Poverty Profile of Metro Manila
There are 586 slums in Manila alone. These are homes of the poor. But they remain the frontier for evangelical mission work.
The United Nations says that any person who lives on less than USD1.25 (Php58) per day is poor.
In the Philippines, the poverty level is USD 0.76 (Php38) per day.
27.6 million Filipinos (33%) live below the poverty standard.
12.2 million Filipinos (15%) live below the subsistence standard.
Stories from the Slums
The Story of Yuri
“Pastor Mike, thank you very much for sharing the Gospel to me,” were heartfelt words from 13-year old boy named Yuri Pano, to our missionary Pastor Michael Sabalza. “Through your hard work, I realized that I needed to change my way of life and surrender my life to Jesus by accepting Him as my personal Lord and Savior.” Yuri came from a very poor family with nine other siblings. They did not have their own house.
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Mylene’s Story
Mylene, a wife and mother of three young kids live in a slum community in Rosario, Cavite. She has had a long time rivalry with her husband’s female cousin. This cousin hated Mylene because her husband stopped giving her and the other cousins money that he used to help them with. The money went to the family of Mylene. One day this woman threw boiling water on her face, down to her arms and chest.
Read MoreHow Success is Measured
Success means the poor not only receive but are also empowered to give and the community is transformed. Success happens at two levels:
At a personal level, success happens when the poor undergo a paradigm shift, moving from being the receiver to the giver because they know that Jesus (though he was poor) gave sacrificially.
At the community level, success happens when the community becomes more united, organized, and mobilized toward a common goal.