From The Souls of the Donors to the Soles of Children in Need

Christine Cuarto Cruz, a 12-year- old, who lives in one of the rural areas in the Philippines, walks more than 3 hours everyday to attend school, wearing only her 20 pesos (50 cents) worth slippers to protect her feet from the stony trail in the mountains of Zamboanga. This gave us the inspiration to start with the idea of sharing shoes as presents with the Batang Iskolars (Child Scholars) of Zamboanga and Basilan Island during the yuletide season, since it is Christmas.

COE Philippines under the project “Batang Iskolar Program: I am M.A.D. (Making A Difference) with the initiative of Christian Marx Rivero and Mark Conrad Ravanzo, gave 20 pairs of shoes to the scholars of Basilan Island and Zamboanga on December 14 and 17, 2010.

"It was a blast seeing the children overjoyed after opening the gifts we gave them containing their brand new shoes; the parents were also present in the event making it more special. The day was filled with fun games, dialogue, prizes, laughter and fun stories; just what Christmas
should be like--- frolicking while sharing and loving".

Now, the kids have their new shoes to wear as they step up and make a difference in their everyday living. Christine will be wearing comfortable and durable shoes to help her in her everyday 3-hour walk going to school. She is just one of hundreds of Filipino children who have the dedication to finish their studies but who unfortunately have limited resources.

Touch their souls and cloth their soles, you can make a difference! Just donate shoes to the Batang Iskolars of other areas in the Philippines and let us all shout: I am M.A.D. (Making A Difference)!