Fourth Year CHSU PharmD Students Feed Hungry Children in the Philippines

Faith Olivares and Beth Rapiz are current 4th year students at CHSU completing their pharmacy doctorate program. They will be completing their last clinical rotation for their pharmacy degree in Iloilo, Philippines from April to May 2018 and plan to leave a lasting impact in the community while they are on their final rotation.
Iloilo City, also known as the Heart of the Philippines or the City of Love, is well known for their charming people that comes from their “musical” dialect. According to the Department of Social Welfare of the Philippines, in 2014, nearly 13,700 households in Iloilo City live in poverty. Despite the relative developments, the city of Iloilo ranked first in the list of top 10 cities with the most number of poor households.
Each time Faith’s family traveled to the Philippines, her family organizes an event which feeds the children in the squatter areas in the city of Iloilo. She and her classmate, Beth are continuing this tradition when they are there for their upcoming 6-week rotation. Faith says “In 2009, the last time I got to experience the event with my family, 200 kids were provided with a homemade lunchtime meal consisting of entrée, fruit, juice box, and bread. We also played games in which each winner received a cash prize, which resulted in huge smiles on their faces.”
She is hoping to see more smiles on little faces as she and Beth help the students of Galang-Salngan Elementary School in the province of Oton and also the helpless children of surrounding suburbs/villages such as Cabanbanan.
A donation of just a dollar can provide one child with a warm lunch with a cold juice box and school supplies such as a backpack.  CHSU has already committed to supporting these students by donating $500 to help start off the collection to fund meals and supplies for the needy children. If you would like to make a donation, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/feeding-program-in-iloilo-ph