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Welcome to The Tropical Breeze
A silent
tear, wiped away by your generosity ™ |
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There are many
reasons that people do what they do. Some
call it "cause and effect", others call it
destiny, and still others call it faith.
Whatever the reason for your actions, this
is the (real life) story of some of the co founders of The
Tropical Breeze.
The four young sisters
"Every time as we drove to the local town
nearby (On the Island of Negros,
Philippines) , we passed by one particular derelict
shack. It struck us as odd that we always
saw 4 young sisters at the shack with never
a parent or adult in sight.
Feeling sorry for these girls we began to
stop and give them a few candies, goodies or
other treats as we passed by. Soon they
seemed to recognize the sound of our car
approaching, as they would all be waiting
beside the road, their faces, despite being
dirty and grubby, would be lit up with
smiles.
Concerned for the welfare of these girls, we
began asking around to neighbours why these
girls were living alone in this shack and
not going to school with the other local
village children.
The story of their plight was repeated again
and again by neighbours. Of the 5 siblings,
we learned that the eldest was a young boy,
living with family relations in a distant
village, almost 70 km away. The other 4
siblings, sisters ranging from 3 to 9 years
old, were left alone in their derelict shack
for days at a time, fending for themselves,
with inadequate food, shelter and no
schooling.
In speaking with the girls, the oldest
sister relayed the details of their plight.
Only one month after giving birth to the
youngest sister, the mother left the family
and moved to Manila, Philippines taking up with another
man. The girls' father began drinking,
abandoning the children in their derelict
shack for days. When the rains began, their
shack leaked so badly that the girls were
forced to seek out and beg for shelter with
neighbours.
As we live by the beach, friends from abroad
were always welcome to come for holidays and
stay with us. After seeing the girls and
hearing of the plight, several friends asked
if we were able to keep an eye on the girls
and look out for them. Our friends offered
additional money and assistance in order
that we could build a small home for the
girls, provide for their food and schooling
needs.
Within a short time, all four girls looked
healthy, happy and had hope for the future.
Although their living accommodation was
separate from our home, adult supervision
was always nearby, keeping an eye on them.
It was almost one year after coming under
our care, when one of the sisters made us
aware of an existing condition with the
youngest sister, a happy and joyful child,
only 4 years old. We were concerned for her
health, being unaware of what the problem
was, and took her to the doctor. The
examination revealed that the youngest girl
had been mistreated before coming to stay
under our care. We were very alarmed at this
news and began wondering if the same fate
had befallen the other sisters.
Accompanied by Social Services personnel,
complete medical examinations were
undertaken for all the girls and our
greatest fears were confirmed. All 4 of the
girls, now ranging from 4 - 10 years old,
had been maltreated prior to coming under
our care. The girls were taken to the police
station and a report was made. As the case
of abuse is still open, we look forward to,
on behalf of the girls, judicial action
being taken one day.
Although we have been unable to prevent the
paternal father from taking 2 of the girls
back home, the other 2 sisters are growing
emotionally, psychologically, attending full
time school and have hope for the future. It
is only a matter of time until the other 2
sisters are able to make their own decisions
and we only hope the best for them."
Read
their story (from Mariel & Geraldine)
•
Read the
story of Mariel, translated here for you.
•
Read the
story of Geraldine, translated here for you
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Please donate whatever you can today
We are proud to look at our girls knowing
that they have hope for the future. A future
made possible by the generosity of
strangers. But this story doesn't end here.
These girls represent but a drop of water in
the ocean of despair. It is heart-wrenching
to know we can not save every child in need,
but we need your help to try.
Through your generosity we can clothe, feed,
shelter and provide hope for the future of
other children - children that are in need,
not because of their actions, but due to the
lack of action by others. Your generous
donations of funds, supplies and services
will help the children that need it most.
Please donate whatever you can today and
provide hope and a future for an unfortunate
child. Please encourage your friends, family
and colleagues to help us help the children.
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