On December the 5th the EVACF membership gathered in Jenny's house to hear of the success of the Serendipity Revisited Fund Raising Evening. Afterwards they joined together in a pot luck lunch, sharing ideas and pondering on future EVACF activities.

The Photos below portray Jenny, our President, welcoming the assembled EVACF membership before handing over to our Secretary Bing to give her Serendipity report. Click here for many more photos. Thank you to everyone for your support of EVACF this year. The Serendipity School will have two more classrooms by the end of next year as a result.

Dr Catherine Ramos, NGO Liaison officer of NCIP is currently visiting all the schools, bringing with her school supplies donated by EVACF, helped by British Diplomatic Spouses Association and kind individual donors.

The 15th June was a busy day. Firstly Alain Antonio, E.V.A. Charity Foundation Vice-President & grandson of the late philanthropist Mdm. Chang Chio Te, opened the new Serendipity Aeta School in Eastern Nacolcol, Botolan, Zambales. Click the link above to see more photographs of the happy day.

On the same day, 15th June, Alain Antonio, handed over school supplies to the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) Service Center, Chief Larvin Villanueva & staff. Witnessing the event is Project Coordinator Catherine D. Ramos (2nd from right) with the Regional Director Salong M. Sunggod (extreme right), and representatives from the International School of Manila, Alyssa Duncan and Nelli. The school supplies will benefit the Aeta children attending the Chang Chio Te Memorial Aeta School, a TOES situated in Sitio Ibad, San Marcelino, Zambales. The school was donated by the Antonio family in memory of their grandmother.

Also on the same day (it was VERY busy) Loren Legarda, a famous Filipina TV reporter, interviewed Jenny Wallum MBE, President and Founder of EVACF, as part of a television programme presenting people from overseas who have helped the Philippines through charitable works. She enjoyed looking at the Mt. Pinatubo Ash glaze stoneware which is the central fundraiser of the charity. She was particularly interested in the Serendipity Jase of which only 200 have been made. The interview will be broadcast on ABS channel 5 soon.

The EVACF Board of Trustees met on June 8th at 7p.m. We set the date for the Serendipity Soireee Revisted on November 10th and discussed outreach for raffle prizes and sponsorships.

We also discussed financial matters brought about by a change of policy of Metrobank. We also discussed researching and expanding opportunities for the charity beyond the Philippines.

• On 2 February EVACF volunteers were invited to the launching of Bataan Indigenous Peoples Head Start Program at the Tanner Trust training center in Sitio Abucay, Bangkal, Bataan . Please visit the Tanner Trust page for more details and photographs.

• Two new toilets and a septic tank (donated by BWA) have been completed at Jayne E. Butt Memorial Schoolbuilding in Sitio Socorro, Moriones, Tarlac.

• School supplies, donated by Hope for Children& Sheila, and T-shirts, donated by Sim Darby, have been distributed

• The BBC website features pictures and a story on the opening (in 2003) of John Zate MemorialSchool http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/asia_pac_return_to_mount_pinatubo/html/1.stm

• On 7 February Studio Potters, home of the Mt. Pinatubo Ashglaze pottery was visited by EVACF members, who were excited to see the new 2006 designs being created.