Uplift Lives with Kariton Ministry

Diane celebrating her birthday with the families of the Kariton Ministry.

Poverty is not an end but once people get the feeling that the world is against them, they lose hope.  We don’t have to do a grand gesture to generate that glimmer of hope that can make a world of difference.  Kariton Ministry is helping ease poverty one family at a time. That little nudge has helped the supported families pick themselves up and eventually be self-reliant.

Kariton Ministry

Kariton Ministry started through the initiative of Tin Santos in 2014.  She saw two little boys sleeping in the pavement and got the urge to interact with them. While she wasn’t successful the first time, she tried again. She was able to talk to them and she discovered that their father was in jail and the had no money for rent or food. She took initiative to pay the rent and have some of the basic necessities available.  To her surprise, their mom was able to get a job and also took initiative on helping others too.  They also promoted weaving as a livelihood for mom’s who needs to work at home to take care of the kids.  Eventually, many more good Samaritans also joined and more needy families were supported by the program.

Diane’s Birthday

I got to meet the people and families behind the Kariton Ministry when I attended Diane’s Birthday.  Diane is a friend from Graduate School who I don’t get to meet much but I do consider a keeper.  Diane opted to have her birthday celebration extended through having a good meal with the supported families under the Kariton Ministry at McDonalds in C5.  There were several families who came and the kids did have fun with the games handled by McDonalds.  They also got a chance to see Grimace.  Diane and her husband Richard also brought some basic supplies for the families.

Grimace getting mobbed by the kids.

You don’t have to do much to make a difference.  You just have to lend an helping hand and hope to pull as many out of the depths of hopelessness.  Kariton Ministry’s mission is to give families living on the streets of Manila an opportunity for a better life for themselves and their children.  They are committed to helping families find proper homes and providing them with mentors and with the training and supplies they need to provide for their families by making high quality, handcrafted products. This gives them a job they can be proud of and the funds to provide for their family’s needs and to send their children to school.  The goal is for people to enjoy and appreciate them as well as the stories behind this beautiful product.

Supporting Crew

It was nice to see the wonderful smiles in the kids and the families.  What’s admirable here is how the families themselves work their way to be self sufficient.  The Kariton Ministry just started with a family and has grown to support more and with more people supporting initiative, they can help rid poverty one family at a time.

Learn more about Kariton Ministry through their website (http://www.karitonministry.com/)