Who would of thought that an earthquake and a typhoon could have been one of the best things that could happen? There have been some amazing silver linings in the midst of all this destruction.
Through the generosity of several donors we are now in the process of rebuilding our schools and dormitories. We are able to build them back so they will be bigger and better than before and have been able to employ 55 deaf workers for our construction crews.
In Loon, we have been able to remodel all five classrooms and make them earthquake resistant. Which is important since we just had another 5.2 earthquake on Saturday. We are in the process of getting two condemned buildings donated to IDEA that are next to our dormitory that we can remodel and use for expanded space for our students.
In Sagbayan, our Four-Plex Classroom is in its final stages with new lowered ceilings, fans, tile on the floor and planter boxes out front. They are the nicest classrooms on the campus. A new raised sidewalk was added between the classroom and dormitory that will keep the children out of the mud. Their dormitory is being expanded to include separate sleeping quarters for younger and older students, additional bathroom facilities, and a designated dining area and expanded kitchen.
In Jagna, the classrooms are receiving new roofing, flooring, paint inside and out and replacing broken windows. Once all the other construction is done we plan to build a dormitory on the school property so our students don’t have to travel off campus to get to the dorm.
In Talibon, the classroom cracks are being repaired and buildings painted inside and out. The dormitory is receiving a new roof, paint and tile on the floors.
In Tagbilaran, at Bohol Deaf Academy proposals are going out to get the funding to take care of much needed maintenance issues and the money to be able to repaint all the buildings and add two additional classrooms for our expanding enrollment.
On the island of Leyte in Maasin plans are being finalized to remodel the classrooms to include a library and computer lab. In Ormoc where classrooms were devastated by the typhoon we will doing repairs on the classrooms, dormitory and adding a new two story classroom building.
As if all that weren’t enough we have also been contracted to build 50 Core Houses for families that were displaced by the Earthquake. We are in the process of getting land donated by the city of Sagbayan to build a neighborhood of houses complete with plans for a basketball court and day care center.
How incredible it will be for our students to come back to beautiful classrooms and dormitories. They have been through so much and have been so patient and willing to continue school in a tent with mud up to their ankles. We are so blessed to be able to provide these new facilities for them and for students for years to come.
