In true Christmas spirit, the American Women’s Club of the Philippines celebrated the gift of giving this season with their last bazaar of the year. Held on December 3, 2024, at the SMX Convention Center in SM Aura, the bazaar drew a large crowd of families and friends who enjoyed a full day of Christmas browsing, shopping, and eating. As people milled about the function room from stall to stall, I had the pleasure of sitting down with a few of the vendors who truly embodied this spirit through their dedication to giving to those who need it the most.
One of these vendors is Christine Olimpo of Our Little Ideas (OLI), which sells handwoven, machine-washable home products like dish towels, blankets, coasters, etc. OLI started when Olimpo discovered a lola weaving on the side of the road in the town of Buhi in Bicol province. Intrigued by the unique and colorful patterns, she ended up buying some of the weaves to bring back to Metro Manila to sell in collaboration with her boyfriend, Adrian Origenes. Since that fateful day in Buhi, OLI has grown from 19 weavers to 70, and the couple now partner with Gawad Kalinga communities in Bulacan and Payatas to help assemble the woven patchwork into the final products. Olimpo says that they “do not dictate the designs” of the textiles out of respect towards the weavers “as artisans of their own craft.” She tells me that while profit is a priority for a business, she and her boyfriend are committed to treating the people they work with with respect and gratitude for what they do for them. In the grand scheme of things, Olimpo and Origenes’ goal is to promote textile weaves of Bicol across the Philippines, and eventually on a global scale as well. Olimpo gives thanks to the blessing of God for their success, and also credits AWCP for giving her business an avenue to reach more people. “It’s always a good day with AWCP,” she tells me with a broad smile. More than a place to do Christmas shopping, OLI embodies the concept of “giving” not only by highlighting traditional Filipino culture, but also through the way they recognize their workers’ humanity and treat them as individuals with intrinsic value, a type of care that translates into the vibrancy and life that can be seen through the products they sell.
Leena, an 18 year-old high school senior from ISM was also collecting donations at the entrance of the bazaar for her project called Nutrition Now. Leena wants to raise funds to combat childhood malnutrition, and tells me that her desire to pursue a career in medicine is what has driven her to start this project.
“It’s the 21st century, and we still can’t meet everyone’s basic needs,” Leena told me. “I feel so lucky to have the life that I do, so I feel a responsibility to give back.” At the bazaar, Leena stood by the entrance and stopped nearly every individual coming in to brief them on her cause and very kindly ask for a donation, showing her dedication to her project. In total, she was able to raise P39,000– seventy per cent of which she used to buy powdered 750 kilograms of powdered milk to donate to Concordia Children’s Services, Aytul Datam Orphanage, and the Manuel E Roxas Elementary School in Baguio. Despite her young age, Leena has recognized the privilege she has in life, and taken initiative to use that position to give back what she can to those who have not been so lucky.
A first timer to the bazaar was Action for the Care and Development of the Poor In the Philippines (ACAP), selling hand crafts and delicacies made by the mothers in the communities that they work with. Executive Director Didit van der Linden tells me that ACAP’s main focus is helping children from a young age and supporting them all the way until they grow. They are a small team of 9 staff on top of volunteers and mothers who altogether monitor over 90 children. The organization has various programs in place, from helping children back into formal schooling, to arts and nutrition.
The art programs specifically create a space for self expression, healing, trust, collaboration, and respect. For the visual arts program, the children's art is displayed in the city hall of Paranaque, and performing arts students have a theater and dance recital. Van der Linden tells me that these types of programs help restore the children's confidence and self-image, as “They become aware of their potential, and realize Hey, I can do this!” This type of confidence is what helps them reintegrate into society and pursue their own goals and dreams. Their “0-1000 Days” program tackles stunting by providing the necessary nutrients to pregnant mothers from before the child is born all the way until after the baby is 1000 days old. For street children and those who are disadvantaged, ACAP gives them more than shelter and schooling– they give them a second chance at life despite the bad hand they’ve been dealt, and demonstrate a genuine dedication to seeing these children break the poverty cycle and find their place in the world.
Around the Christmas season, we often think about what we can buy or what is going to be available to us. Hearing the stories of these amazing people dedicated to important causes made me think about the other side of the coin– what people who sell to us are working for and why, and what they are giving to others aside from me, the customer. Perhaps it is AWCP’s similarly honest commitment to helping communities in need that attracts these like-minded and like-hearted individuals to the events we hold. More than a place to shop, the AWCP bazaar provides a stage to uplift businesses and organizations, and a space for us to learn about one another’s stories and causes, inviting collaboration and creating a greater and stronger cycle of giving for years to come.
AWCP will be holding their next bazaar on March 4, 2025. If you are interested in becoming a vendor, email awcpvendor@gmail.com.
If you would like to support the mentioned vendors, please find their contact information below.
Our Little Ideas (OLI) - @ourlittleideasph on Instagram, ourlittleideas on Facebook
Action for the Care and Development of the Poor In the Philippines (ACAP) - https://www.acap.ph/ (accepting both donations and volunteers)
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