A Brighter Tomorrow for Manila’s Garbage Collectors
Marissa is one of the so-called urban poor that are affected the strongest by the pandemic outbreak and its economic consequences. 47-year-old, she works as a garbage collector in Payatas, a neighborhood in Metro Manila (Philippines) which is home to the largest dump site of the country. We met Marissa on a field mission trip in November last year to learn about her story and how the Vincentian Missionaries, a local faith-based organization, used our Cement Bamboo Frame Technology to build a bamboo house for her and her family as well as for fifty other families in need. The video shows her story, and how a safe place to call home has given her hope to find a better future.
It is especially in these times of a global health crisis in which Marissa calls herself lucky to own a house for herself. With running water and electricity, a proper door to shut against the wind and the heat and a community of families around her that have become friends and support each other, she felt prepared to face the pandemic. Especially for her youngest daughter of seven, Jamaica, who was born with cerebral palsy, the house has been a safe haven in these times.
A house, however, lays only the foundations for a new start into a better life. While Marissa and her kids have been comparatively safe under lock-down, they are hit hard by the economic consequences of the covid19 outbreak. Under enhanced quarantine, and with the entire public transport put on hold, there is no chance for Marissa to continue her job as a garbage collector, or to make any other income. In absence of any savings, she depends on charitable gifts and the limited food supplies provided by the local government. Only three days after Manila had been put under lock-down, the Vincentian Missionaries, therefore, reached out to us at the Hilti Foundation to share that families in the community have no more money to buy even basic food. Until now, the lock-down has extended for more than 80 days.
This is the story of Marissa.
