MANILA, Philippines — The slums of Payatas have found new collaborators in celebrities Isabelle Daza and Erwan Heussaff to assist in programs and give millennial consumers, already born with an abundance of choices, a better alternative.
On Wednesday, Daza and Heussaff to the press shared what made them say yes to the collaboration with skin care line Kiehl's to assist the Payatas Orione Foundation.
Daza said both the brand and the foundation are close to her heart. In fact, she has been helping the foundation through their feeding programs and others for over ten years now.
"I learned about the foundation sa tita ko. She set it up ten years ago. Nakita ko talaga na naggrow yung foundation from thirty kids now they are sponsoring over 200 kids. Binibigyan nila ng pagkain every day," she said in an interview with Philstar.com
As an Early Childhood Education graduate from De La Salle University, Daza feels passionate about helping children who are in need. Daza believes that being the world's future, children should be well-fed and nourished in order to have an education, good health, and as they grow up, a job, which will lead to their survival.
Heussaff, an International Business degree-holder specializing in hospitality, believes in helping others imbibe a healthy lifestyle.
"I support children mainly because I feel like they're the only ones that are extremely innocent in this world. I think that they should be given the opportunity to have an equal footing to succeed in this world," he said.
At the press event, it was revealed that both ambassadors visited Payatas to learn about the reality of poverty and the life of the people there.
"Once we arrived in Payatas, it was a really weird feeling for me. The first thing I wanted to do was just get out there. It's funny how this kind of reality makes us feel so uncomfortable. Probably because you don't want to admit and don't want to understand that you wake up in the morning, have your morning juice while there are others who literally fight for their hunger by eating salt for breakfast," recalled Heussaff.
The Payatas Orione Foundation feeds over 600 malnourished children annually. To contribute to the cause, Heusaff and Daza decided to help these kids by agreeing to design a limited edition packaging for Kiehl's best selling product. All of the sales from the product will be given to the charity to feed underprivileged kids aged 2 to 8 years old through a supplemental feeding program where one full meal will be provided for them every single day of the week.
The goal for this project is to help kids grow physically and mentally, readying them to receive proper education, and, eventually, allowing them to help their families rise from poverty.