Zambia

The Schools

Milenge Basic School, Milenge District, Luapula Province

The secondary school was using the basic school facilities until their own buildings were finished being built. Lights For Learning fitted buildings and dormitories with lights.

Muyembe Basic School, Kawambwa District, Luapula Province

In the northern part of the province, LFL installed three blocks with lights for this school.

Lwela schools, Milenge District, Luapula Province

Basic and secondary schools benefitted from installations including dormitories, classrooms and offices.

The Team

Nick Dye, Adam Larking, Jean Mugridge, Roger Mugridge, Mike Noble, Jan Power, Cathy Russell, Vanessa Sherwood


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Philippines

Location

Talisay, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines

http://www.bacolodcity.gov.ph/
The Welcome Home lies in between Talisay and Bacolod City. Bacolod City is the main city of Negros Occidental, an island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Known as the City of Smiles, it holds a festival called MassKara every year - originally organised to relieve an economic depression for the area in 1981.

The Welcome Home houses, at the time of our trip, seven families. The adults of which are deaf mutes. The purpose behind the home is to bring people out of the slums and into a place where they can develop their own livelihoods.

Objectives

To install lights at the Welcome Home Village for the Deaf, Talisay. Installation included the school building and twenty-five homes.

Outcome

Welcome Home Village, Talisay

School building complete; seven homes completed; lights installed to the main meeting gazebo area.

Peace Village, Sagay

Two school classrooms completed; two rooms in the Youth Centre building fitted with the remaining lights.

Both villages are under the direction of Couples For Christ's Gawad Kalinga project. After completing the necessary buildings in the Welcome Home Village we were left with extra kit. After inspecting another needy Gawad Kalinga community in the north of the island the work schedule was adapted to include this school and utilise the remaining equipment.

Reports

Roger Mugridge's General Report on Lights For Learning and the Philippine Trip of 2007
[report]

Images taken by the team during the trip
[pictures]

Trip Recordings

1] The Welcome Home School

Listen to Lights For Learning as they install lights into two communities in the Philippines.

Hear how the team came to being there and why their work was so valuable to the Filipino people. We hear from members of the team, of Gawad Kalinga and of the local Couples For Christ group responsible for the village.

Gawad Kalinga's Bob Magalona speaks to us about the movement and its vision in helping encourage poor families out of the shanty towns and into developed communities where access to education is provided.
We hear from LFLs Project Manager, Pete Genet and Logistics Co-ordinator, Mike Noble on the progress of the project. We explore important aspects of the small community and speak to the village Project Director, Santiago Franco.

Presented by Adam Larking of LittleSmasher.com.

Other Voices: Bacolod City Mayor, Evelio 'Bing' Leonardia; Village Project Director, Santiago Franco; Gawad Kalinga Provincial Head, Bob Magalona; Sue Larking; Peter Genet; Mike Noble; Andrew Noble; Michelle Stewart, and the Children of the Welcome Home Village of the Deaf. We also hear from Teody and Dennis, members of the local Couples For Christ group who were also the charity's generous hosts for this project.

Links:
http://www.lightsforlearning.org/
http://www.gawadkalinga.org/
http://www.bacolodcity.gov.ph/
Email:
info@lightsforlearning.org

© 2008 Lights For Learning and LittleSmasher.com

[download]

2] Peace Village

Listen to Lights For Learning as they install lights into two communities in the Philippines.

Hear how the team came to being there and why their work was so valuable to the Filipino people. We hear from members of the team, of Gawad Kalinga and of the local Couples For Christ group responsible for the village.

Gawad Kalinga's Emma Randall and Vincent Rivera speak to us about the movement's impact on Peace Village and its beneficiaries' access to education.

We hear from the Mayor of Bacolod City, Evelio Leonardia and we hear how the work of Lights For Learning is contributing to the area.

Presented by Adam Larking of LittleSmasher.com.

Other Voices: Bacolod City Mayor, Evelio 'Bing' Leonardia; Gawad Kalinga Region Head for Child and Youth Development Programme, Vincent Rivera and Heart of the Father's Child and Youth Development Programme representative, Emma Randall. We also hear Oscar and AJ Lim, members of the local Couples For Christ group who were also the charity's generous hosts for this project.

Links:
http://www.lightsforlearning.org/
http://www.gawadkalinga.org/
http://www.bacolodcity.gov.ph/
Email:
info@lightsforlearning.org

© 2008 Lights For Learning and LittleSmasher.com

[download]

Full Interview with Santiago Franco

Interview with Santiago Franco, Project Director of the Welcome Home Village, Talisay, Philippines. Adam Larking talks to Santiago about the issues the community is facing.

[download]

© 2007 Lights For Learning and LittleSmasher.com

Pre Trip Interview

The Pre-Philippines Trip Podcast, with Roger Mugridge and Adam Larking.

© 2007 Lights For Learning and LittleSmasher.com

[download]

The Team

Peter Genet

Adam Larking

Chris Larking

Sue Larking

Jean Mugridge

Roger Mugridge

Andrew Noble

Mike Noble

Michelle Stewart

Lights For Learning

Twingi Community School in Zambia completed

Here's the report submitted to the Zambian Ministry of Education by its inspectors after a visit to assess the installed lights.

REPORT AND COMMENTS BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FROM HEADQUARTERS

Introduction

Twingi High School is the first school in Zambia to benefit from the services of Lights for Learning. It is found in the rural area, 75km south of Samfya District.
The pupils and teachers at this school have been using candles and kerosine lamps since 1991.

Methodology

A group of seven members of Lights For Learning came from the UK to the site and started installing the system for a period of five days. Some pupils and teachers were involved to master the system.
Eight classrooms, six dormitories, one hall and a room in ten teacher’s houses lights were lit.

Findings

• The installation of lights changed the appearance of the school at night.
• The health of the pupils and teachers has improved by stopping the use of kerosene lamps which produce dangerous smoke.
• Enough room has been created for evening studies.
• Pupils have now taken evening studies seriously.
• Life has become cheaper for the pupils and teachers for they do not spend money on candles and kerosene.
• The system has no impact on the climate.

Concusions and Recommendations

The project is a great success to our school and country at large.

The government is to improve the structures of the school to protect the system.
Lights for Learning to continue supporting our school because more buildings are to be constructed.