Our Results

When we met Kimberly on Marinduque in the Philippines, we were greeted by such a sad sight. She was seven years old and just skin and bones. How was she even standing? We had to do something for this child who weighed only 24 pounds and needed medical care. RSM took her to see a doctor who diagnosed her with pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics, and then we delivered some FMSC MannaPack Rice to her family.

What a difference! During the course of one week, Kimberly gained nearly two pounds! What would have happened if we had not found her? She needed medicine and food, and we were God’s hands to help her.

Kimberly fully recovered. She and her mother are very thankful for the food and care they received from Risen Savior Missions!

The story of Charliemagne, better known to family and friends as Charlie, is a real source of inspiration. At age 10, Charlie weighed only 35 pounds due to the ravages of disease brought on by terrible malnutrition. Lack of food caused her autoimmune system to fail, and she contracted tuberculosis (TB) and osteoporosis. She became weaker and weaker, to the point that she could no longer stand up because of lack of muscle strength and tremendous pain. After being on an RSM food program on the Island of Negros Occidental for one year, Charlie started gaining weight and growing once again. Today her TB is in remission and she can run, something she could not do since she was 7 years old. Charlie is at the top of her class and has a bright future ahead of her.

We met Vincent Trazo at our feeding program at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Calocan City in the greater Manila area when he had just turned three. He and his nine-year-old sister Lende lived in a poor shanty town with their parents. Vincent’s dad, Jun Trazo, earned a meager daily wage, and his mom, Leah, stayed at home to care for Vincent. To help her family get by, she set up a small "sari-sari" store selling packaged snacks through the only window of their dwelling, while Vincent lay on a mat spread on the floor beside her.

Vincent had a very difficult time eating. His mother fed him only porridge and salt, because that was all they could afford and that was all Vincent could take in.

Vincent’s mother was hesitant to come to the RSM feeding program, but her neighbor was persistent: “Take Vincent to the RSM feeding site!”

As Leah began coming regularly, feeding Vincent as much of the nutritious MannaPack-Rice as he could tolerate, she noticed that Vincent was steadily becoming healthier. And we noticed that there was more we could try to do for Vincent!

We learned more about Vincent’s history and physical condition (cleft lip, cleft palate, hydrocephalus). His mom suffered from malnutrition during her pregnancy. What appeared to be Vincent’s front teeth were small jagged little white things sticking from his gums that were protruding outside his mouth. On top of this he had a hernia. Little Vincent also could not walk. His mother would cradle him in her arms the whole day, and his head had flattened at the back partially because of this. Yet, despite his condition and pain, Vincent would try to smile at us. That’s when we knew that we just had to do more for him!

RSM’s volunteers went right to work to get his cleft lip operated on, and the operation was quite successful. Then we set to work to find a better home for his family. Today, the Trazo family has a sanitary dwelling place to live in, and Vincent is on the path to recovery.

In September of 2007 Rosalie Aquino joined our feeding program in a shanty village in Metro Manilla. At the age of two, she came to us with a diagnosis of hydrocephalus. Rosalie was always present to eat, but she kept losing weight. After two months of feeding, we decided to have her de-wormed. Tapeworms cause health problems that can be deadly in children, since they rob them of nutrients, block their intestines, and take up space in organs that stop them from functioning normally.

To our surprise, 15 tapeworms about six inches long came out of her tiny little body.

That ordeal was the beginning of her miracle. In one month, she gained three pounds and started playing. At that time, we sent her to a doctor for an examination, who said she never had hydrocephalus. She was a child who had suffered from malnutrition, and now she was on the road to recovery.

Rosalie stayed on the RSM feeding program for three and a half years, until she became healthy and her parents could financially support their family.

She is growing into a beautiful young lady and doing so well in school. She has a real chance at a bright future because of RSM compassion, prayers, and charity. Today Rosalie Aquino is 13 years old. She would have died without help from our donors and the RSM feeding program.