Written by: Ate Ren dela Cruz, Board Member
The Christmas holiday is surely something everyone looks forward to, but it could perhaps be the children who are the ones most blessed and overjoyed with the celebration – what with all the cheer the season brings, the toys, gift-giving, coming together for the holidays, and ultimately, more time spent with their family and the rest of their loved ones.
However not all kids get to do the aforementioned activity of spending the season with family or loved ones, especially those housed in orphanages and protective centers, but who are most in need of love, hope and attention. Such are kids and teens like those in ECPAT, and NGO which shelters kids and teens suffering from child prostitution and trafficking, and which ensures a brighter future for them.
Last December 6, we were delighted to partner again with ate Cathy Binag as she arranged to reach out again to children during Christmastime, this time to 63 kids in ECPAT. As was our custom to get the kids and volunteers bonding, we proceeded with getting-to-know and grouping the kids and volunteers into smaller groups. Ate Cathy also requested to bring in various food carts for a truly festive feel – so the kids were able to enjoy Taho, Ice Cream, Mixed balls, and French Fries! We also got the energy going with the Pass-the-Ball game, which had everyone laughing and excited. To add to the fun afternoon, we had a round of Creative Story-telling which the kids and kids-at-heart were delighted to experience – courtesy of our resident story teller, ate Dyali.
The joy and passion to help was truly evident in all our volunteers hearts from the programs start to finish. We couldn’t thank ate Cathy and her friends enough for giving blessings and joy to the kids of ECPAT and ensuring that their holidays were filled with hope and love!
