Pictures of our travels

Finally a picture of our 'home'. Unfortunately we haven't been there for almost 2 weeks and after 6 days of steady rain the Cagayan River has overflowed its banks and apparently the water has reached the road directly in front of the house. The side walk you see is actually lower than the road. The housekeeper has assured us that they have removed our possessions to higher ground. Two years ago flood waters filled the house in excess of one metre...so if that's the case this time we don't anticipate returning there by the end of this week.

Week 3 & 4

Hello Everyone,
As I said we will TRY to update the blog every week-end, however our weekly schedule doesn't always get us back to our home in time to visit our internet source before closing at 5 on Fridays. Internet is still a struggle here...I wish there was a better way.

At least this time I was able to post a few pictures that I should be able to edit but still haven't figured that out. I was hoping to write a few lines between each but that too has slipped my comprehension...oh well I'm sure you'll forgive me.

We've had considerable stressing news from Canada lately. Although we left after Cathy's Mom had bladder surgery to remove a large tumour we have now been informed that it is an agressive terminal cancer that is already affecting her kidneys (one has burst and has to be drained via tube and colostomy). The doctors are hoping the drainage will strengthen the kidneys that radiation may be performed to slow the aggression. The stressful part for Cathy of course is that she is again on the other side of the world like in the spring when her father passed away.

A very close and dear friend of the Vink family, Gerald Kastein, has also passed away this past week. Gerald also had terminal cancer and again although we said our final farewells prior to leaving, it still leaves an emptiness in our lives. Our hearts are sorrowful for the loss to Trudy and all her family.

On the 'home' front here in the Philippines I feel the progression is painstakingly slow but not without hope. I have been assigned to visit an additional 10 municipalities within the province of Isabela, we call them a Local Government Unit or LGU's (kind of like counties in Ontario) in addition to the LGU of San Pablo where we were in March thru May. We spend about 2 days in each first discussing the anemities of the LGU and further the potential of getting local entrepreneurs to start dairy enterprises. We discuss the potential of a new industry locally, provincially and even nationally. Although as you can see from the pictures there are areas outside this province, principally south of Manila, where dairying is occuring to some degree. On the second day we usually do a tour of the LGU especially those areas most conducive to growing forages and milk production.

In our most recent visitation in San Mateo, the Mayor, who was one of the tour participants in September, is a most committed and active supporter of our initiative. This LGU is noticeably progressive under his leadership and offers real hope for a beginning dairy enterprise. We met a 70 year old individual who is currently chairman of a local cooperative, who in 1990 started a dairy operation with holstein cows. In 1995 with the signing of the World Trade agreement, additional milk imports were allowed here that essentially dried up his market. He was adamant that a viable, sustainable market is first and foremost, which is my premise as well.

In a meeting with the National Department of Education I learned that about 20% of school children in this province have below normal growth rates, the highest of all provinces in the Philippines. I was shown statistics that where there was a school milk program these below normal rates declined considerably during a milk feeding program. When children went home for their summer holidays (and probably no milk), upon return to school the below normal rates had again increased. Milk's goodness cannot be denied!

A school fresh milk feeding program supported nationally, provincially and locally is a prime beginning market that would give farmers and processing a chance to find the necessary maintainable volumes in a given area while searching out more permanent markets for increased volumes.

As I mentioned in our last blog further exciting news about future projects has been forthcoming. First of all we have been told that based on the even limited success so far in San Pablo of last May and the success of the reverse engagement in Ontario in September, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) although after many years of support has withdrawn its direct support to the Philippines through CESO, has agreed to a further 5 year support for dairy projects in Northern Luzon. The Regional Director of the Department of Trade and Industry, also a member of the Ontario Tour, is preparing a further re-engagement throughout the 5 Provinces of this Northern Region and suggested that I should be the volunteer point person...quite daunting but also exciting.

Now to describe the pictures a little, beginning at the lowest one on the blog:
1. It is real winter when you fly near the north pole...the shortest distance from Toronto to Manila is over the top of the world. Although it does feel any different still an interesting experience!

2. Our plane in Hong Kong, a 2 hour stop over before the final 1.5 hours to Manila

3. It's now the evening of the second day as we arrive in Manila...actually good for the body clock to be able to go to bed. The body clock seems less affected travelling west as opposed to east.

4. The next morning outside our hotel in a Manila suburb called Mandaluyong. We took a rest day on Wednesday and met a previous acquiantance who picked us up at 4am Thursday to visit dairy farms 2 hours south of Manila in Batangas Province.

5. Who said there weren't dairy farms in the Philippines. These cross breds under a New Zealand style management are producing about 18-20 litre average per day.

6. Baby calves enjoying self feeders already on pasture.

7. Batangas is known for its coconut groves which can be renovated with forages and offer excellent shade with great air movement.

8. Heifers look good under these conditions...essentially unseen in our northern destination.

9. Without forage renovation these coconut groves become jungles of wasteland. I have been using these previous pictures as examples of initiative and potential in Isabela where Mango groves can also be renovated to provide similar success.

10. We visited a trade fair in Tuguegarao, near San Pablo. The Processing Cooperative was promoting their milk products selling about a 100 litres of milk per day during the week long Mall exposition. When I left in May they still were only processing 11 litres per day. Milk is still only coming from backyard 1 & 2 animal farms, left overs from nursing calves and home use...still not a 'dairy industry' but more than it was. We now hear of farmers purchasing cows and breeding them to calve in nine months, etc. Simple progress but PROGRESS!

11. & 12 I can't get rid of the duplicate but Cathy deserves profile on her birthday...she's now in her 60th year - the count down to her pension. WOW!!

13. Before I left in May this little girl (9 years old) showed up at our friends' door in San Pablo, scared, malnourished and virtually speechless since she only spoke in her dialect. Although she has yet to begin school since school acceptance is based on spelling her name, her disposition of happiness is remarkably improved. She will begin school next June in kindergarten but better late than never. The poorest of the poor yet can now look toward a future.

Week 1 and 2

It has already been two weeks since we left our home...almost to the minute (4:30 am which is pm here - no I didn't get up in the middle of the night to write this blog). As of Friday, October 31, we have arrived at our somewhat permanent residence during our stay here. Our home is in an agricultural research station compound where we can also access reliable internet connection. It is a 4 room house with indoor plumbing and running water (bonus). The bathroom has a flush toilet (also bonus) and a shower but no hot water. Water although definitely cool, is never as cold as in Canada, so a cold shower here is ch-ch-chilly but bearable. The BIG bonus is that the bedroom is equiped with a noisy but effective air conditioner...at least one room where we can escape the 30+ temperatures and 90+% humidity from time to time.

We have already met our next door neighbours who are also protestant christians and invited us to their church yesterday. People here continue to be very outgoing and welcoming. We actually already had visitors on Saturday and Sunday including the church pastor. On Friday when we arrived one lady was there to find out our meal desires and went shopping for food and cooked our meals on Friday and Saturday. With some persuasion we suggested that we could look after ourselves on Sunday and Monday morning but she already insisted to cook on Monday evening. Another lady comes in daily making sure everything is in order and quickly picks up a broom and sweeps out the entire house, does some dusting and collects the dirty laundry. So friends we feel we're in good hands...God's care is immaculate!

Most of the first week we spent in Manila. On Thursday after arrival we travelled with an acquiantance to 4 dairy farms in a province to the south of Manila where they have renovated some coconut groves into pasture lands under the trees. A very interesting concept for the area but unfortunately the province of Isabela does not have coconut groves. But it does give insight to what can be done to address the challenges of heat stress in dairy cattle.

I hope in my next posting I will be able to provide some pictures of what we have seen. This blogging is still new and needs some time to increase my abilities.

Our second week was spent with our acquiantances from our former project in San Pablo. We reviewed with them their development of the dairy project. While the volume of raw milk processed is still very small, an increase of 350% over the May production does mean it is moving forward. Farmers are breeding their animals again to improve their production. The Processing Association is seeking new producers and new markets...all positive results and encouraging for the small group of movers and shakers that are determined to succeed. We met with the Regional Department of Education who seem willing to partner in a school milk program and have suggested how the group can possibly address this opportunity.

Cathy is doing well...she is mesmerizing the people we meet with her musical talents. This time we brought her accordian which gives her the opportunity to play, liven up our home and thrill neighbouring listeners. The neighbours also have a daughter that plays a keyboard so I'm sure there will be some future interaction.

Today we began our work in the Province, first a meeting with the Vice Governor and then a day long meeting with representatives from 11 different municipalities that would like to explore dairy entrepreneurships. We have now set a schedule that takes us all the way to December 18, three days after our scheduled departure as suggested in the application for our return...not at all a surprise (our last project was to be 4 weeks, then 6 and we stayed for 10). Also there is now a greater initiative in the works that I will tell you about in my next blog so please stand by.

...until next time (this time I promise an update on the week-end).

Thank you everyone for your emails, a few blog comments and please continue to keep us in your prayers.