Warm welcome and thank you, VHC Netherlands!

Alvin Manosa Dizon has never wavered in his commitment to serve people, communities, and our planet.

Since he was still a college student until he was elected as councilor of Cebu City, Alvin consistently reached out especially to the needy: the trisikad drivers at the old Cebu Port, the street vendors, the elderly, the displaced urban dwellers and many more.

Whether he worked as a councilor or later, with civil society organizations, Alvin has always remained close to his mission: that of serving others, especially the least, the lost and the last.

Alvin also continues to believe in the power of partnership to create a better world for all, where people and planet are assured of protection, peace and prosperity.

As Cebu representative of VHC Netherlands, Alvin has assisted in linking local organizations and communities with Vriendschapsband Haarlemmermeer, a non-government organization from Haarlemmermeer in North Holland through the years.

In 2023, for example, beyond forging bonds of friendship (which is the meaning of Vriendschapsband), VHC has brought ‘light of hope’ through the solar cloudgrid project to the Lapu-Lapu island communities of Caubian Gamay and Pangan an island, intended to spread “awareness about the benefits of clean renewable energy technologies and reducing carbon emissions one household at a time.”

VHC Netherlands has also supported ERUF and its laudable medical missions in various parts of Cebu.

From November 2023 to March 2024, our RCE-Cebu (Regional Center of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development) partnered with Vriendschapsband Haarlemmermeer Cebu of the Netherlands for a training on Kitchen Waste Composting and Options for Other Waste Types.

The VHC-RCE Cebu trainings (total of 50) aimed to encourage the close to 7,000 participants to do their share to mitigate global warming/climate change through composting, waste segregation, management of other waste types which are also initiatives addressing SDGs (sustainable development goals) like no poverty, zero hunger, better health, decent livelihood, and more.

Today, we are very proud and happy to warmly welcome the VHC Netherlands team visiting Cabancalan 2 Elementary School in Mandaue where the faculty and students have continued to practice until now what they learned from the VHC-RCE Cebu training, especially the production of paper charcoal and of ecobricks which collect plastic wastes inside PET bottles to keep these from polluting the air, water, and land.

Today’s visit to the Cabancalan 2 Elementary School in Mandaue is a happy celebration of local and global friendship/partnership for climate action and promotion of SDGs!

We especially acknowledge and thank the valuable role of VHC Netherlands for making possible the trainings of participants in Cabancalan 2 Elementary School and other cities, towns, and provinces.

Our sincere gratitude too to VHC Cebu Representative Alvin Dizon for linking RCE-Cebu to the VHC network.

We also thank Cabancalan Barangay Councilman Bobot Belen and his staff, the rest of the Cabancalan Barangay Council led by Francis Remedio for gathering, providing snacks and encouraging the training participants at the compound of the Cabancalan Elementary and National High School to practice composting, eco-bricking, and paper charcoal production!

We laud and thank Dr. Jessica Wenceslao, the teachers, and students of Cabancalan Elementary 2 for continued support and practice of paper charcoal production and ecobricks, especially! PADAYON!

May their school inspire more to be advocates against global warming and together, through PARTNERSHIP, create a better, more prosperous, peaceful, and protective world for people and planet.

Thank you, too, to Regional Directors of DENR-7, DEPED, DSWD, and EMB-7!

One willing hand at a time, slowly more hands joined together expanding and reaching out across boundaries of age, class, space, and time!

For now, this RCE-Cebu-VHC Netherlands project.

Tomorrow, more partners throughout cities, provinces, countries, our world!

Again, warm welcome to VHC-Netherlands, VHC Cebu representative, former Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon, and thank you to all who share our continuing vision, prayer for a better today, a better life, a wonderful world where partnership, prosperity, peace, and protection for people, planet reign and a sustainable future guaranteed for all, leaving no one behind.