Help The Children

Tondo is notorious for being the most underdeveloped and poorest district of the country, containing many of the city's slums. The monthly average income is between $60 US (Php 3000) and $80 US (Php 4000). Most family members work as sidecar drivers, vendors, or scavengers. Tondo is located in the northwest portion of the city of Manila in the Philippines and is primarily residential-industrial in nature. Tondo once was the location of the major Procter and Gamble plant in the Philippines at Vitas Street.

House in the dump

That plant is now closed and dismantled. The slaughterhouse (matadero) of the Manila City Government is located there at Vitas Street. Here are the pictures of the children in Tondo in the Philippines. These children live in a place called Smokey Mountain. It’s called that because of the smoke rising up from the mountain of garbage. This is where they go every day to get food.

Where they eat

Getting Garbage

They rummage across the mountain of rotting food to find anything to eat. I’ve been there; I’ve seen it happen daily. The odor gagged me. No child should have to eat garbage. To me, that’s just not acceptable. Additionally, I noted that approximately one out of every seven or eight children had no clothes.

Making their own toys

These are still people . . . good people. The children are just like kids everywhere. They laugh and play, as you see the picture of the little girl making a toy out of a can and a broken set of wheels. They want to do better; they just don’t know how. As these kids grow up to adults, we’re trying to help them have a better chance in life.

People have made it out of the poverty of Tondo, and with our help there can be more who make it. The Tondo area is the birthplace of Joseph Estrada (former president), Regine Velasquez (singer and actress), Manuel Villar (businessman and politician), Antonio Villegas (Manila mayor and gatpuno), Andres Bonifacio (the Great Leader of the Katipuneros), and Kyla (the Philippines' R & B Princess).

Because people throughout the world share their time and money, at least once a week these little boys and girls get some real food, and they get some education, so eventually they can get out of their situation. Every week, they get some sense of family and community, so they know that they’re not alone, and most of all, every week, they receive a message of hope. Every week, the ministry there teaches these children about God.

We’re helping make a difference

Pastor Nixon and his wife, Cora – leading the way for the kids