A DROP in the Australian dollar almost derailed the best intentions of a group of community-minded youth.
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The Alternative Schoolies group has released a report detailing its 23-day mission to the Philippines late last year.
Organiser Geraldine Edar-Ralph said the journey included work refurbishing a school as well as dropping off aid packages to Cebu City, which was affected by typhoon Haiyan in 2013.
The group had raised $3000 to provide aid packages but the plan went awry on arrival.
“We had counted on this money paying for 500 aid packages,” she said.
“But it turned out the exchange rate had dropped and once the money was changed over we only had enough for 300 aid packages.
“We had to work out how we were going to raise the extra money.”
The group took the unusual step of starting a Facebook page calling for $10 donations.
This campaign proved hugely successful and within two days a further $6000 had been raised, allowing it to present 640 aid packages.
This was the fifth year the Alternative Schoolies had headed to the Philippines, with the focus on improving infrastructure at the Teofilo Fernandez Elementary School in the village of Indangan.
In past years the Alternative Schoolies built a school library and a drainage system and this time they refurbished 12 classrooms, as well as their aid package drop-off.
Included in the group were 16 young people from the Warrnambool and Moyne areas, while former participants Emily Grant and Hannah McDonald were back on board to lend experienced hands and Koroit’s Kevin Moroney also made the trip as maintenance man.
In the report on the trip, member Tim Chenoweth said the group worked long hours to refurbish the classrooms.
“The classrooms we set out to renovate and refurbish were well used and in definite need of repair,” Mr Chenoweth said.
“There were water damaged roofs, broken chairs, worn out blackboards and completely destroyed walls just to name a few of the problems.
“This was amazing considering the rooms were smaller than our classrooms in Australia and still held up to 50 students at any one time.
“We all split into four groups and worked on one classroom each and these work teams, along with the help of a local builder, transformed these decrepit rooms into beautiful, functioning places for the kids to enjoy and learn.”
Mr Chenoweth described providing the aid packages as a rewarding experience.
He said many tears were shed at the sight of the gratitude of those the group had helped. “Our time in the Philippines made us all realise how lucky we are to live in Australia.
“We have no worries about food, clean water, shelter or healthcare.
“We have endless opportunities given to us from education to employment and we take this all for granted.
“The Alternative to Schoolies Program provided us all with a real world perspective that enables us to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.”
Other group members included Lettesha Kearney (Port Fairy), Tayla Root (Port Fairy), Kirsten Noonan (Willatook), Georgia Huglin (Hawkesdale), Alish Smith (Koroit), Harvey Mifsud (Hawkesdale), Sarah Parker (Mortlake), Lachlan Moir (Panmure), Hannah McDonald (Mailors Flat), Emily Grant (Mortlake), Kasey Holmes (Kolora), Rebecca Dumesny (Warrnambool), Scott Gall (Warrnambool), Gemma Gibbins (Warrnambool), Tahalia Johnstone (Warrnambool), Kate Harrison (Warrnambool), and Johannah Lamond Hallett (Warrnambool).