The Philippines is a prolific textile producer for the global market. The journey of a t-shirt to the shelves in our malls is more complex than we think.
Today began our first full day on the ground in the Philippines. We woke up early in Manila and observed the hustle and bustle of the garment industry in the Baclaran District of Manila where wholesalers sell their products to retailers from all over the country. We got a firsthand look at the first stages of the difficult work people go through to get clothes on the displays where we shop.
Mid-morning, we hopped a plane down to Tacloban, our hub city, where we will be for the next two weeks accomplishing a variety of objectives. We were greeted by the always hospitable Clark and Rina Miller and spent the afternoon catching up and making plans for the next few days. We were also happy to reconnect with our newest employee, Jovic Roldan, who will help us with our variety of tasks.
Our current building, which will soon become the Tacloban Youth Empowerment Center. Stay tuned to watch it's progress!
Our schedule will be full the next two weeks as we do renovations on our new community center, and host a conference for young people with a theme surrounding the idea of what it means and what are the demands for us to live lives that look more like Jesus.
We concluded our evening with a Bible study on Luke 4 and Jesus' emphasis on education at the outset of his public ministry and how that ministry was geared towards empowering those who are vulnerable. We, too, look forward to continuing to emphasize the value of education as we work amongst those in need in Tacloban.
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