LIVELIHOOD ASSISTANCE TO STREET FAMILIES 9.25.14

Poverty doesn’t dim their capacity for joy.

Thousands of families live on the streets of Manila, Philippines. Some have pushcarts where they store their meager belongings, while others just have the clothes on their back.

Reach Kids volunteer Angela Martinez, in her years of charity work in the city, found that some families just needed a break. With her own money, she outfitted one family with a rolling store–a bicycle sidecar with various knickknacks that can be sold on the streets. She only had one condition for the beneficiary: make sure to return the amount she loaned to them within a month.

To Angela’s surprise, the family was indeed able to return the money and they had even expanded their rolling store to include more inventory.

Make a Difference has partnered with Angela to identify one more deserving family who’s living on the street who can be granted with the same rolling store package. She is in the process of looking for one at the moment, making sure that the family needs the livelihood project and is committed to making it work.

Kid in Baseco, a depressed area in Manila.

The streets are their home.