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These children grew up in the poorest slums of Navotas, a city one hour north of Manila. They lived in stilt houses over water and they do not have sanitary facilities.

Their plight caught the attention of a philanthropist who decided to donate a piece of land in Norzagaray, a town in the nearby province of Bulacan.

There a charitable group, the Pag-aalay ng Puso Foundation, will put up low-cost but decent houses for them and their families.

But it’s not only better dwelling that these children will get for a change. Along with the construction of new houses, a library will also rise in the relocation village, a gift from young professionals of Canada.

Lorelie Bargados

The building of the library will be financed by the $15,000 raised by the Enspire Foundation, a non profit organization set up in 1999 by five graduates of the University of British Columbia.

The relocation of the families numbering 130-150 will begin this April and in May, Enspire will lead a group of 13 young adults from B.C. to help in the actual construction of the library.

Half of the team is composed of Canadians with Filipino ancestry, according to foundation co-founder Lorelie Bargados who is coordinating the project.

She explains: "We founded Enspire so we could provide disadvantaged children in developing countries an opportunity to education and educational tools."

"Enspire has taken on the challenge to finance the construction of a library for the families in their new location. We have also started collecting books and will ship over 300 children’s and youth books, computers and other educational materials and resources," says Bargados, a human resources manager and resident of Burnaby.

Over the last five years, Enspire has raised approximately $30,000 from various fundraising events such as the annual Resonance Charity Amateur Choir Festival.

Enspire has also successfully sponsored the annual educational fees of 18 children in Navotas City for two years.

The foundation was co-founded by Bargados, Dennis Cojuco, Andrew Remedios,

Craig Yee and Mark Yu. They continue to serve as the executive committee of Enspire.

Enspire’s vision is to "empower, educate and encourage people to help themselves and others."

More info: www.enspire-foundation.org