Singaporean helps feed GK children

There’s a reason why children at Gawad Kalinga (GK) villages in Baseco, Tondo are beaming these days.

And if they’re a little bit more robust, smart and active, it’s because of a delicious, nutrient-fortified shake they take every day.

At the newly opened feeding center called "Singapore Wellness Club" in Baseco, children aged three to six are given their daily nutritious drink packed with fresh fruits, oats and Herbalife Formula 1 in chocolate, wild berry and vanilla flavors.

Each 1.5 liter blend uses a "777" formula – seven scoops of fruits, seven scoops of milk, seven scoops of Herbalife Formula 1, and seven scoops of quality oats. This, incidentally, corresponds to GK’s "777" vision – 700,000 homes for 7,000 villages in seven years.

The feeding center, sponsored by German company Siemens Pte. Ltd., has a beautiful vegetable garden and a landscaped al fresco feeding area tended by 25 parent-volunteers.

Last Feb.14, Singaporean President S. R. Nathan donated P1 million to the children of Baseco to jumpstart this Mission for Nutrition (M4N) program. The money came from seven Christian Brothers schools of De la Salle in Singapore.

At the forefront of this undertaking is Singaporean volunteer Aileen Ong, who specially prepared the nutritious shake for the malnourished children of Baseco. She and her family have been enjoying the same shake for breakfast for the past two years.

Giving the GK children the nutritious shake to help them grow up strong, intelligent and healthy has become her personal advocacy and mission in life.

For seven years, Aileen has constantly searched for her mission as her way of giving back to God the bountiful blessings she has received, and to thank God, too, for giving her a "second" life.

Eight years ago, Aileen figured in a near-fatal golfing accident that left her with permanent nerve damage on the left side of her face. But instead of being bitter, she felt thankful and realized that she must have a higher purpose in life.

Her new journey of faith saw her being involved in various charitable projects, mostly through organizing fund-raising concerts.

In August 2006, Couples for Christ members Gerry and James Ong introduced her to Gawad Kalinga, a non-government, faith-based organization in the Philippines that helps build homes for the poor.

They told Aileen they wanted to be successful in the wellness business so they could afford to come to the Philippines to do more GK work. What they said piqued Aileen’s curiosity about GK.

Researching further on the Internet, and reading the speeches of GK founder Tony Meloto and the organization’s vision and mission, Aileen was lured by the movement’s integrity and its message of "no more slums, hunger or homelessness."

She also viewed GK videos and was moved by the extreme poverty in the Philippines.

Last November she met with Meloto in Singapore and offered to be a partner in wellness and nutrition. Meloto was in the city state as keynote speaker in a GK Forum held at the auditorium of the Catholic Church of St. Teresa, where Aileen has served for many years as choir director and parish pastoral councilor.

"For 10 minutes we talked, sharing our individual vision in building God’s kingdom. I told Tony that I could adopt a mission for nutrition for children, the best and most urgent way I know I can be of help," Aileen said.

The meeting with Meloto further cemented Aileen’s desire to help the poor in the Philippines and be an active member of GK, which she saw as the perfect vehicle to give back to God the good things He has given her.

"I gave him a sampling of the Herbalife Formula 1 shake and Tony was pleased and I was more than happy," Aileen said.

Last Christmas, Aileen, together with the Magnificat Children’s Choir, launched the mission for nutrition during the Midnight Mass in her parish church of St. Teresa in Singapore, with a PowerPoint presentation and the singing of Christmas carols.

On Jan. 2 she accepted Meloto’s invitation and made her first visit to the Philippines. Together with her friend Gerry Ong, who had introduced her to GK, she spent five days in Metro Manila, visiting the GK sites in Baseco (Tondo), Brookside and Meralit and the Merlion Village (sponsored by Singaporeans), as well as slum areas to get a sense of the "before and after."

The visit, where she also got to know the volunteers and the people behind GK, transformed her idea of a Christian mission.

"I could clearly understand what ‘word’ and ‘deed’ meant in the Bible," she said. "I had comfortably ‘packaged’ my faith by going to Mass every Sunday to fulfill my Christian duty. I realized it was not enough and I know I had to do something more, something concrete for the poor."

"Amid the filth and sub-human living conditions I was amazed to witness the joy and friendliness of the children and the families living in the slums. We in Singapore have so much, yet we live constantly complaining, wanting more, are self-seeking and far from being joyful! I finally found my life’s mission," she added.

Aileen returned to Singapore with a plan in mind, and from then on, there was no looking back. She put together components of the feeding program.

"We originally (planned) for 100 children, but we were blessed to bring nutrition to 540 children," she said.

Armed with her faith, she shared her mission with the principals of Catholic schools, many of whom expressed great interest. However, the launch of the program was moved ahead by two months to coincide with the state visit of the Singaporean president to the Philippines.

The seven Christian Brothers schools of De La Salle made a prompt response for this purpose.

More than ever, she resolved to pursue the feeding program. There were hitches along the way but through God’s grace, the event successfully pushed through.

At short notice, the GK team at Baseco worked tirelessly under the supervision of Tito Cajulis to build a "feeding kitchen" and completed it in 10 days.

Together with her 26-year-old daughter Elizabeth, Aileen made her second visit to the Philippines on Feb. 11, and worked with the GKare Team. Under the direction of Dr. Elen Solis, a member of GKalusugan, they created a holistic approach to wellness, targeting not just good nutrition but hoping to address the problem of tuberculosis, which affected almost all of the 540 beneficiary-children.

Aileen hopes to find sponsors for the setting up of two mobile dental clinics. Together with the M4N team of GKare members and volunteers, Aileen wants to make the nutrition program long-term, not only for the Baseco children but for those in other GK villages, too.

She’s determined not only to push the program but also to instill in parents right and healthy eating habits. This calls for creating healthier recipes to share with mothers and caregivers.

"My commitment is to health and overall wellness. Good nutrition is not a quick fix. It’s about feeding at ‘cellular’ level, regenerating healthy cells by eating right. For the children, the nutrition shake is just a supplement. The success of this program depends, to a great extent, on what and how the children eat the rest of the time. It is important to inculcate new habits among the children while they are young," Aileen said. "Much education and guidance is needed for parents and we’re fortunate to have many committed GK volunteers ready to take on the tasks."

Aside from the nutrition program, Ong and her family also contributed five houses for the poor in Sorsogon.

Just last week, from April 13 to 15, she and her friends took part in the GKM1 Billion Bayani Challenge in Bicol.

"This was my first trip to the province. You have a beautiful country rich with natural resources. There are so many possibilities for farming and food production. I visited the most beautiful new sites of Iriga, Libmanan and Panganiban. I shared with the youth teams from various colleges there that many in Singapore will pay a great deal for such a view of the mountains... and yet here a GK village is being built!"

These days, life is simpler for Aileen. With all her children grown up, she and her husband, Albert, have moved into a smaller apartment in keeping with GK’s motto – ‘Live simply so that others may simply live."

"I used to live in three-level penthouse. I want to create simplicity in my life and cut down on an unnecessary extravagant lifestyle, in solidarity with GK," Aileen said.

Looking back, she could not help recall that accident eight years ago that almost claimed her life. Her cheek was smashed and her nose ripped.

"I was thankful to God, my life was spared. I said if He spared me, there must be a reason and now I realize what it is. My life doesn’t belong to me anymore and I’ve searched God’s will and I know this is going to be my mission," she said.

"I fell in love with your country, the Philippines, and your people," Aileen said. "I need your cooperation and partnership in transforming the health of your children… the future generation," she said.

"Let us work single-mindedly, supported by the wonderfully dedicated doctors of Gawad Kalusugan to create a healthy and happy Philippines, free of hunger, free of tuberculosis, a country blessed by God with abundance through the livelihood programs of GK Bayan-Anihan!" she added.