IDEA Philippines is so blessed to have visitors come from all over the world to share their gifts and talents with our deaf students. Atena with students at Loon     Recently we had a group of young adults come from America for a visit.  Two of the individuals, Kristi Trickett and Peter Nguyen had […]

It has been a long time dream to move the IDEA shop work out from the shacks and tents that currently house it.  The raising of the trusses on the new shop building is finally happening but in a way that is pretty amazing to those from developed nations like the U.S.  In the States

Back to School   As summer comes and graduations commence it’s hard to imagine that on this side of the globe the children are just getting settled into a new year of school. Here in the Philippines summer break is during the hottest months, April and May. Searching for the Deaf Throughout these past two

BDA Dancers Graduation BDA Dancers Graduation With all the usual pomp and circumstance the graduation ceremony began for the graduates of 2013 at the Bohol Deaf Academy. The students dawned in their white cap and gowns marched in escorted by parents or siblings to a room full of proud teachers, families, visitors and flashing cameras.

Trusses for the New Building Like elves working in Santa’s workshop the skilled craftsmen of IDEA tinker away making magic happen.  Truckloads of steel and wood pass by the IDEA office windows and past the entrance to the Dao Diamond hotel to a forgotten hideaway at the back of the property. At first glance the

As the heat rises from the glowing charcoal the spice infused chicken rotating on skewers begin to fill the air with a tantalizing aroma.  Hip Hop music grabs the attention of passers by and beckons them to try the First Drive-Thru Chicken Stand in Tagbilaran! The lights that line the driveway and canopy rival Las Vegas in the amount of watts being used.

The walls of the classroom echo with excitement as the children scurry around dreaming of what’s possible in their new space.  They’ve taken turns seeing how high up they can leave their footprints on the cement walls. In the town of Sagbayan, Bohol there isn’t enough funding through the public schools to provide adequate classroom

“Forgiving does not erase the bitter past.  A healed memory is not a deleted memory.  Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember.   We change the memory of our past into a hope for our futures. – Lewis B. Smedes   Watching eleven year old Lea as she plays happily with the

Dao Diamond Staff of Actors By special request the employees of the Dao Diamond held an encore performance of their Christmas Production for our special visitors from Billings, MT and the students at the Bohol Deaf Academy.   Without words the audience was drawn into the drama as scene by scene the group depicted the birth,

After 30 years, Garden Cafe located in the heart of Tagbilaran City on the island of Bohol in the Philippines is still going strong.  It continues to employ many deaf adults and support the education program for hundreds of deaf children on both Bohol and Leyte islands.  Here is a short YouTube video about Garden