Each of the 18 day care centres in the 16 barangays of Anda received a welcome surprise this Christmas. A married foreign couple, Robin Gurney and Birgit Naur, who have been living in Anda since October 2012, donated fans, chairs, story books, paper, crayons, toys and other educational materials at the monthly day care centre teachers’ meeting at the Poblacion day care centre in Anda on 28 December 2012.
At the meeting, Anda’s Mayor, Hon. Angelina B. Simiacio presented Robin and Birgit with certificates of appreciation as an expression of gratitude and sincere admiration of their selfless dedication and services rendered for conducting the distribution of priority needs.
“We live in Suba, Anda and we have started a number of projects to help eradicate child poverty in Anda. The first of these is to discover the priority needs of the 18 day care centres and start to fulfil them. We have personally visited all 18 day care centres, even in the most remote mountain barangays, to meet the teachers, take photos and find out exactly what is needed. Improving the day centres’ resources is just the beginning, we hope to be able to do a lot more in the future for all Anda’s children,” states Birgit Naur from Estonia.
Birgit Naur and her English husband, Robin Gurney say they are very happy living in Anda and want to use their skills, contacts, business experience and personal money to improve the facilities available to children of all ages in Anda.
Robin Gurney added that, “One of our most ambitious goals is to create a library & play centre in Anda and planning for that has begun. Also we are helping some of the most disadvantaged families directly with donations of beds, fans, clothes, books and other things. We will be creating a website to support our various child support projects in Anda. Through these we aim to solicit help, moral & financial support and various materials. We also hope to inspire other foreigners living in Bohol to do the same and share some of what they have with Bohol’s children.”
Anda’s day care centres are obviously very happy about these donations and in a combined statement issued on their behalf by MSWDO-designate, Mrs. JosieMarie Arabejo, they said, “Truly this noble work will change the lives of our indigent day care children and will improve the learning and teaching methods of the day care centres of the municipality. Your support will be forever in our hearts.”
For further information and photos please contact:
Josiemarie Arabejo 0917-5046-827 or Birgit Naur birgitnaur@gmail.com
