On that Monday, after monsoon rains and typhoons softened the ground, one side of a 50-foot mound of trash collapsed, burying an estimated 200 wooden shacks near the bottom of the slope. More than 200 people died in the trash and mud landslide, which occurred in the Payatas section of Quezon City in metro Manila, the capital of the Philippine Islands. Rescuers managed to pull out 51 people who had been buried by the slide. It was a tidal wave of garbage flowing like a river. Teresita Gumatay, pastor of Jesus Our Hope Church, has set up a temporary orphanage at her Assemblies of God congregation for newly orphaned children.
Many residents make their living as scavengers.
Yet in the midst of such desperate surroundings, Christians work to improve the quality of life. Philippine Child Care Centers and Asia's Little Ones help meet physical and spiritual needs. The Payatas outreach began in 1994 and now includes two feeding stations, each with 25 children. One of the feeding stations and schools is located at Jesus Our Hope Church. Children up to age 6 study a Bible curriculum for 30 minutes each weekday morning, then they eat lunch.