Sometimes it feels like things are always getting worse. Sometimes we feel very angry with what's happening, things just aren't fair. That’s how I felt as I got to know this family. A hardworking family who did everything they could to help each other. But the good news is that when we empathise with others, understand, and take the time to get to know someone else, we can help.

Meet the Mendoza family*. They are a loving, energetic family. They live in Payatas. Their story is quite incredible.

The Mendozas here are made up of the two Grandparents and their three Grandsons. The eldest boy is JD. He’s 14 years old but his body would suggest he’s about 10. That’s what years of
malnourishment does. Still he’s a lot stronger than he looks. That’s what years of climbing up and down garbage trucks in Payatas to scavenge trash for something to sell, recycle or even eat (pagpag) will do. Payatas is the largest dumpsite in the Philippines and home to around half a million people. It is where we at Fairplay are based.

JD became the man of the house at 7 years old. His mother became pregnant with him when she was 12 years old. She
gave birth at 13, had two more boys, and then died of a heart attack at 19 years old. Their father was killed the following year in their small shack, his body found by the boys the morning after. They were then 7 years old, 5 years old, and 4 years old.

Orphaned, the three boys are looked after by their grandparents. They recently turned 70 and still scavenge in a junkshop to earn money for the family, about P100 per day (£1.50 or $2). The
Grandmother’s back is starting to curve due to osteoporosis, but she never fails to give you a smile and greet you when we meet along the road. Neither do the boys. Despite the circumstances and their past, the boys and their Grandparents are cheerful, hard-working, and genuinely kind human beings.  

JD is candid about the future. He expects to drop out of school soon to work full-time and support his two younger brothers, a common scenario in Payatas. All three boys work ‘jumping’,
which means jumping up the garbage trucks in Payatas and filling a rice sack with trash to later sort through and sell. It’s common for boys their age in their area to do this.

All three boys are now Fairplay scholars and attend school. They also play football regularly and the youngest boy, Jack,
was part of a Semi-Pro Academy in the Philippines. But for their future more needs to be done. Not least because they’re about to get evicted.

The owner of the house has medical problems and his family told the Mendozas they would have to pay a large lump sum for their small home or get kicked out. It’s a tiny house and they’re
trying to charge twice the value. Buying it won’t solve things in the long-run either. So to really help this family we propose the following:

Short-Term Plan:

The short-term plan is to give the family a boost; supporting their rent and home, medical treatment for the Grandparents,
and freedom from the cycle of debt. This means asking for the following:

P15,000 for a year’s rent
(contracted)

P4,000 construction materials to improve their home

P4,570 outstanding debt

P10,000 medical budget for the
family (particularly the Grandmother for check-up and medicines given her
arthritis and bent back)

P24,000 (P2,000/month) food
allowance

P2,750 administrative costs

TOTAL: P60,000 (£1,000/$1,300)

If you're in the UK or Philippines and want to support, then please email us directly at ffafoundation@gmail.com and we can avoid bank fees and transfer charges too.

In the long-run, though, we need to solve the problem. And we have an idea. In AMLAC, the Payatas Sports Center has just been completed. Most land is untitled in Payatas, meaning families are routinely kicked off the land by local government officials are relocated elsewhere when it suits their interests.

At Amlac, however, we have titled land. As the site of the Payatas Sports Center we plan to build an office and can build a small house for the family too. All five members of the family can live there, which would at least double the size of their current home. The Grandparents can act as security too, allowing them to stop their hazardous work scavenging. The family would be able to eat three times a day at the Fairplay Café. And with an additional allowance for acting as security, without costs for rent, food, and utilities, the family’s basic needs are entirely taken care of in a sustainable manner.

The boys can therefore focus on their schooling and train alongside others to play, referee, and coach, earning qualifications and additional money in the future. The good news is once this is achieved, no additional support for the family is necessary. Also, this will help other families in the community too. The toilets would be used by the Mendoza family but also by players, coaches, and the nearby community for example. A hygienic facility in an area where there are no proper toilets. And when the boys are financially stable, they can support the education of another child from the community at that time, paying it forward.

So to achieve this, we’re looking for:

P150,000 to construct the house

P85,000 to construct two cubicle
toilet facilities in the Payatas Sports Center (to be used by the family)

P3,000/month allowance for the
family as security (P39,000)

TOTAL: P274,000 (£4,500/$5,900)

Full financial reports of both stages will be available to all supporters to ensure transparency and accountability. We, and the Mendoza family, would appreciate any and all support.

*Real names are changed for the protection of the family. For the well-being of the children, no media are allowed to visit the family without appointment. All requests for features MUST be coordinated through Fairplay so that our social workers can monitor the situation and ensure the children are well protected. This is particularly due to poor behaviour from major Philippine TV crews in the past. 

Written by Roy Moore, Executive Director
of the Fairplay for All Foundation: