Church Photos 066.JPGHi, my name’s Mark Smith, in 1989 my wife Val and I had our first “taste” of abject poverty. That three week trip to the Philippines provided the catalyst for us returning the following year, beginning what would become a 12-year investment of our lives into the Filipino people. The last 5 years of our stay was spent living in a squatter community in the provincial town of Baliuag, Bulacan, approximately one hour North of Metro Manila. While there, in July 2001 we had the great joy of welcoming John and Yunika into our family as our adopted children.


HISTORY

vlcsnap-88970.pngLiving amongst some of the poorest people in Asia allowed us the opportunity to express the love of Christ in some very tangible ways, something that to this day we consider to be a rare privilege. During our stay there we established a sponsorship program that provided Primary and High School education for more than twenty deserving children. We had envisioned that such a program would go some way to alleviating poverty by providing better employment opportunities for the graduates.

In April 2008 we made our first return visit to this community in Baliuag. We were saddened to see these bright kids, having graduated from High School, still working in the open markets selling fish or worse still, working as bar girls in night clubs. It soon became apparent to us that High School education alone, although extremely beneficial, does little to alleviate multi-generational poverty in the home.

Our desire had always been to make a lasting difference into the lives of these gracious and needy people. It distressed us greatly to see brilliant children living under the curse of poverty usually through no fault of their own. We determined that day to do something tangible to help these children have the same opportunities that we would want our own children to have.

THE NAME

Upon investigation we discovered that for the cost of just one cup of coffee a day (approximately NZD3.50) we could place a student into a state-run university or technical institute in the Philippines. From that alarming discovery was birthed a new compassion-based Christian ministry that we have called The Cappuccino Club.

THE OBJECTIVES

shanty.jpgThe Cappuccino Club is more than just a sponsorship program to further education. Although higher-level education is one of the objectives of the program, it is not the primary motivator for the ministry. Ultimately The Cappuccino Club aims to transform entire communities. We see this being achieved by mentoring and equipping young students to become men and women of great influence through their chosen career path for the benefit of their immediate communities and beyond.

And so the aims of The Cappuccino Club can be expressed in the following way; To provide university-level education to impoverished youth, To eradicate poverty one family at a time, And to transform impoverished communities through modeled servant leadership.

bahay ng Pagasa.jpgTHE DREAM

The dream of The Cappuccino Club is to see these young leaders grow up to become agents of change in their communities and beyond. In June 2008 we established two students into university, both Lorenzo and Joanna Marie have excelled academically through the course of the year. In June 2009 a further nine students have been added to the program from three different communities in and around Metro-Manila.

Currently we have 11 great students in The Cappuccino Club pilot program. There are literally 1000’s of others who are equally deserving of this opportunity, the only restriction being the lack of funding. We invite you to dream with us what can be achieved in the lives of the impoverished youth of the Philippines if they be given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Regards,

Mark