Bridgette and Bronte students from St Mary of the Angels participated in the Sandhurst Diocese Alternate Schoolies Trip, a once in a lifetime experience.
Arrived in Cebu in the Philippines and met by University of San Carlos students who acted as guides.
First day were tourists as they toured and shown the sights.
The following day community work began with a visit to a dump site, where locals scavenged through waste for a living.
Next day visited a housing community where up to 400 families housed in a small one room houses for shelter. Families engaged in crafts.
This was followed by a visit to a cemetery where families lived seeking shelter among the tombstones.
Another day was spent visiting sick orphans.
Also accompanied Brother Paul who at night visits the street workers providing food, medicine and counselling.
During the trip the students were encouraged to see the beauty as well as the poverty.
The $14,000 raised by the students, which included a donation from the Rotary Club of Numurkah, was divided between communities visited.
Both Bridgette and Bronte said they will never forget this lifechanging experience.