Cherish Christmas Children’s Party

On December 21 the first Christmas Party of A Million Voices was held in Baseco, a poor community near Manila in the Philippines.

To join us in the festivities a total of 194 children from 4 to 12 years of age were invited as our special guests, coming from 11 different pastoral ministries in the area. Also participating in the event were pastoral volunteers and parents, AMV volunteers and the 1st Community Development Company. The event lasted from 2 PM to 6 PM, and during this time a number of activities were enthusiastically conducted.

After the opening remarks by AMV representatives Oscar Gonzales and Charlotte Johansen, a couple of colorful and amusing clowns entertained the children with their tricks and games, one being “bring me..” where the children had to bring announced items to the stage. It turned particularly fun when children were on the hunt for white strands of hair – which was rather unfortunate for the one pastor with such hair in the audience.

After the clown games it was time for yet another set of games – this time hosted by Dodgie Lingal, one of the AMV representatives. Part of the games was to join in as the crowd was singing Christmas Carols, and this was a good opening to the performances of the children. Six of the ministries had prepared song and dance acts, and as the children showed off the results of weeks of practice a lot of talent was revealed.

On December 14 we held a Workshop in Christmas Decoration Making where around 50 of the children got the chance to create snowmen, Christmas lanterns, Christmas plates and other decorations. We wanted to stimulate their thinking, motivate and strengthen their self-esteem, and the children were able to submit their products for judging after the course. The judging would be based on effort and originality, and after another round of magic tricks and laughs from the clown duo, it was time to announce the seven winners of this contest.

Last on our program was the handout of our Christmas presents. Instead of giving toys, we wanted to provide all the children with school supplies which will benefit them for the next school year. This is more beneficial than toys and will hopefully help the children and their parents with one less expense for schooling. Part of the present was a school bag, pencil casing, pencils, pencil sharpener, ruler, eraser, crayons, notebooks and pad paper.

After the handout the children and volunteers received Chicken Chop Suey with chicharon bread to make the celebration extra special. The choice of Chop Suey was to ensure that all the important food groups were included – and especially with a high nutritious value.

Together with the inhabitants of Baseco we created a fun-filled and meaningful day promoting a greater unity, inclusiveness and a positive attitude towards the future. It is also a first and initiating step towards further projects in the Baseco area. Christmas is a time of sharing and compassion, but it should also be representing the true meaning of the rest of the year as well.