CDO Community Center Holds Feeding Activity

Community partners and staff of the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) community center in Cagayan de Oro City recently held a feeding activity and Bible storytelling session for children living near or on  Gemini St., Barangay Gusa.  About 40 children were fed in what will now be a monthly activity of the community center.

Funds for the food -- arroz caldo (a savory Filipino rice porridge) -- were from community partners  (recipients of microfinance loans) who donate one peso each whenever they hold their weekly fellowship meetings, and from CCT staff who have made a commitment to donate P50 toward the feeding program every payday.

The community center  in San Pedro Village, Barangay Gusa is the hub from which CCT social welfare activities in the city are planned, coordinated, and held.  The center houses a microfinance office, clinic, pre-school, and a worship hall.  The community church that meets here holds two Sunday worship services -- one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

For more information on the work of CCT in poor urban and rural communities, please visit its website at cct.org.ph/new/.

Community partners help cook and serve the food.

Arroz caldo  -- rice and chicken simmered in chicken stock and flavored with

 garlic, ginger, and onions -- ready for the children. 

Marife Evidiente, coordinator for the Cagayan de Oro community center and community
mobilization program officer, and Pastor Mervin Oba lead children in singing
"This is my head...my shoulders...my knees...They move like this." 

Here and in next photo, children are all ears as they listen to the story of the Good Samaritan 
for the first time,  as told by Ryan Etarwa, covenant community builder. 

Some children start to eat while others reach out to catch candies tossed by one of the staff.

The protruding root of a tree serves as a stool for one hungry lad.