On December 10, more than 250 street children received an early Christmas gift of owning a book from Candlelight Books.  The kids were among the 1,200 underprivileged children and youth from various communities in Manila who participated in the 9th Sopas, Sining at Sorbetes Outreach Program of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

 

As a CCP event-partner, Synergeia did its share to add cheer to the occasion by giving away a boxful of books sent from across the globe by Candlelight Books, a US-based group collecting colored children’s materials for the benefit of Filipino kids.      

 

The children's faces lit up with joy the moment they got their hands on the books. It was another story when they started leafing through the pages of their books, when joy turned to awe and wonder. True, some of the children could not yet read very well but it was a delight to see them glued to the books’ pages full of vibrant and colorful pictures. Candlelight Books has certainly brought its spark of hope for reading and learning among these children.   

 

It was in 2007 when Candlelight’s Ms. Minotte Cuenca first connected with Synergeia to express her wish to send storybooks to children in the Philippines.  Since then, Ms. Cuenca, a Filipino immigrant based in Antioch, California, has been sending balikbayan boxes of beautiful children’s books, toys and other educational materials to Filipino kids through Synergeia. These have benefited elementary school pupils from as far as Siasi in Sulu. 

 

Once more, our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Cuenca and the Candlelight Books donors.  Your continued support, crossing so many borders, is truly deeply appreciated.