THE POPE FRANCIS INITIATIVE (PFI)

Overcoming Poverty In Solidarity And Fostering Transformation Through The Power Of God's Love
(an initiative of the Puso Ng Ama Foundation)

THE POPE FRANCIS INITIATIVE PAYATAS HEALTH PROJECT

Promoting Health and Wellbeing, Facilitating Health Care and providing Medical
Services among the poor in Payatas

For many in the Philippines, the name Payatas is a symbol of poverty and squalor. Payatas
has the reputation of being one of the very worst places in the Philippines and some years
ago was dubbed as “the New Smokey Mountain.” The word Payatas brings to the minds of
many Filipinos a massive, insanitary garbage dump full of dirty scavengers who pitifully
rummage among the garbage amidst a swarm of flies and the stench of rotting fish, meat,
fruit, vegetables and excrement. Payatas has a reputation of being a place of darkness,
poverty, filth, sickness, squalor, violent crime and drugs.

The reputation of Payatas is far worse than the reality. Indeed the dump site was recently
closed and many relatively rich people are now moving into Payatas. Nevertheless it is
certainly true that there is still massive poverty in Payatas. There are at least tens of
thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people in Payatas who remain in poverty.

Good health can be extremely difficult to maintain in Payatas, sickness is rife and morbidity
and mortality rates are high. Poor people in Payatas often find it very hard to access even
basic health care and medical and dental services. Even relatively wealthy people in Payatas
often find themselves plunged back into poverty when a family member becomes sick.

The PFI (Pope Francis Initiative) Payatas Health Project is a response to this situation. It
seeks to promote health and wellbeing, facilitate health care and provide medical services
among the poor in Payatas through the collaboration, partnership and generosity of
individuals, groups, communities and organizations from all spheres and sectors of society
including the religious, secular, governmental, voluntary and corporate sectors.

The PFI Payatas Health Project is part the wider Pope Francis Initiative which brings
together and links up people in order to foster collaboration and partnerships, and also a
growth in knowledge, expertise, commitment and action, that contribute towards the twin
goal of personal and social transformation among the poor. Towards this twin goal of
wholistic transformation among the poor, the Pope Francis Initiative seeks to foster,
promote, and work for, among other things, spiritual, physical, social, economic and
personal development, social entrepreneurship, social action, education, health and
wellness and neighborhood community life. The Pope Francis Initiative was started by, and
is overseen and coordinated by, the Puso Ng Ama Foundation (PNA).
1 April 2019 b