DAVAVO CITY (MindaNews / 1 Sep) – Art pieces by Mindanawon artist Kublai Millan find print in mugs, shirts, coloring books, and key chains for the benefit of an orphanage.
Art for a Cause, a fundraising project of the Panabo City-based orphanage Mariphil Children’s Village, features Kublai’s pieces that appear to depict happiness, vibrancy, and youth.
Shyanne Bacalso, social worker of the Mariphil Orphanage Foundation, said in Tuesday’s Art Talk in Park Inn by Radisson Davao that this art project aims to raise funds for the operational costs of their children’s village. The orphanage lost support from the Panabo local government unit last January after being told that funding for them needs to be reviewed. Funding for the orphanage is currently frozen.
To deal with this cut in funds, the orphanage sought fund-raising projects and one of these came in the form of selling merchandise. Every month, the orphanage needs about half a million pesos to operate.
Mariphil currently has 60 children under their care—these are a combination of children who need special protection and children at risk. Bacalso said that they offer holistic care for these children—this covers health, education, psychotherapy, and home care.
The children’s village is located in Purok Takway, Barangay Nanyo in Panabo.
The children’s village also has a functioning organic garden to make it self-sustaining. This garden grows cucumbers, eggplants, squash and tomatoes, and mangos, papayas, coconuts, and bananas. These produce are used to feed children, housemothers, and volunteers.
The same orphanage also employs medical professionals to look into the plight of the vulnerable children going through rehabilitation.
Mariphil remains to closely work with the police and the children’s welfare unit of the local government to provide care for children.
The Mariphil Orphanage Foundation is a partnership between the Project Mariphil Foundation Inc., Hilfsprojekt Mariphil e.V., the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Panabo local government.
Last July, Kublai Millan made designs for Mariphil and these are now made available through order. Millan’s 12 designs come alive in incredible details on affordable merchandise: shirts at P350, mugs at P150, and key chains at P30 each. (Jesse Pizarro Boga / MindaNews)
(For orders, contact Shyanne at 0920-216-7874 or Kristel at 0917-636-7218 or visit Facebook.com/mariphilvillage)
