Christmas For Payatas...

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Back in college, one of the requirements I had to do was take a class called Lay Apostolate. Basically, the class was geared towards community service. We had a few choices as to where we wanted to do the community service. One of the places I chose to do my community service is Payatas also known as the ‘Smokey Mountain’ . I went there with a group and we were all floored with the kind of life people had [still have] there. The place is a dump site and they basically live & work on top and around the garbage dumped in the place. But what we consider dump or garbage is sometimes food or clothing to them. During the course of my community service, we visited the place several times to bring necessities, teach some kids and just hang around with them for a couple of hours once a week for a semester.

Being able to witness the lives of those who live in Payatas made me realize how lucky I am to have the life I have and made me stop complaining about trivial things. I don’t know if what I did made a difference in the lives of those we visited but it surely made a difference in mine. There are a lot of kids living in the Smoky Mountain and their Christmas is a far cry from the Christmas that a lot of us experience. This holiday season, each of us can somehow make a difference by taking part in Christmas For Payatas by donating any amount of money we can. By doing so, we will be joining other supporters such as politicians and celebrities. Watch the You Tube video in the site to get a glimpse of the lives of people, especially the children, in Payatas. I'm sure that after watching it, you will look at your life differently. To learn more about Payatas and the people that reside there, read the following Press Release.

Press Release:

The landfill in Payatas, The Philippines, is notoriously known the world over as Smokey Mountain. For over 35 years, the smoking dump site has grown to become a stark and heart-tugging reminder of the desperate onditions of humanity.

On a daily basis, children pick through newly arrived garbage to
collect material to sell. The earnings made by one child are not enough to even buy food for the day. Hence, entire families are forced to climb the mountain each day, hoping to earn enough to feed everyone. Children as young as four years old are forced to work in this daily struggle for survival.

In response to the plight of these children, Totedaddy.com is working with Lighthouse Center For Children Foundation to bring a little cheer to the children this Christmas.

Totedaddy.com has kicked off with a cash sponsorship of USD 10,000 to enable the children to celebrate Christmas. FusionExcel International has also pitched in a USD 5,000 in cash sponsorship. The money raised
will help fund the projects already in place, and help fund additional projects aimed at providing better housing, and a means of livelihood for the Payatas community.

It is hoped that by creating better awareness to the plight of these children, more support can be garnered towards their betterment. Together we can bury poverty!