Food Program
The fact that about 40% of the Philippine population live under WHO’s poverty line and 25% of the population go hungry to bed at night is shocking! Our hearts go out to these poor families who don’t earn enough to give their children enough food every day. This is the reason we do “feedings” as they call it here, but it is only a “drop in the bucket” if we compare to the grave need.
Public School
The program provides food for children in poor schools, and other disaster-stricken families. We measured progress over the span of 3 years at Maghaway Elementary School, whose academic performance was number 21 out of 24 schools in their city.
By providing food at the school once a week, implementing the tooth-brushing program, and supplying free dental treatment (through the Dental Mission), the school rose to number 2 in achievement in that city. It just shows that health and nutrition go hand in hand with better academic performance and thus a brighter future.
Since 2004 we have provided food for the 800 students who attend the Maghaway School. We encountered a friend who first introduced us to the school and informed us that 40% of children were undernourished. We gathered local sponsorship from people who were interested in helping these children. Some very large pots were invested in so we could prepare “Lugaw” (rice with lots of vegetables and chicken). From then on the sharing of meals expanded. In the school year of 2007-2008, we made food every Wednesday for the 1500 primary school pupils at the Maghaway School, and in addition we shared the lunch with Tapul and Jaclupan Elementary Schools. This was possible due to sponsorship from “Soernes Rotary Club” in Copenhagen. They continued to sponsor the dinner for the 1500 pupils in the year of 2008 together with a friend from Switzerland. We are now looking for sponsors who can enable us to help these children further.
From 2001-2008 we distributed food regularly to the children in a public hospital and various institutions for abused and abandoned children. Two restaurants in Cebu, Joven’s Grill and Seafoods, donated food each Sunday, for both the children in the institution and in the hospital. A patient admitted to a public hospital here in the Philippines must buy the medicines and materials needed for the treatment which often leave their families with no money. The family member who is there caring for the child often starves as they cannot afford to buy food for themselves.
Families in difficulties
In January 2009, there was a wide-spread fire in a slum in Cebu City. No lives were lost, but 52 families lost everything. They lived in tents on a basketball court for 10 months before the city was able to help them with other accommodations. Through this time we distributed food and other necessities in the form of groceries, clothing, footwear etc.
