THE PROBLEM:

Payatas is home to the Philippines’ largest garbage dumpsite, currently 6.1 hectares in size. It is also home to approximately 120,000 young children, many of whom are malnourished. The MEALenium Project wants to help with this problem.

THE CAUSE:

The MEALenium Project has been feeding 30 children on a daily basis (Mondays to Fridays) in St. Benedict, Payatas since August 2015. In 2016, The MEALenium Project added a daily feeding program for 600 wasted/severely wasted* children in Lupang Pangako Elementary, Payatas through a partnership with Department of Education – Quezon City Schools Division, Office of the Vice Mayor of Quezon City and Jollibee Group Foundation. From serving The MEALenium Project serving 1,000 meals a day to malnourished* children in Payatas, to continuing even during the COVID-19 pandemic, to its 11th year, the project now supports 35 children and has served more than 200,000 meals since its inception, continuing its mission to fight childhood hunger and support children’well-being.

Our focus

On Payatas

Children in Payatas live near the largest garbage dumpsite in the Philippines. Most of them are from the most impoverished families, with parents who have no means of livelihood except to scavenge the nearby garbage site. The families often do not have enough money to feed their children properly.

From birth to age 5, the development of the child’s brain is at its peak. Getting the right amount of nutrients and calories to fuel this developmental process is crucial. Research has shown that malnutrition in infancy and early childhood can significantly hamper the development of children. It can lead to stunted physical growth and smaller brain sizes, resulting in intellectual deficits, learning weaknesses, and even poor socialization with peers- difficulties that can persist through adulthood.

The People

 

Founded in 2015 by two high school students Philip Sebastian Belmonte, and Joshua Emmanuel Tan, the MEALenium Project began with one goal. To provide consistent, year round meals for undernourished children in Payatas. What started with 25 children has grown into a lasting commitment to fighting child hunger and nourishing young lives.

For more than a decade, the project has provided approximately 238,000 meals, growing from its first 1,000 meals to supporting 35 children today with three nutritious meals a day, five days a week. While its founders have since moved on to their own careers, the mission they started continues to make a difference.

Today, the MEALenium Project is led by co-presidents Dana Chua and Karys Lim, who carry forward its commitment to addressing hunger and supporting the wellbeing of the community’s vulnerable children. The project works closely with the Payatas Orion Foundation and Fr. John S Castillo, a priest of St. Benedict Parish and a dedicated advocate for the children of Payatas. Through this partnership, the MEALenium Project aims to ensure that children who need it the most get healthy meals every day.

The MEALenium project is built on the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive. What began as a project by two high schoolers has grown into a continuing commitment to compassion, community and collective action, one meal at a time.

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Learn More About The People

updates

Christmas 2020

Christmas 2020

This year, there was no Christmas party for the community. This Christmas get-together, which has...

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Sponsor a Child

You can directly donate cash to sponsor a child for a month’s worth (or more!) of nutritious meals

– P25 per day x 5 days = P125 a week x 52 weeks a year

P6,500 for a whole year

Fundraising Activities

LIGHT A CANDLE FOR HOPE

Premium artisanal, hand-poured soy candles presented in beautifully sculpted, reusable bas-relief vessels featuring original artwork by Karys Lim and scents curated by Dana Chua

Every candle purchased helps support The MEALenium Project's feeding and educational initiatives for children in Payatas.

 

 

For inquiries and donations:

Contact Us