Necklaces, P450 to P500 (photo by NOEL PABALATE)

A quiet group of women – and a few men – gather in a small room in a corner of their children’s school every day. They sit, chismis, and share a few laughs, all the while churning out accessories like necklaces, earrings, and clutches. These are the women of Smokey Mountain, who with the help of the Philippine Christian Foundation (PCF), have been redirecting their efforts from sifting through rubbish to creating beauty from trash.

PCF is the brainchild of Jane Walker, an Englishwoman who was taken by the plight of those who lived atop the trash heap. Leaving her life in England behind, she now spends her time trying to generate publicity and funds to help better their standard of living. “One of our goals is to build adequate housing for our community,” shares Lynie Pispisano, Jane’s exeucutive assistant. The community consists of roughly 80 families, whose children attend the school that PCF established behind a recycling warehouse. Besides maintaining an incentive program to keep the kids in school, the foundation also offers livelihood training for the parents and youth to keep them from returning to their dependence on the trash heaps. One of these is the jewelry making that has drawn the attention of many among our local expats.

Raw materials for the products the women make are everything from pages torn from magazines, tabs from soda cans, to keys from discarded keyboards – their latest garbage innovation. Prepared and assembled by hand, each bead is rolled layer by layer as it slowly takes the shape that is desired. Each tab and each key is washed thoroughly before being stitched together to make wallets, handbags, and even wastebaskets. “It gives [the women] a sense of pride that they can make something that others can appreciate,” Pispisano explains.

A little goes a long way with these ladies as they make sure everything that is found or donated to their workshop is used well. Magazine cutouts create vibrant color patterns, while the silver tabs create contrast with the green, blue, or black thread that is used to sew them together. While the keyboard bags are still in the prototype stages, the bags’ novelty is something that will prove to pay off.

While the PCF dedicates itself to the holistic development of the community that it has adopted, the foundation invites those who are interested to involve themselves through donating, spending time at their school, or purchasing a little part of their success in the form of a necklace, bracelet, or other product that they offer.

For more information, access their website at www.pcf.ph or visit them at The Philippine Christian Foundation, Inc. Vitas, Tondo Manila.