Breakfast on a Mountain of Trash
A story by Our Better World - simple, powerful stories that will make your heart smile and spirit soar.
Smokey Mountain.
If you're not familiar with the place, the name may conjure up images of a hilly region covered in clouds. Somewhere you might go on vacation for some fresh air and scenic views.
The truth is far from that.
Smokey Mountain is a large landfill in Manila, Philippines, where slums are shrouded in smoke from piles of burning rubbish.
Parents struggle to put meals on the table and hunger is a constant, forcing children as young as 6 years' old to dig through piles of rubbish to sell what they can, so they can eat.
In 2001, husband-wife team Nixon and Cora Rosales started taking food to about 15 children at the landfill.
Today, their Malaya Kids Ministries – Malaya means freedom in the Filipino language, Tagalog – feeds hundreds of children every Saturday.
Besides offering the children a respite from hunger, the group also gives them a community where they can have the freedom to dream.
Help give them the freedom to dream.
This story by filmmaker Robert Hector Cristobal took part in The Good Story Competition 2014.
Text by Shubhpreet Kaur
