mabuhay Kinderhilfe Philippinen

About us

Children suffer from hardship and poverty in many parts of the world. This was why we founded "mabuhay Children's Aid Philippines" in 1995.

mabuhay is a Philippine greeting and a wish. It translates roughly as “May you live”.

The name mabuhay is our programme. It expresses our desire to improve the living conditions of needy children in the Philippines and to give them a decent life. Our partners for our projects in the Philippines are the nuns of the Canossa order, Elaine Licarne, a teacher on Camiguin Island and Leslie Macuja, a social worker on the island of Mindoro.

Our aid concept is based on the following four aspects:
• Education: mabuhay finances schooling for children from poor families. You can help by means of school sponsorships.
• Food: about 700 children in three places on the Philippines receive a hot meal daily – simple, but rich in vitamins - on the so-called “feeding program” The children are undernourished and often suffer from tuberculosis. mabuhay uses donations to purchase food. Small groups of mothers cook it, usually on an open fire. Thus we very effectively help people to help themselves. The food has considerably improved the health and attention of the children in kindergarten and school.
• Living: In Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao, the Canossa Sisters maintain the orphanage "House of Friendship". mabuhay supports this orphanage, which is home for about 40 orphans and street children with numerous mental and physical problems. The children are cared for by trained staff. Donations pay for the children's living expenses, staff salaries and the maintenance and equipment of the house.
• Health: in the huge slum area of Tondo, Manila, the Canossa nuns have been running a small clinic, the “Health and Social Center” since 1971. Hundreds of sick people attend it every day, including many children. They are too poor to pay for a doctor or a hospital stay. Here they are treated free of charge and are given a hot meal. The medical centre is a modest one and does not always satisfy the necessary requirements. In addition, there is a shortage of tuberculosis vaccine. So mabuhay gives financial support to pay for treatments and new technical equipment and to maintain and improve the building.

Monika Einwich is the president of mabuhay Children's Aid Philippines.

On request we can offer other net participants advice, give a presentation, and provide up-to-date information and contacts in the field of our work.