Kontra Gutom Movement Operation Samaritan Street dwellers benefit from feeding

CEBU, Philippines - Street dwellers at the historic Osmeña Boulevard benefit from a multi-sectoral feeding program at the Cebu City Sports Complex.

Dubbed “Kontra Gutom Movement Operation Samaritan,” the activity is a joint program of Gawad Kalinga (GK), Cebu City Government and the Archdiocese of Cebu. It aims to provide vagrants with basic needs like food, clothing, among others.

“We have feeding activities up to Thursday (July 25) unless other friends will sponsor feeding we will continue. We are still asking for friends to sponsor for July 26-31,” GK servant leader Paul Hubahib said, adding this runs from 9am to 7pm.

The program was launched Friday and will last until July 24 but organizers hoped this will be extended and eventually be made regular with the help of groups and individuals who are willing to contribute.

Benefitting from the program are 160 street dwellers identified by DSWS and CCPO Station 2 with an NGO based in the University of San Carlos, he added.

Apart from feeding these street dwellers, organizers also aim to empower them by training them on how to survive without begging from pedestrians.

“We adopted a holistic approach of helping our less fortunate fellow Filipinos. Aiming to turn them into productive members of the community with dignity, teach them how to fish and share fish while they go through priceless transformation by education and skill and entrepreneurship,” Hubahib added.

As of yesterday, the group already listed 200 adults comprising of 65males, 45 females and 90 children.

Hubahib added that stakeholders are set to meet in a workshop to come up with the strategic plan on how to sustain this program aimed to gradually solve the problem of increasing number of street dwellers. — (FREEMAN)