relief spreads through me as we are on our way to Frankfurt together with our travel group! I can immediately feel the harmony within our group, even though we have come together for the first time on the day of departure! Moreover, I get to embark on this special journey together with my boyfriend, so I can be sure that no matter what challenges come our way, I am not alone and we can share both the beautiful and sad moments together! 

Then everything happened very quickly and we landed in Manila. The first impression confirmed my expectations: loud, dirty and chaotic. The complete opposite of the quiet and relaxed village life I know. I have to adapt quickly to the new circumstances and learn that I can't control and plan everything. Even though I always felt a bit uncomfortable during the trips due to the lack of traffic rules, in retrospect I can say that I am glad to have had this experience as well. 

Apart from the traffic, I immediately noticed that Manila is a city of extremes. The border between rich and poor is miles apart. It is unbelievably sad to see how in one corner of the city there is a shopping mall selling luxury items and in front of it families are begging to be able to afford a meal. Poverty is unfortunately a part of the Philippines and a daily problem. A large part of the population has no access to education, malnutrition is an immense problem, the contaminated water and the lack of infrastructure make life in the Philippines very difficult. At the end of the first day, I had to try to process these drastic impressions and so an incredible gratitude came up in me. I am grateful to have a family, to live in Germany, to have a roof over my head, not to have to worry about my food and to be able to pursue my studies. Thank you! 

The trip was worth it just for that alone, but what I didn't know at the time was that this is just the beginning and that I can take a lot more from this adventure for myself. 

When we arrived at the children's home, the children welcomed us warmly and with beautiful singing. As most of our group had already visited the children's home, the first tears were shed by my fellow travellers. The reunion brought back fond memories from past trips and I too was immediately captivated. I was very moved by the joy and warmth of the children when they arrived. 

The infinite love that the children passed on to me is gigantic and from the first moment I felt at home. I was convinced of the opposite and my expectations were clearly exceeded. With a naturalness, the children offered me a piece of their bread, they immediately get up to offer you a seat or wait eagerly for you in the morning to say "good morning" and wish you a nice day. Even though I find this kind of appreciation very unpleasant, it would be desirable to be able to observe this gratitude, caring and attentiveness of society in Germany as well.

During our time, we tried to give back as much positively as possible to the home children and the entire FACE family. Thanks to the donations, we were able to buy ice cream for the children, finance a month's supply of food, provide hygiene articles, enable the children to spend a weekend together in Balatan, with Sister Felicitas, and much more. At this point, I would like to thank all the donors on behalf of the whole group. 

Overwhelmed by the positive impressions, I unfortunately also had to get to know many bad sides of the Philippines. Every day we were confronted with the consequences of poverty and I also encountered many stray dogs and cats that have to fight for every meal. It is incredibly difficult to see how much the population suffers from the living conditions. 

Another drastic and incredibly emotional experience for me was visiting Imelda. She is a former child in care, 24 years old and dependent on a donor kidney. Unfortunately, the Philippine health system is not even remotely comparable to the German system and her family has to privately finance the running costs for dialysis and the costs for the transplant, which is almost impossible. Katja Dienst and Monika Scharfe are currently running a fundraising campaign to cover the monthly costs. Furthermore, Stefanie Ketter organises yoga sessions, which take place on a donation basis for Imelda. A big thank you to all of you! Unfortunately, it is still a long way to go before enough money is raised for a transplant, let alone a donor kidney is found. On the day of our visit, Imelda's entire family was very grateful for the support. Imelda's fighting spirit and her zest for life is so impressive that, despite the sad circumstances, I was able to take something positive away from the touching day: I should value my health and that of my family more, keep the positive things in mind and always pursue my goals. 

The three weeks flew by and we still experienced an incredible amount. As mentioned above, we visited Sister Felicitas together with the home children in Balatan. The children were extremely excited before the trip and stood in front of us with their things packed as we sleepily made our way to breakfast that morning. An excursion of this kind is very special for the children and even the journey to Balatan is a highlight for everyone. The sparkle in the children's eyes when we arrived is indescribably beautiful and it wasn't long before the children were splashing and laughing in the sea. Two days of seeing something different and enjoying every moment! Sister Vanice had the idea to start a small team-building project with the group. So we were divided into small groups, each group came up with its own rallying cry with a dance to go with it, and off we went! Spread out on the beach, we solved various tasks as a team and all groups had a lot of fun. 

We also went on an excursion to one of the outposts of the children's home in San Pedro. Furthermore, we organised a joint dinner with the children and staff of the children's home and the school and we played, sang and danced with the children in every free minute. It is impossible to put these experiences into words. I can only repeat myself and say that I am completely amazed at the ease and contentment with which the children go through life. They enjoy every little moment, are grateful for little things and take care of each other. My heart is filled with love and happiness and I have the children's home to thank for that!

I am overjoyed and would like to thank everyone I met on the trip and who accompanied me for the unforgettable, but also emotional time. I will carry the memories of this trip in my heart forever! 

Salamat po!

On 14.09. the 48th anniversary of the foundation was celebrated. Since the foundation of the home, so much good has been achieved: many children get access to schooling that they would otherwise not receive. The families of the mountain farmers ("tribals") can be supported and a large number of children can grow up in the home and thus have regular food, schooling and a home. In addition, there have been and continue to be new initiatives and approaches to improve self-sufficiency and continue to help the poorest around the home. The latest project is the Food Hub (see below). It is good to see that children from the home are now becoming teachers as adults and then teaching in the home. The other training/study professions offered also continue to produce new staff.

The Fatima Centre is a success story - but success is always on very shaky ground, because despite its own efforts to generate money, the home is still dependent on donations. 48 years are a reason for joy and gratitude - we would like to thank all those who have made this possible through their support. 

Unfortunately, we also have to report that things are particularly tight there at the moment - there is a lack of money to pay the already low salaries of the teachers and staff. 

Please continue to donate!

Thank you so much!

The handover of the leadership of the Order and the Fatima Centre, which had been prepared for the long term, was completed on 30.07.2022: Sr. Vanise formally took over the Order and the Centre. Sr. Felicitas continues to advise, the "Board of Trusties" (comparable to a supervisory board consisting of family members, the bishop and other persons) and the long-serving staff support her. This news also reached us only on 30 July, as the decisive meeting took place on that day. Sr. Felicitas, now 85 years old, endured 13 months of quarantine for her own protection in a single room before expressing her wish to be given accommodation on the Balatan property by the sea. There used to be a beautiful bamboo hut there, which was destroyed in a previous typhoon. It has now been replaced by a permanent house "paid for" through a land swap. On special occasions (e.g. handing over of office or death anniversary of Sr. Lasalle on 03.08.) Sr. Felicitas comes back to the home on individual days.  

She continues to have an unrestricted interest in world affairs. She is also aware of what is happening here in Germany.  She is concerned about the developments in her own country, but also about the many conflicts all over the world. She still has an inexhaustible reservoir of ideas on how she can contribute to improving the living conditions of the poorer and poorer population. For example, she buys fish from the fishermen of Balatan for the children in the home and has started another service with this orientation by setting up the "Food Hub" in the centre: The students of the home run a public canteen, the FACE FOOD HUB, on the main road in the immediate vicinity of the main entrance. There, they serve cheap food for the students, but also for the rural population who pass by. There are also plans to set up a market place where especially the poor farmers (tribals) from the mountains can offer their products. Comparable to our "catering", the facility can also be rented for festivities. The income contributes to self-sufficiency. The work on the fish pond had to be interrupted due to lack of money, but young fish could already be introduced in the finished part. The situation is similar with the pig breeding: There is no breeding yet, but the fattening pigs are used for self-sufficiency and sometimes also sold. All this is bitterly necessary, as prices in some areas in the Philippines are just as high as here, even though people earn far less, if they have any work at all.

There are only about 50 children in the home itself at the moment, as many were taken home during the Corona period and have stayed there until now. On 15 August, school will start again, but with divided classes, as the class size may exceed 20 children due to the corona. 

Katja Dienst and Monika Scharfe