Mrs Reich, from the Optimus Foundation in Switzerland, paid a visit to the Early Childhood Education Project in Agusan del Sur last October 2007. Representing UBS, the main sponsor partner of the project together with KKS, she had the oportunity of interacting with the direct beneficiaries (parents, children and day care workers) as well as with the local officials also committed in the implementation of the project. Accompanied by Mr Thomas Westermann of KKS and the JPIC-IDC project staff she took part of some related activities and meetings to have a better impression of the actual implementation of the project.

Dr. Maria Spiegel, a retired German medical doctor from Berlin Germany visited JPIC-IDC in March 2007. She spent time with Fr. Heinz Kulueke, svd, as he goes about his nightly journey with prostituted women in the red light district and street children of Cebu. She also had the chance to see the shadow side of the tourist destination Cebu by visiting the dumpsites and the informal settlers area of the city. From March 29 to April 2, Dr. Spiegel went with Fr. Anthony Salas, svd, our Executive Director, in a visit to Agusan del Sur, Mindanao. With Fr. Salas, she visited a district hospital in La Paz, had talked with several abused children in the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Crises Center in Patin-ay, had inter action with the Manobo youth who were undergoing technical training at the SVD (Steyler Missionare) Monobo Development Center in Bunawan, and visited a workplace for the alternative herbal medicine initiative in Veruela. The short visit provided Dr. Spiegel a glimpse of the magnitude of the human and economic struggles that majority of the Filipinos are facing everyday and yet to see also a glimmer of hope that things could change for the better through the small initiatives and activities which both JPIC and the SVDs are doing for the marginalized Filipinos.