Christmas Cheer For The Children of Payatas | ** An Anonymous Journal **

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Christmas Cheer For The Children of Payatas

If you have been visiting my blog lately, I am sure you would have noticed an occasional red banner calling for support for a children's charity in Payatas, the Philippines. I first read about the children of Payatas when I was in high school and there was this group of young boys calling themselves Smokey Mountain, singing their hit single, Paraiso, which I still remember till this day.

Smokey Mountain is a volcanic mountain that has been turned into a huge rubbish dumping ground. Families who live at the foot of the mountain climb up to sift through the rubbish for recyclables and reusable, earning a little money that is only enough for their day-to-day living. If you watch the YouTube video on this website,
http://www.christmasforpayatas.com, you will know the true situation there.

This Christmas, Totedaddy in collaboration with Lighthouse Center For Children Foundation, will try to bring some Christmas cheer to the children of Payatas and their families. This
Christmas For Payatas charity campaign is well supported by some prominent people in the Philippines, alongside international sports figures and celebrities. Children, after all, are God's gifts.

As Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, let's hope that this initiative will bring a smile to the children of Payatas.

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!

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