Negrenses volunteer for change
Busy schedules do not mean we have to write off community involvement. As many studies have demonstrated, helping others kindles happiness.
Five years ago, a few dedicated individuals wanting to reach out and create meaningful and positive change in their communities founded the Negrense Volunteers for Change (NVC) Foundation.
The NVC is a philanthropic organization of people caring for people. Their core mission is to fight hunger and poverty by providing proper nutrition, access to quality education for under priviledged children anand access to sustainable livelihood opportunities for their parents.
The NVC partners with artists and volunteers who design handcrafted products and train those with few livelihood opportunities. They work with women in rural communities, out-of-school youth, the differently-abled and the urban poor. They likewise oversee the design, production and marketing of mosaic art, crocheted crafts, fiber and fabric art, beadwork, among other items.
At the recently concluded Negros Artisanal Christmas Bazaar held at 856 G Gallery in Mandaue City, Cebuanos brought home numerous intricately handcrafted products to support NVC’s programs.
Among the most popular creations were the religious images such as the bejeweled Mary, Ina at Anak, the Last Supper, Sleeping Saint Joseph and the Holy Family booklet . The products are made from eggshells, which were cleaned, processed, sculpted and topped with eggshell tesserae to achieve a mosaic effect.
NVC has already provided close to four million meals of Mingo, a nutritious, instant powder mix that turns into a rich porridge when mixed with water. The ingredients are moringa, known in Filipino as malunggay, rice and mongo. It is the staple item in their Start Right, Live Bright Nutrition Program, a six-month initiative that provides complementary food for infants and toddlers in deprived communities, assuring them of the nutrients needed for optimal growth and development.
They have also built 195 classrooms, provided more than 4,000 motorized boats to fishermen in disaster stricken areas of the country, and more than a hundred tools of trade to spur immediate economic upliftment to the poor.
The hard working individuals behind the projects are Millie Kilayko, president; Elvira Tolentino, vice president;Theresa Lacson, treasurer; and Zosimo Maravilla, corporate secretary. The management team is led by executive director Carmela Regalado, assisted by Virgilio Hojilla comptroller; Karren Bulos, finance director; Therese Ng, communications director; Christine Abaquin, marketing; and Jose Luis Araneta, plant operations manager.
