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Nadine grew up in a tent community and attended the feeding program of IT Tender as a young child. Thanks to the child sponsorship program, she was able to go to school, and she developed a talent and a passion for the bass guitar through Tender's music program. After graduating high school, Tender provided her with a full university scholarship in the field of social work. She currently serves as an intern social worker at IT Tender, enjoying on-the-job experience while giving back to the community to help children who grew up in extreme poverty just like her
Jace used to live on the street under an overpass with his siblings and their single mother. Jace was a part of IT Tender's "Night Life" program in which street children came to the drop-in center to bathe, to have a meal, and to enjoy games and Bible stories. He was then recommended to the child sponsorship program. He also learned how to play the drums at IT Tender's music program. When he became a youth, he started volunteering at Tender and discovered a passion for teaching the younger children. He is now in university studying elementary education and teaching at Tender's preschool and after-school programs.
The Tender Team has a deep passion for music and the arts. The sponsor children can study ballet or hip hop dance, and they can take up lessons in percussion, electric, acoustic, or bass guitar, and even voice lessons. In this video, all of the vocals and instrumentals were recorded and performed by sponsor children of IT Tender who live in the slums of Manila. What makes this video extra special is that the building where some of the scenes are shot is actually the building that IT Tender will renovate for the new center. The featured artist in this video is one of the scholars of IT Tender named Jlaiza. This video also features the preschool students of Tender sharing some of their ballet skills. Jlaiza, the lead singer in the video, has been a part of Tender since 2009 when she first attended it's feeding program for urban poor children. Soon thereafter she became a sponsor child of Tender in support of her studies. She's now studying in university to become a licensed teacher. Not only is she a university scholar of IT Tender, but she is also an intern teacher at Tender. So she is already giving back to the community by teaching part-time at Tender's preschool and after-school programs.
The 'Big Leap' project aims to purchase and renovate a large, three-story building for a new educational center for the preschool and after-school tutorial center of IT Tender's sponsor children. The new center will include a library, computer lab, music/dance studio, training room, sustainable garden, and more. In this video, all of the vocals and instrumentals were recorded and performed by sponsor children of IT Tender who live in the slums of Manila. The building where each of the scenes of this music video are shot is actually the building that IT Tender will renovate for the new center! Also, the song in the video is an original composition by Tender's teacher Gabriel Malquisto. Part of the song is in English and part of it is in Filipino (Tagalog) - the native tongue of the students of Tender. We hope you are inspired by the talent of these young Filipino artists!
For IT Tender's Family Day in 2023, we brought 425 children and parents (73 families!) to an incredible swimming resort. With the theme "Strong Together", the philosophy behind this event was to give urban poor families the opportunity to strengthen their relationships, protect their mental health, create lasting memories, and to strengthen our community.
Enjoy these highlights from IT Tender's Christmas party in 2022 for kids in Manila, Philippines!
This video shows who we are and what we do at IT Tender. Through your help, we can send urban poor children to school and end the cycle of generational poverty for them and their families.
Listen as we interview sponsor children in Manila who have overcome many obstacles to be able to go to school and to succeed (*interviews start at the 3:30 minute mark). Through child sponsorship at IT Tender, they receive an education (daily transportation to school, annual school supplies, computer and internet access) and leadership development (workshops, camps, mentoring). Today, each of them are also volunteers and leaders in our community in Manila.
Because of the compassion of our donors, IT Tender gave regular distributions of rice, multivitamins and groceries to 150 urban poor families during the pandemic. The song in this video is performed by children and youth at IT Tender.
For Christmas in 2020, we gave groceries and gifts to families affected by the pandemic and back-to-back typhoons.
In 2010, Stopsley Baptist Church in England sent a team to IT Tender. They continue to send volunteers who engage in the community and assist in our programs.
Enjoy these highlights from IT Tender's Christmas party in 2019 for kids in Manila, Philippines!
In 2017, a fire destroyed one of the communities we serve. 50 families lost their homes. Shortly thereafter, another 100 families lost their homes when another of our communities was demolished for the building of a commercial property. This video shows the help we extended to empower families to overcome these tragedies. The music video at the end is performed by the kids and youth of IT Tender.
Initiatives like our child sponsorship program transform at-risk children into agents of change by providing schooling, mentoring, proper nutrition, medical coverage, and leadership development. Contact us via email at it.tender@iteams.ca if you are interested in sponsoring a child in Manila to go to school.
IT Tender empowers children to become educated and responsible leaders in their community. This video is an overview of our vision and our initiatives.