Three years after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol and damaged the dormitories housing our deaf students, the Loon Special Education (SPED) students have been provided with a fully furnished, two-story dormitory designed to withstand earthquakes. The memory of that traumatic earthquake is still fresh to all who lived through it, but we also remember the gracious gifts that came …
Darkness faded away and the golden rays of the sun started to break out. The students jumped out of their beds in excitement as the days they have been preparing for had finally come – the Bohol Deaf Academy Intramurals. The beating of the snare drums and large plastic water tank (the students’ improvised drum) blended with the students’ various-pitched …
Hello friends of IDEA, I have to apologize for not updating the website for the past five months. The fault really falls on my shoulders as we have been very busy plus some health issues that distracted me. I thought I had given this responsibility over to one of the IDEA staff but the job passing didn’t happen. At any …
The Philippines is a land of stark contrasts, there are those that live in homes the size of resorts with servants and all the comforts one could dream of while right outside their gate are families living in bamboo shacks without electricity, running water, or food for each meal. At first sight it would be easy to judge the rich and …
The Dunningtons Inspiring Story Did you ever wonder when Jesus called the disciples to drop what they were doing and come follow Him what happened to all their stuff? Did they just leave their nets, boats, bait and every other thing they owned and walk away from it? It is a courageous few who are willing to heed the call of God and give up everything to follow that call. John and Veronica …
This summer our teachers once again searched the hills on the Island of Bohol and identified 106 new deaf children. We held four orientation camps of which 57 of those children attended. To date we have 50 new students with 32 of them only 5 years old. This is the first year we’ve had so many this young, much to our delight. The earlier we find them, the …
When IDEA teachers and staff scout the island for deaf children, it’s not unusual for them to find kids living in very impoverished and remote areas. This year, Ethel Sacro’s situation was particularly heart wrenching. Many of our students live in some sort of dilapidated shack but Ethel’s family had only a damaged jeepney for shelter. They’d been living there for approximately 8 years. Her parents separated when she was 1 year …
The rain is thundering down on the metal roof with a never ending throng of noise, and the air conditioner whirs away in the background making it next to impossible for the loud clanging of the alarm clock to seep into my consciousness. Once again I am late for an appointment because I didn’t hear my alarm going off. Being …
Excitement is in the air! IDEA’s students living in Loon have had quite a few challenges over the last few years. They have been through the trauma of an earthquake, attended school in a tent for a year because their classrooms were unstable, had their tent classroom blown down by a helicopter and lived with cracks in the walls of …
Jarred into a new consciousness visitors arrive here in Tagbilaran, Bohol feeling like they just got off a plane that dropped from the sky, our very short runway makes for some very dramatic endings! Full of shock and awe they work their way through the throng of overly helpful attendants trying to assist them with their bags and hustle them …
