The founding of WE International Philippines (WEiP) is the result of a unique and international confluence of circumstances.

 

WEiP Co-Founder Manuel Manarang grew up by the Smokey Mountain garbage dump in Tondo, Manila. There, he spent 20 years as a "scavenger" collecting cans, bottles and other recyclable materials to sell to meet the daily needs for himself and his family. In 1986, Manuel took a class on community organizing which led to his employment with the International Labor Organization. Though presented with job opportunities outside of Smokey Mountain, with the full blessing and support of his family, he chose to remain in the Smokey Mountain area to make a difference in the lives of the people of his community. It was then that Manuel and his wife Victoria began their charitable work by partnering with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) to put up a Day Care center for the malnourished infants from the dumpsite.

 

In 2001, WEiP Co-Founder, Ben Compton left his home in Madison, Wisconsin to go on a mission trip to Uganda. On that trip, Ben met a Dutch missionary who had previously worked with Manuel and YWAM in Manila. At the time of this meeting, Ben had recently accepted a contract to serve as a high school teacher at Brent International School Manila and was scheduled to go to the Philippines shortly after his trip. Upon reaching Manila, Ben met with Manuel and Victoria and began a long term friendship of support and collaboration.

 

In January 2008, WEiP Co-Founder Abigail Sy – at the time a 4th year student at the University of British Columbia - met with Ben, a former teacher of hers at Brent International School Manila. Whilst in Canada completing her B.A in English and International Relations, Abigail spent her time working for a youth run and registered non-profit which lead her to strive to find ways to connect young people to global issues in a proactive way. Abigail’s subsequent visit to Smokey Mountain with Ben, and her encounter with Manuel and his work, inspired her to devote her time, knowledge and experiences to make a difference in her home country, the Philippines.

 

Together with Cecilia Martinez-Miranda, who was one of Ben’s current high school students, they formed a team to develop the mission, vision, and values of this organization they were about to start in Smokey Mountain. In the following months, the team's discussions with David Lippiatt, Executive Director and Co-Founder of WE International led to a natural collaboration and partnership due to an alignment of values, beliefs, and philosophies. The establishment of WE International Philippines seeks to build on the already existing relationships, ideas and resources of WE International in a collaborative effort to specifically target issues of poverty and injustice in the Philippines.