By Gina and Priscilla
For five days in February, a group of intrepid Thrive donors traveled across the Philippines by plane, van, and even boat to visit our partner schools. What unfolded over those six days was no ordinary trip — it was a dive into the world of resilience, joy, and heart that is the Thrive family.
Our First School
Day 1: The day started early, with a trip to Katutubo Village Elementary, in Porac, Pampanga. We were welcomed by children pouring out of classrooms eager to share songs, stories, and smiles. We walked through the village, visiting homes, and hiking to the riverside, where Aeta families wash clothes and school uniforms.
“Katutubo Village showed me how deeply Thrive’s meals shape a community,” Cindy reflected. “Moms are involved, kids love the food, and families rely on these meals to keep children in school.”
Etta and Alice Gabel connect with two Aeta girls from Katutubo Village.
Visitors from Thrive (back) help moms from Katutubo Village (front) prepare a vegetable dish for the day’s meal.
Gina (left) with kids from Katutubo Village and Heidi Gunderson (right, back). Thrive mother Soraya (right, front) prepares rice traditionally cooked in bamboo over fire.
Thrive Operations Director Eli Pajarito (2nd from left), Maura Shine, Etta Gabel, and Anne Muawad visiting the home of mothers Angie (3rd from left) and Mercy (far right).
Mother and daughter Cindy and Hannah Moreaux help serve lunch while Thrive mother Soraya (middle) supervises.
Katutubo Village school kids accompany Thrive visitors to a nearby river, where the community goes to wash clothes.
Back, left to right: Hannah and Cindy Moreaux, Priscilla Heffelfinger, Maura Shine, Thrive Partnerships Director Charis Raya. Front, left to right: Thrive mothers Soaraya, Mercy, Angie (and son), Thrive mother Marie, Thrive Operations Director Eli Pajarito, Alice Gabel, Anne Muawad, Heidi Gunderson, Etta and Gina Gabel, and Thrive Partnerships Officer Third Morano.
Quick Break in Bohol
Day 2: The group took a one-hour flight from Manila to Bohol in the central Philippines. With Chinese New Year being observed nationwide, this day was set aside for rest. The team enjoyed the island’s sights and sounds from a leisurely lunch along the Loboc River to a colorful sunset at Bellevue Resort. It was a refreshing pause before an early morning departure for Dawahon Island the next day.
Lunch on the Loboc River cruise in Bohol
Gina and Heidi with a lion dancer making the rounds for Chinese New Year celebrations at the Bellevue Resort
A quiet Bohol sunset closing Day 2 of the trip.
Crossing the Sea to Dawahon
Day 3: The group embarked on the most adventurous leg of the journey — a two‑hour outrigger boat ride to Dawahon Island, in Bato, Leyte, a remote seaweed‑farming community. As we arrived, nearly the entire island gathered at the shoreline, waving, cheering, and welcoming the visitors with joy and delight. “The outpouring of the entire town showed how Thrive has become part of the community,” said Heidi. Inside classrooms and along the narrow walkways between stilt houses, donors met families who call the island home. “The kids treated us like superheroes, even though they have so little,” Etta said. “Their joy was contagious.”
By late afternoon, the group braved another five‑hour journey back to the resort – tired, sun‑soaked, and full of stories from a day they would not soon forget.
The group took an outrigger boat from Bohol, the main island, to Dawahon, about a two hour ride.
Gina, Louie, and Alice Gabel on the boat ride to Dawahon.
Heidi Gunderson with Thrive mothers in Dawahon.
Kids at Dawahon Integrated School enjoying the day’s lunch.
Thrive visitors join Dawahon kids in an impromptu dance.
From left to right: Maura Shine, Anne Muawad, Gina Gabel, and Eli Pajarito with Dawahon teacher Vince Pinola (right).
Heidi Gunderson with members of the Dawahon swim team, wearing goggles donated by Dr. Gunderson.
Gathering Insights from the Trip
Day 4: The group began the morning with a reflection session sharing observations from the trip and offering thoughtful suggestions for how similar excursions could be strengthened in the future. It was a moment of honest learning and appreciation. By evening, the team flew back to Manila, carrying with them the insights and connections shaped over the past days.
Visiting a Farming Community at Hornalan
Day 5: The final stop was Hornalan Elementary School, in Calamba, Laguna, which offered yet another perspective on how daily meals anchor children’s learning and well‑being. Donors joined classes, spoke with teachers, and heard from parents who shared how school meals ease the burden of rising food costs. “What moved me most was seeing how a single hot, healthy meal can change the rhythm of an entire community,” Heidi said.
Thrive founders Gina Gabel and Prisciila Heffelfinger serve lunch at Hornalan Elementary.
Louie Gabel giving high fives to eager kids at Hornalan Elementary.
Etta Gabel with Hornalan Elementary kids.
Hornalan is surrounded by the community’s hillside vegetable farms.
Heidi Gunderson, Gina Gabel, and Priscilla Heffelfinger visit the home of a Hornalan Elementary student.
Hornalan first graders proudly show their drawings of their favorite food.
Schools, Stories, and Loads of Smiles
Across all three schools, one theme echoed again and again: gratitude. As Anne put it, “The whole community came out to show gratitude for simple daily meals. It reminded me that every person matters, and every community matters.”
This trip marked a meaningful milestone for Thrive — it was a joyous new opportunity for donors and supporters to see, feel, and touch the impact they create. And we hope it’s just the beginning. Our plan is to open more opportunities for supporters to visit partner schools in the future, deepening connection, understanding, and shared purpose. The best part of all? Spending time with our happy, inspirational Thrive kids!
Email [email protected] to find out about future trips to Thrive schools.
