Gembert lives with his father and his mother. He is responsible for carrying water, gathering firewood and making beds. His father is sometimes employed and his mother maintains the home. There are 5 children in the family.
For fun, Gembert enjoys basketball, playing with cars and singing. He attends church activities regularly and is in primary school where his performance is average.
Because of your sponsorship, Gembert will have new opportunities to learn and grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thank you for your concern and prayers.
Gembert lives in the hillside community of Visares, Capoocan, home to approximately 1,800 residents. Typical houses are constructed of cement floors, wood walls and thatch roofs. The regional diet consists of maize, bananas, chicken, fish, cassava and rice.
Common health problems in this area include fevers and flu. Most adults work as day laborers and earn the equivalent of $128 per month. This community needs school supplies, employment opportunities and recreational activities.
Your sponsorship allows the staff of Hill of Zion Child Development Center to provide Gembert with Bible studies, games, health checkups, nutritious food, social events, field trips, music lessons and tutoring. Fifty percent of the children in this project are not attending school because they lack economic resources. The center staff will also provide livelihood training for the parents or guardians of Gembert.
North to south, 7,107 islands spread over 1,150 miles in the western Pacific Ocean to make up the country of the Philippines. About 95 percent of the population lives on the 11 largest islands. In the tropical lowlands, the climate is usually hot, humid and rainy.
The Philippines was once the most developed country in Asia following World War II but has lagged behind other countries because of poor economic growth and corruption. Spain and the United States, both colonizers of the country, have been the biggest influences on Philippine culture; a unique blend of Asia and the West. The country has two official languages: Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English. Eighty-three percent of the country is Catholic.
For centuries, the Philippine islands have been the crossroads of many cultures, including the Middle East, India and China, which all came to trade. In 1521, Spaniard Ferdinand Magellan reached the islands and Spain ruled them until 1898. The Philippines were ceded by Spain to the United States in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. They attained independence in 1946 after Japanese occupation in World War II. In 1965, the country came under the rule of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Widespread corruption and political mismanagement marred the Marcos regime. In 1986, a bloodless revolution forced Marcos into exile. In 1992, the U.S. closed its last military bases on the islands. In 2010, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III became the 15th president of the Philippines. He is the son of the former senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. and former president Corazon Aquino, who was the 11th president of the country. The government continues to struggle with Muslim insurgencies in the south.
Map of Philippines
Child's Location: North of Ormoc
