I finally got in touch with my dad this morning. This past Saturday while my friends and I were hosting a fundraising “Dance 4 Kids”, during which we raised two hundred dollars, a typhoon hit the Philippines and brought a month’s worth of rainfall to metro Manila and nearby areas in just a few hours, causing severe flooding which resulted in the loss of many lives and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. Officials expect the death toll to rise as rescuers penetrate villages blocked off by the flooding and debris.

My family that still lives there was among those affected. Water got into our house, it was waist-deep, my nieces and nephew were scared to death, my sisters and my brother didn’t know what to do all they can think of is if the rain doesn’t stop, the water will reach the roof. None of them know how to swim. Part of our home was damaged, but my family is okay. I couldn’t stop crying for hours because I felt bad for the children. My family will be okay because they have me and my parents to help them, but not everyone is that lucky. I am devastated, but thankful that my family came through it okay, and that I’m in a position to help them and others in need.

I am most concerned for the poorest of the poor who live the slums, such devastation in an already poor area is so horrible. Some of them don’t stay long in the displacement centers and most don’t have relatives they can stay with. They tend to slip through the cracks, especially in disaster situations like this. I can empathize with their hardship. I wish I could leave now and be there tomorrow and take whatever little money I have and help.

It is in times of crisis, however, that we get to hear about acts of heroism that are rarely displayed nowadays. I am happy to hear that the United States has pledged $100,000 and deployed a military helicopter, boats, and military personnel to aid relief efforts. It made me believe there are still heroes living in our midst.

I often wonder why it seems that those who are already leading a troubled existence are always the ones to suffer even more additional hardships.

As you may or may not know we had our very first fundraising event this past Friday and it was quite successful – we raised five hundred dollars! Without Kelly, Nichole and others it never would have happened. Thank you for the generous donations of your time and efforts last week and for your ongoing support of this cause.

To everyone who attended this event thank you for your support. You are a hero for the young children that we will visit on this trip, in a way you’ll be right there with them because your donation is going to make an immediate difference in their lives.

We’re working towards another fundraising event to reach our goal of $3,000 by October 24, 2009. If you have any idea on how we can fundraise, please let us know.

This past Friday night I attended a fundraising event that a friend of mine hosted, a “movie under the stars” night, it was a great idea. Sadly we didn’t get as many people as we hoped for, but it gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet and chat with some amazing individuals and generate awareness of the cause. For those who attended I am so grateful for making me feel welcome and for embracing this cause. What we’re doing is really important, it will change lives and societies. You have every reason to be proud of the part you play in bringing about a more just, fair and compassionate world. As the time approaches for my flight to Manila on October 31st, I am grateful for the help of many good people such as you, we will give hope of a better life to street and other impoverished children, ones who have so little chance due to no fault of their own. This project’s efforts are focused on providing nutritious food, school supplies and basic necessities to the children of Cavite. This will make an immediate difference, especially for those who are malnourished. We seek to address the plight of street children and those who are victims of extreme poverty. These at-risk children often go unnoticed except by those who use them for economic gain or exploitation. An estimated 150 million worldwide, according to UNICEF, due to adverse circumstances spend much of their childhood on the streets, vending or begging, and are vulnerable to all kinds of abuse.

I am excited to show them that someone, somewhere cares enough about them to help them in their time of need – this is something that these children will not forget.

The need for support for education in the Philippines is great as currently only one in five children in the 3-5 years old age group have access to preschool education and social activities.  It is often said that the kind of society one lives in is mirrored in the lives of it’s children.  Picture the following:

There are approximately 32 million children below the age of 18 in the Philippines, making up 45 percent of the total population.  Sixty percent of these children drop out of school when they reach the second grade because their family earnings are barely enough to buy food and basic necessities we use daily.  Only 19 percent of children aged 4-6 years old are able to go to public and private preschools.

The numbers are growing each day.  These clearly depict the immense hardship which Filipino children are subjected to.  With your help, I hope to help provide the most basic needs like food, education, and nurturing to these children.  For now, I know I can’t save the world, but with your help we can change at least one child’s life forever.

I am feeling overwhelmed, scared that I am going to fail and it’s just not failing.  It’s failing in something that I put my
heart and soul into, failing people who matter to me (the children of Cavite).  I’m grateful I am not alone, for I have friends that really believe in this cause and in me.  They offered their help with eagerness, high hopes and I am determined to find more supporters.  There are lots of scams out there, so if you have any doubts about my outreach project I understand.  If you have concerns about not being able to deduct your donations since we’re not a non profit organization as of yet I understand. You can support the following organizations instead www.UNICEF.com, www.actionforchildren.org, www.edukidz.org, www.feedmhc.org, www.globalactionforchildren.org or any other organization you see fit.  The world is full of opportunities, some people enjoy an overabundance of them while others struggle, and I just want to help those without.

Despite everything fate has thrown at me, life is short and I’d want to do something useful.  I am determined to do amazing things with the rest of my life.

My friends and I will be in the Philippines from October 31 to November 12.  During this trip we will be buying the food and school supplies on the ground there to save on the cost of shipping and to avoid the rampant corruption.  We intend to visit the poorest of the poor and will personally distribute the food and school supplies to as many children currently living there.  I will be posting pictures of our journey online so you can see the children you are helping.

In addition to distributing food and school supplies, we will be talking with teachers, community leaders and others, looking at what areas need the most help, what resources are already there that we might be able to work with, and how we can effectively provide assistance to those who need it most.

Our long-term goal is to build an orphanage or school in the Philippines and get established as a nonprofit, which is a difficult task.  I am open to any ideas if you can possibly help us obtain nonprofit status through the IRS before our scheduled trip.

These words uttered by Gandhi are inspiring my friends to take action. We are fundraising for the money to give out food and school supplies to the Filipino children. Six hundred flyers were printed and we are scheduled to hand those out by next week. We are also trying to host some kind of charity event and start planning for it so we can start the ball rolling on how we can raise our goal of $3000. We need to get the word out and start enrolling people (not just our friends and family, which we are focusing on right now with letters and flyers), so please help us create the possibility for these children to be healthy and eductated. If you have any ideas on how we can fundraise, let us know!

I know the horrors of growing up in poverty and struggling from day to day just to eat. My story is not unique to people from the Philippines. I grew up in Cavite, a Filipino slum. Growing up was very hard. You can’t possibly imagine what it’s like to go without the most basic of needs. Many children end up in the streets as beggars, pickpockets, drug abusers and child prostitutes. Luckily I was able to avoid this fate.

Fortunately, I was able to attend school and work my way up and eventually end up in the United States, but not every child will be as lucky as I was. Most children cannot afford the basic and necessary school supplies and books to get their education. Without schooling there is little hope for them.

My goal is to raise $3,000 and go back to the very slum I was born in and help as many of these kids as I can… I am bringing school supplies, food and other basic necessities. Frankly I am not sure how I am going to do it but I am lucky that many people have stepped up to give their support. I can’t thank them enough.

If you would like to help me help these kids please click on the donate button to the right. Your support really means a lot.