Extending
a Helping Hand
Lingap sa Mamamayan Care for Humanity
When Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) struck Philippine soil on November 8, 2013, more than 13 million people in 44 provinces were affected. “In terms of casualties, it is among the deadliest typhoons that have hit the Philippines. Typhoon Yolanda has left more than 5,600 dead, 1,700 missing, and 26,000 injured in central Philippines ... It has damaged more than a million houses” (adb.org). Among those greatly damaged was the coastal city of Tacloban, Leyte.
In an effort to soften the blow of the said calamity, Brother Eduardo Manalo initiated to provide a source of livelihood not only for the brethren there but also for their fellowmen. Thus, in 2014, a housing project with an eco-farm and other livelihood facilities such as a garment factory, dried fish plant, and a mushroom house were built on the 3,000-hectare lot acquired by the Church in Alang-alang, Leyte. The said community was inaugurated on January 23, 2015 by the Executive Minister himself.
Embracing the Differently Abled
Out of love and compassion for the differently abled, the Church Administration of Iglesia Ni Cristo approved the creation of an organization that will look after their welfare. In 2017, the Embrace Organizationfor the Differently Abled was formally established. Currently, Embrace Organization has four livelihood centers namely: Embrace Café, Embrace Bakeshop, Embrace Farm, and Hearts and Hands Blind Massage Center.
UNLAD Across the Globe
The problems brought about by poverty are not limited to the Philippine archipelago. In Africa, the effects of poverty were worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, around 460 million of its inhabitants were living below the extreme poverty line of $1.90 a day (statista.com). As the Church continues to expand across Africa, the need to address the widespread poverty in the said continent also arises. UNLAD, with its close partnership with the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, Inc., purchased and transformed large parcels of land into eco-farms. Currently, there are three eco-farms: 459 hectares in Salima, Malawi; 508 hectares in Ladybrand, and 2,800 hectares in Petrusburg—both in South Africa. In 2019, a garment factory was built and inaugurated in Qwaqwa, South Africa intended to provide job opportunities and skills development training for the people in the said region.
