Lito (not his real name), is very young at 12, but his understanding of what it means to be unwanted is probably deeper than most people’s. As a young boy, he was left behind by his mother, who ran away with a man. His grandmother — old and frail — had no choice but to take him under her care. But she couldn’t keep an eye on Lito all day as she goes to market daily to sell salt. She then decided to put a cord around his leg and tie it around a wooden post in a corner of their small, dilapidated shanty. She removed him from the leash only when she arrived.
Nena (not her real name) is a baby girl abandoned by her mother at birth. She was left crying in the middle of a rice field until a farmer found her. Local barangay officials found a woman who admitted to being Nena’s mother. A victim of gang rape, she said she couldn’t live with the thought of having the child in her life.
Lito and Nena are just two of the 31 special children under the care of the Little Lamb Center in Sawang Calero, Cebu City. Founded by the Missionaries of the Poor (MOP), the Little Lamb Center has been taking care of these abandoned children for two years now. Many of them are suffering from various physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, epilepsy, and third degree malnutrition.
The stories of these kids have reached Sanofi-Aventis Philippines, a leading research-based pharmaceutical company which believes in promoting responsible corporate citizenship. A children’s rights advocate, it is committed to ensuring that Filipino children are given the chance to live healthy and happy lives. It has been adopting and sustaining a number of projects for indigent children, in partnership with the Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Project: Brave Kids, the Urchins Street Kids Association, and the Little Lamb Center.
Recently, in the spirit of community service, the entire Mancom of the company led their Cebu-based field force and volunteer employees in bringing cheer to the children at Little Lamb. Armed with bags of goodies, packs of food, cash and check donations, and big, wide smiles, they trooped to the center to make a positive difference in the lives of the neglected children.
Contributions from the generous employees were so overwhelming that donations were also given to the elderly being taken care of by the Missionaries of the Poor, as well as children they cathechize in the surrounding depressed areas.
Caloy Realuyo, president and general manager of Sanofi-Aventis Philippines, was gratified by the support the project has received from the officers and staff of the company. “It just goes to show how we at Sanofi-Aventis are always united in the name of service,” he said. “At the heart of Sanofi-Aventis is a long-standing commitment to support causes that benefit less fortunate children.”
To foster the spirit of volunteerism within the company, Sanofi-Aventis formed Blue Hands, a volunteer group of employees willing to share their time, talents, and resources with underprivileged children. Blue Hands is the company’s strategic response to social consciousness.