Philippine Ash Wednesday fast to feed 250,000 malnourished children
February 14, 2014 - The Catholic Church in the Philippines is raising a fund on Ash
Wednesday for solidarity initiatives, especially for the people affected by last year's
earthquakes and super-typhoon Haiyan. The campaign will benefit children aged six
months to 12 years and their parents who will be offered training courses and seminars.
The initiative sponsored by Pondo ng Pinoy, a charity founded in 2004 by retired Archbishop
of Manila, Card Gaudencio Rosales, will raise money this year to feed at least 250,000
malnourished children across the country. Called 'Fast2Feed', the fund-raising campaign
is aimed at the faithful, encouraging them to save money to buy food on 5 March, Ash
Wednesday, a day of fasting for Catholics. Card Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of
Manila, is leading the initiative, calling on the community to give money to help
malnourished children, especially those affected by earthquakes or last November's
typhoon Haiyan. The cardinal chairs the Pondo ng Pinoy foundation, which implements
the Hapag Asa aid programme. At least 50,000 of the targeted 250,000 children "come
from areas struck by natural disasters" last year, he said.
The campaign covers
the earthquake-hit dioceses of Bohol and Cebu, the Archdiocese of Zamboanga, which
has been torn by ten years fighting involving Islamic and separatist groups, and the
central Visayas region, which was devastated by the super-typhoon. In order to ease
the suffering of malnourished children, Hapag Asa is trying to boost feeding campaigns
in concerned dioceses. The campaign touches children aged six months to 12 years,
who get nutritious food and care once a day, five days a week, for at least six months.
The cost for six months is 600 pesos (just over US$ 10) per child. In addition to
food for the children, the programme also helps the parents to care better for their
children as well as provides them with information and basic skills to apply for jobs
or start their own business.
According to the latest figures for the 2012-13,
the programme raised a total of US$ 260,000. Through this initiative, the Church
wants to encourage people to donate 25 cents a day in every parish and school, as
a permanent act of solidarity. As Filipino saying suggests, "Anything good, no matter
how small but done frequently, leads to salvation." (Source: CBCP)