Our Story

Balinciagao, a remote, tiny village nestled in the mountainous rainforest at the northern tip of the Philippine island of Luzon, is the hometown of Faith, one of our founders. Every winter, she leaves our headquarters in Chicago and makes the long journey by plane, bus, donkey, and finally on foot back to her childhood home. Accompanying her is an army of suitcases and boxes filled with Christmas gift packages of clothes, toys, school supplies, and other donations she’s collected during the year from family, friends, neighbors, and other generous members of the community.

Just the excitement and joy exuberating from little kids jumping up and down, smiling and laughing as they rip open their Christmas gifts lets Faith know the trip was worth it. But her work is not done, it’s actually just beginning.

Her mission is simply this, to give the neglected children of the poverty-stricken village a place where they can come and not be forgotten, where they won’t have to go hungry, where they can lay their heads at night with a roof over their head, where they can take their first steps toward a better future by learning to read and write.

Over the past few years, the tireless work of FAITH, propelled by the CHARITY of our supporters, has given HOPE to the children of Balinciagao. They now have a community center that was built from the ground up. It has a library, school rooms, dining room, kitchen, and living quarters for up to a dozen children. They also have a fully renovated chapel that serves as a school. They have two new wells.