Jul 25, 2024
Today, we’re sharing some wonderful photos of one of the latest initiatives from the MSC Centre for the Poor in the Cebu District of the Philippines – a series of music lessons for young students.
These music lessons encourage the children to learn new skills and discover new talents in a fun and enjoyable way, while keeping them encouraged and motivated throughout. These pictures show the young class taking on new knowledge with little more the most basic equipment and boundless enthusiasm – and even with the help of some furry friends!
The MSC Centre for the Poor in the Cebu District is part of a larger programme in the Philippines, with the original MSC Centre for the Poor in Butuan now having branched out to several additional locations across the country. The ethos of the centres remains the same – to provide the poor and disadvantaged with a better quality of life by teaching and fostering skills for self-sufficiency and personal growth, and to promote this in harmony with the natural world around us, nurturing the people and the planet in unison. Dedicated to caring for the community and the environment, with initiatives such as plastic waste prevention and clean water and food sustainability programmes, the award-winning MSC Centre for the Poor Agricultural Cooperative (MSC CEPAGCO) are determined in their work to improve the quality of life of the people in their programmes, while fostering ecological awareness and balance.
The music class demonstrates one of the many arms of the multi-faceted plans and programmes in play at the Centre for the Poor, as they continue to inspire people of all ages. Well done to all the budding young performers in the Cebu District, and good luck as you continue in your musical endeavours!
Images via the Facebook page for the MSC Centre for the Poor – Cebu District
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Apr 18, 2024
The MSC Centre for the Poor in the Philippines has launched the first phase of a feeding programme for vulnerable children in Libis Baesa, a highly populated region in the city of Calcoon.
The feeding programme will run for several months, with this first stage haven taken place over a six-week period throughout February and March, feeding 40 children in Libis Baesa Elementary School. The second phase of the programme will take place in April, in the regions of Libis Dulo and Reparo, and the third stage is planned for May, covering East Libis and Centro.
The Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines shared these photos from the programme, noting “Observe the joy on the faces of the children currently benefiting from the feeding program in Libis Baesa.”
The MSC Centre for the Poor is highly active in its ministry throughout several regions of the Philippines. Its core values centre on working together in harmony with the earth – nurturing our natural environment, while reaping its benefits in creating a sustainable lifestyle that will help poor and struggling families and communities to build the foundation for a brighter future. From agricultural programmes, to clean water projects, to plastic-free and zero-waste initiatives, the MSC Centre for the Poor encourages participants to develop the skills needed to create and maintain an improved quality of life for disadvantaged communities in both urban and rural areas.
The community at the Centre are also extremely responsive in terms of providing emergency aid where necessary, providing urgent care to survivors of the typhoons and tropical storms that frequently hit the country. From building and repairing homes to distributing emergency care packages, their outreach programmes provide practical and very necessary help to families and communities in real need; these photos of the Libis Baesa children receiving much-needed nourishment is a testament to the wonderful work they do at the most fundamental level.
A whole host of willing participants came together to make the food drive possible, with posts on the Facebook page expressing sincere thanks:
“On behalf of the MSC Center for the Poor, we extend our gratitude to the volunteer cooks, the Principal of Libis Baesa Elementary School, Teacher Myrna, the MSC Brothers, Chapel Presidents, Fr. Gab, and Fr. Sam.
Special thanks to our sponsors, RJF Primo Corporation, Felicidad T. Sy Foundation, and Casao Kids. May God bless you abundantly.”
“We are grateful for the visit from our donor, Mrs. Falcon, accompanied by her daughter Cazandra and her classmates from Miriam College: Aurora, Althea, and Jan Jan. The children greatly enjoyed their presence and were overjoyed with the gifts they received.
We also wish to express our thanks to our IC brothers, Bro Erwin and Bro Borge; to the Principal of Libis Baesa Elementary School, Ms. Maria Idel C. Malay; to the Teacher Coordinator, Mam Myrna; the Coordinator of MSC Center for the Poor, Ms. Joy; the MSC Mission Office Board of Trustees and Staff, and the MSC Manila District, Fr. Sam & Fr. Gabby.”
Please keep our MSC communities in the Philippines in your prayers as they continue in their remarkable work in bringing hope to people who people who have very little, and in putting food on the plates of children who would otherwise go hungry. We wish them every blessing in support and friendship as they look ahead to phase two of this vital programme.
Images via the Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc.
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Feb 15, 2024
Congratulations are in order for the MSC community and their superb team at the MSC Centre for the Poor in the Philippines. On December 15th, 2023, Fr Richie Gomez MSC, community leader at the Centre, attended an awards ceremony hosted by the Villar Foundation in Las Piñas City, where the MSC Centre for the Poor Agriculture Cooperative (MSC CEPAGCO) were honoured to accept an award for being one of the Outstanding Community Enterprises in the country.
Since its establishment five years ago, the MSC Centre for the Poor has gone from strength to strength, with the MSC CEPAGCO providing invaluable assistance to local communities throughout the COVID pandemic and beyond. With a dedicated focus on food sustainability and care of our common home, the agricultural cooperative aims to educate and empower both rural and urban families and communities with the skills they need to create sustainable livelihoods, while nurturing and caring for the earth for future generations to come.
From addressing plastic waste to organising clean water programmes, the MSC Centre for the Poor Agricultural Cooperative are tireless in their work to improve the quality of life of the people in their programmes, while working in harmony with the natural world.
“Thank you Villar Foundation for recognizing our effort and advocacy on organic sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, food security and poverty reduction,” posted the Facebook page for the MSC Centre for the Poor as they shared the news of the 2023 Villar Sipag Award. “Congratulations to Fr. Richie and to all MSC CEPAGCO staff and volunteers who have been instrumental in winning such award!”
We add our congratulations to theirs, and we wish Fr Richie and all the MSC CEPAGCO community continued success in their phenomenal efforts to make an instrumental difference to the lives of disadvantaged families in the Philippines.
Images via the Facebook page for the MSC Centre for the Poor
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Feb 8, 2024
The MSC Mission Office in the Philippines have been working in rapid response with the MSC Centre for the Poor to issue essential emergency aid to several communities that have been critically affected by severe flooding in the Mindanao region.
The relief project aims to help as many families as possible who have been displaced by catastrophic flooding across the Mindanao area in late January/early February. Flash flooding has caused landslides and as yet untold destruction in this region and beyond, with the death toll climbing to the high teens in the days following the disaster. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, while homes and business premises alike have been destroyed, with power outages and interruptions to the water supply also reported.
On February 5th, the MSC Centre for the Poor began distributing vital emergency relief aid to families impacted in Tagbina, in Surigao del Sur. With the emergency response team springing to immediate action, a total of 142 families have received urgent aid so far, as they attempt to recover from the devastation wreaked by the flood waters.
The relief project is ongoing as the outreach team continue in their efforts to help families to repair and rebuild across different areas of the Mindano region. Together, the MSC Centre for the Poor and the MSC Mission Office Philippines are organising the next phase of the mission response project, to support families who have been displaced by flood waters in the districts of Talacogon and San Luis, Agusan del Sur.
Together, we keep our MSC brothers in the Philippines Province, and the communities of Mindanao, in our prayers, as they work to rebuild lives and livelihoods in the face of this overwhelming ordeal.
Images via the Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc.
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Dec 20, 2022
Throughout the month of November, MSC Missions in the Philippines responded to the urgent needs of families and communities directly affected by Tropical Storm Paeng (or Tropical Storm Nalgae), which made landfall at the very end of October 2022. Over 100 deaths were confirmed in the Philippines in the aftermath of the storm, with more people reported missing, and severe damage done to homes, farms, and businesses.
The MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc., working together with the MSC Centre for the Poor, issued an immediate call for help, and undertook an emergency response programme across Mindanao, providing essential items to communities in Maguindanao and Cotabato who were left reeling by the effects of the storm. Relief packs included basic food provisions and essentials, and were distributed to more than 200 families in regions of significant storm destruction.
On November 9th, 219 families received emergency aid packs through the relief operation in Barangay Tapian, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, as part of the ongoing mission response project in the Philippines, which aims to provide direct assistance to communities affected by natural disasters. In a country that is greatly impacted by typhoons, this mission response programme undertaken by the MSC Philippine Province is a true lifeline to families and communities who live under a constant threat of flooding and serious danger to both lives and livelihoods.
“We would like to thank all our Mission Partners and donors for your kindness and generosity,” wrote the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc. on their Facebook page. “We also thank the MSC – CFP [MSC Centre for the Poor] Butuan led by Fr. Richie Gomez & Bro. Franz Pelare, MSC for spearheading the project and to all our supporters & volunteers.”
As we approach the end of the year, we keep our MSC brothers and the communities they serve in the Philippines in our prayers, particularly those families in Mindanao who are rebuilding and restoring in the aftermath of the storm.
Images via the Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc.
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