ROBINSONS Malls’ The Gift of Change was launched in 1997 with the thrust of lending a hand to underprivileged Filipinos. Fifteen years after, it continues to do so by helping the Jaime Cardinal Sin Village, a project of the Serviam Foundation, Inc. located in Punta, Sta. Ana, Manila.

The village’s goal was to build a beautiful church to serve the entire Punta, Sta. Ana district; a Montessori-type school offering tuition-free nursery to high school students; and seven tenements housing over 900 families. The rationale behind the project was simple: to help encourage and support thriving community-run and personal businesses, support the building of facilities and to further improve the living conditions of community members. To date, the JCS Village has since been transformed into a model community.

Robinsons Malls’ The Gift of Change is committed to focus on widening the Program’s reach this 2012 by helping out small communities in the different parts of the country with the help from the regional Robinsons Malls.

The program’s regional beneficiaries include the Pastoral Care for Children for Robinsons Cagayan De Oro and Robinsons Cybergate Davao. It is a program of the Social Action Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, which seeks to develop the culture of sharing and love of neighbors and continues to promote a better quality of life among poor children through projects that reduce the malnutrition prevalence rate among children zero to 12 years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers; the Zapatera Nutrition Program instigated by the Sacred Heart Parish, for Robinsons Fuente, focuses on improving the nutritional health needs of malnourished and indigenous students from Grades 1 to 3 of the Zapatera Elementary School in Barangay Zapatera, Cebu City; and the Diamond Club Program in also a program of the Sacred Heart Parish, provides the elderly, aged 65 and above, the opportunity to actively participate in a club that is specifically focused on spiritual, social health and physical development for Robinsons Cybergate Cebu.

Robinsons Place Dumaguete supports St. Anthony Academy, a non-profit and non-stock school that is committed to its mandate of educating and evangelizing the youth and is currently in need of funds for classroom repairs, decent toilets and improvements to its library. In Iloilo, five mission schools under the Archdiocese of Jaro located in Mina, Bingawan, Tubungan, Concepcion and Batad will be the beneficiaries of educational facilities like classrooms, chairs, tables, instructional materials, electric fans, and computers from Robinsons Place Iloilo; and Robinsons Place Palawan’s support is given to the Youth Scholarship Program under the Social Action Center of the Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Princesa. The scholarship program will benefit the poor but deserving youth-beneficiaries of the City of Puerto Princesa and the Province of Palawan.

Closer to Metro Manila, Robinsons Malls’ The Gift of Change, together with Robinsons Place Lipa, will support the Self Help Groups organized by the Lipa Archdiocesan Social Action Commission. This is an informal association of poor women in Lipa, Batangas who voluntarily came together to make small regular savings contributions over a few months until there is enough capital to lend so funds are lent back to members for emergencies. Robinsons Town Mall Los Baños and Robinsons Sta. Rosa Market lends hand to the Basic Ecclesial Communities or “Handugang Kristiyano” of the Diocese of San Pablo, small Christian communities assisted through their feeding programs, livelihood programs, relief and rehabilitation programs, medical missions, scholarships and community organizing while Caritas Cavite is the beneficiary of Robinsons Place Imus and Robinsons Dasmariñas.

“The thrust is to help the poor and to reach out under-served communities who have great potential,” explains Roseann Coscolluela-Villegas, Corporate Public Relations manager of Robinsons Land Corporation. She clarifies that Robinsons Malls’ The Gift of Change is not a simple dole-out. “The funds raised will be properly turned over to the diocese or archdiocese for them to manage. Currently we are in 12 sites which is Phase 1 of the Roll out. Phase 2 will cover the Northern Luzon, Central Visayas, together with our three soon-to-open malls. We serve the communities where our shopping malls are located. This is our way of saying we are in touch with our customers and their needs.”

By assisting these small Christian communities, Robinsons Malls’ The Gift of Change hopes to do its share in helping bring about positive change to the Philippines—one coin bank at a time.