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Friends of Saint Mary MacKillop Inc.
fsmm Inc.
Hapag Mangyan
Nourishing young minds, one meal at a time. Hapag Mangyan provides nutritious meals to Indigenous Mangyan children in remote communities, helping fight hunger and giving them the strength to learn, grow and thrive. Because no child should have to learn on an empty stomach.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Food security remains a persistent challenge for many Mangyan communities living in the remote mountains of Mindoro. Poverty, limited livelihood opportunities and isolation make it difficult for families to meet their daily nutritional needs. Children suffer the most—hunger leads to malnutrition, stunted growth and weakened resistance to disease.
The EDCOM II Report highlights how inadequate nutrition directly affects children’s learning. Hunger diminishes a child’s ability to focus, participate and perform well in school. Many Mangyan children go to class on an empty stomach, become easily exhausted and often miss classes. Some eventually drop out to help their families earn a living. This cycle of hunger and poverty continues to limit their chances for a better future.
Hapag Mangyan seeks to respond to this challenge through a Nutritious Meals and Food Sharing Program, grounded in the principle of food recovery. The initiative aims to collect surplus yet still edible food from businesses, public markets and other establishments—such as canned goods nearing expiry and vegetables that are safe but no longer marketable. These recovered ingredients will be turned into healthy, freshly prepared meals for Mangyan children.
By transforming potential food waste into nourishment, Hapag Mangyan provides children with reliable access to daily meals while promoting sustainability, dignity and responsible stewardship. When children are well-fed, they are able to focus, attend school more consistently and participate more fully in learning.
Through this program, Hapag Mangyan envisions Mangyan learners who are healthy, motivated and better equipped to break free from the cycle of hunger, educational disadvantage and marginalization—building a stronger and more hopeful community.
