Coconut Day

Objectives

• To learn about the Philippines – how does it compare to England?

• To learn about the lives of Filipino children and draw comparisons

with the lives of English children

• To learn about a developing economy

• To learn about the life of a street child in the Philippines

• To raise awareness of the work of Mercy in Action

• To raise money for children and families living in poverty in the

Philippines

Mercy in Action – An IntroductionMercy in Action is a charity that works with street children and

people living in poverty in the Philippines

Mercy in Action...

• Sponsors over 400 children to attend school

• Has two children’s homes

• Runs a Drop in Centre for street children

• Builds houses for families in need

• Provides over 70,000 hot meals every year for children

living in poverty

• Has charity shops in the UK to raise money

• Sends containers of food and clothing over to the

Philippines every year

The PhilippinesWhere is the Philippines?

The Philippines is located here, in Asia

The capital city is called Manila

Mercy in Action work here, in a city called Cebu

Facts about the Philippines

• The Philippines is made up of over 7,000 islands

• The unit of currency is the peso

• A person from the Philippines is called a Filipino

• The Philippines was ruled by Spain for hundreds of years.

Then America took control. During World War Two, Japan

invaded. The Philippines eventually became independent in

1945

• The daily income for 45% of the country is less than £1.50 a

day

The landscape in the Philippines varies a lot. Here are a few examples.

A lot of people that Mercy in Action work with live in places that look like this.

The Philippines UKArea (sq. Miles) 115,831 93,788Population 99 million 63 millionAverage weekly incomefor construction worker

600 pesos (£10 perweek)

£300-£400 per week

No. cars Less than 6 million Over 32 millionPaved roads 20,000 miles 250,000 milesLength of coastline 22,549 miles 7,723 milesHighest mountain Mount Apo: 2954

metresBen Nevis: 1344 metres

The Philippines compared to the UK

The Philippines The UKAverage temp in coldest/hottest months

21-32 °C 4-17 °C

Average annualrainfall

1,000mm in the valleys5,000mm in the mountains

1200mm

• There are over 170 languages in the Philippines• The favourite sports are basketball and volleyball• The Philippines is one of the most populated countries in the world with around 99 million people• More than 90% of the population are Christians, with about 80% belonging to the Catholic Church.

The climate in the Philippines compared to UK

Some more facts about the Philippines

The Philippines is one of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of biodiversity.

• Rice is the primary staple food of the Philippines.• The Philippine Eagle, also known as the Monkey Eating Eagle, is the national bird. It has brown and white coloured plumage, and a shaggy crest• Bamboo is grown in the Philippines and has many uses, including house building in rural areas

Did you know ...?

The Coconut• Filipinos call the coconut palm the ‘Tree of Life’ because they use every part of it. • The Philippines is the largest producer of coconuts in the world, producing almost 20 million tonnes of coconuts per year. • The coconut industry is worth £500 million per year in the Philippines. • Coconut palms are often grown near the coast.

One of the first nursery rhymes that Filipino children learn is about the coconut:

‘The coconut nut is a giant nut; if you eat too much you get very fat’

Coconut Facts

• The coconut is not a nut; it is a ‘drupe.’• A coconut palm grows up to 30 meters tall and can yield between 30-75 coconuts per year• A full sized coconut weighs about 1.4 kg (about the same as 1.5 bags of sugar)• It is often claimed that a person is more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than a shark.• In the Philippines, coconuts are harvested by workers who climb the trees using notches cut into the trunk.

What are the different parts of a coconut used for?

1. Coir

2. Leaves

3. Husk and shell 4. The flesh

True or False Quiz

There are more than 7,000 islands that make

up the Philippines

The population of the Philippines is lower than that of Britain

The Philippines was once a Spanish colony

English is an official language in the

Philippines

The Atlantic Ocean is situated around the

islands

The Philippines has the highest birth rate in

Asia

Art and Geography ActivityDesign a Flag

The flag of the Philippines

The flag of Great Britain.The Union Jack.

Art and Design ActivityMake or design a Shelter

Many of the homeless children in the Philippines have to make their own shelters from materials that they find. This could be corrugated iron, sticks, plastic, cardboard boxes. wood and leaves.

Can you make a shelter from recycled materials?Is it strong and waterproof?How would you feel if you had to live there?

Art and Design ActivityHow to make a plastic bag kite

Kite making and kite flying are part of Filipino culture and tradition. Many families in the Philippines are not able to afford toys for their children so the children make their own toys, often from materials they have found. One of the most common materials to be found is plastic bags. Children love making and flying plastic bag kites.

Music and Movement ActivityLearn a traditional Filipino Dance and Song

Filipinos love music and dancing. Their traditional dances are heavily influenced by the years they were governed by Spain. Every district has its own folk dance and festivals and local shows always include these folk dances.

Literacy and PSHE ActivityWrite a story about a day in the life of a street child

Read Kitty and Paul’s stories.Try and put yourself into the position of a street child in Cebu and write about your day.Compare the differences between your life in the UK and the life of a street child in the Philippines.

This is Kitty

This is Paul

They are both sponsored by Mercy in Action to attend school

We hope you have enjoyed Coconut Day and that you have learnt a lot about:• The Philippines • Poverty• The differences between life in England and in the Philippines• How we can help those less fortunate than ourselves• The work of Mercy in Action