Film on Fatima to benefit Hapag-Asa

 

The Assisi Development Foundation and the Marian Solidarity for Pope Benedict XVI are sponsoring theshowing of the film, “THE 13TH DAY”, a story on the Fatima apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Ian and Dominic Higgins, based on the memoirs of Sister Maria Lucia de Jesus dos Santos and, thousands of independent eyewitness accounts; the experiences of three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, with the Blessed Virgin Mary between May 13 to October 13, 1917.

Proceeds of the film will be for the benefit of HAPAG-ASA, a feeding program of Pondo ng Pinoy Community Foundation and co-managed by Assisi Development Foundation with dioceses/parishes/local organizations implementing it in communities to feed undernourished/malnourished children ages 6 months to 12 year old, once a day for five days a week for six months.  Each meal is enriched with vitamins and minerals through the addition of Vitameal, a mixture of rice and lentil or Fortified Rice.

HAPAG-ASA PROGRAM is in response to a call to help mitigate the malnutrition prevalence among children in the Philippines that has remained alarmingly high in the last 10 years.  Results of the 7th National Nutrition Survey conducted by Food and Nutrition Research Institute in 2008 showed that there are still about 3 out of 10 children ages 0 to 10 years who are underweight (26.2% for children ages 0-5 years old and 25.6% prevalence for 6-10 years old).  About the same proportion (27.9% and 33.1% respectively) are under height which indicates chronic or long-standing malnutrition.  Comparison of the two recent nutrition surveys in 2003 and 2008 revealed that prevalence of acute or severe cases of malnutrition has increased from 5.5% to 6.1%.  Being underweight increases the risk of death and inhibits cognitive development in children.  This translates to about 8 million Filipino children whose future and our country’s future are at stake.  According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition prevalence of 5% is considered of public health significance.  The program has an education and livelihood components for the parents of the enrolled children who are given seminars/teachings on affective parenting, livelihood and skills training; health and nutrition; values formation to ensure that the parents can take care of their children even after the feeding.

Ambassador Howard Dee, chairman of the Assisi Development Foundation, Inc. and vice-chairman of Pondo ng Pinoy Community Foundation, Inc. has issued an appeal to all parish priests to encourage their parishioners to watch the film as their way of supporting the Hapag-Asa program. He has also asked the member-schools of MAPSA to have their students watch the film as a way of knowing more about the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima , and also to help feed the hungry children.

Theatre run of the 13th DAY will begin on September 8th.

For more information please call the Marian Program of Assisi Development Foundation, Inc. at 6321001 to 1003.|

Synopsis of 13th Day, click here