A family in the Philippines in our supplemental feeding program

Nourishing Food for Diwa in the Philippines

Holt photographer Micaela Rahimian shares about 1-year-old Diwa and her family, who she met during a recent Holt trip to the Philippines.

Thanks to donors like you, 1-year-old Diwa and her family in the Philippines are now receiving nourishing food. With five young children, Diwa’s parents struggle to provide everything their children need — especially enough food. They live in a single, windowless room in an impoverished barangay — or neighborhood — in Metro Manila, and earn very little income.  

When Holt’s local partner learned about this family, they began providing nourishing meals for the children. They also enrolled baby Diwa in the donor-supported supplemental feeding program — a program that aims to supply 300 additional calories per day for a child’s first 120 days, a critical time of physical and cognitive development. 

Because of the kindness and generosity of donors, Diwa is now receiving the essential nutrition she needs to grow and thrive. Keep reading to see more photos and learn more about this family you’re helping in the Philippines.

Diwa’s mom takes visiting Holt staff inside her makeshift, four-story, communal housing during a grocery delivery by Holt’s local partner, Kaisahang Buhay Foundation (KBF). 
The family of seven live in this small room that can fit little more than a single mattress on the ground. The bathroom and kitchen are on a lower level and shared by the rest of the families in the building — including Diwa’s grandparents.
Here we see a typical bag of groceries that a family in this program might receive, full of apples, oranges, milk, bread, pasta and spaghetti sauce.
Diwa’s older sister eats an apple provided by Holt donors. 
Pictured above is the “communal kitchen” that Diwa’s family shares with the other families that live in the building with them. 
The young mom is so happy to be a part of the program and very grateful for donors like you who bring a little joy to her children’s faces.
a young girl sits on a bench and looks at the camera

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