Sharing a smile

IMC Agency TeamAsia celebrates CSR Month with kids from Haven for Children

MANILA, Philippines - A sad reality is that children from the slums that are neglected by their parents end up  living on their own in the city streets. Many of these children are forced by circumstance into petty crimes and substance abuse just to get through the hardships of everyday life.

To counter these harsh realities in our society, there are projects like the Haven for Children in Alabang, Muntinlupa City whose primary goal is to give these kids shelter and to provide them with tools to make them more productive members of our society. Haven gives these children more than just beds to sleep in and food to keep themselves from starving. Social workers in the institution also help the children by providing them with basic education and counseling.

As Haven for Children is operated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and annual allocation from the government may sometimes fall short in supplying for  the needs of the children, the institution is also dependent on the goodwill of individuals and organization who want to offer support.

That is why TeamAsia, an integrated marketing communications agency, accepted the call and gave the kids of Haven for Children a day filled with laughter and games as part of its celebration of the annual Corporate Social Responsibility month every July.

“We wanted to make every kid smile,” TeamAsia Managing Director Bea Lim said. “And we were able to bring smiles to the children we encountered, but what we got from the kids was far more special. They got us to laugh, run around and play like kids do - carefree without a worry in the world.”

TeamAsians spent an entire afternoon with the kids of Haven, playing relay games and sharing a meal together. The company also donated items requested by the staff that are deemed essential for the continued maintenance and improvement of Haven’s facilities.

“Children should not have to bear witness to the harsh realities of life. They should be outdoors --playing, exploring, and laughing. If we can share the essence of fun and camaraderie even for a day, then that’s worth everything to us.”, Lim said.

According to Lim, TeamAsia’s mission to make children smile will not stop with this activity for the Haven for Children. This month the ‘My Dream in a Shoebox’ campaign will be launched by TeamAsia with the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines. The campaign aims to bring educational materials like pens, pencil, and crayons packed in a shoebox to underprivileged children across the archipelago. 

“We have always believed that our children hold the future of our country, that’s why in our own small way, we are helping them draw a bigger and brighter future not only for them but for all of us,” Lim concluded.