“Our main objective is to spread happiness not only to our clients but also for our beneficiaries. With every purchase, a portion of the proceeds will be used to help individuals and families in need.”

Growing up, I liked making art. My ideas are limitless and I like finding beauty in the ordinary, and seeing magic in simple things. At age of 8, I was already sewing dresses for my Barbie dolls, and decorating my dollhouses with clippings from old magazines and newspapers. Since then, I started a hobby of curating stuff for my family and friends; from hand-stamped stationery, colored pens, a chocolate bar to their favorite books and fashion accessories. My goal is to make them happy every time they receive my “magic box”.

Summer this year was the most different and the most eye-opening one. I entered 2020 with so much expectations, but nothing came as planned. With the on-going pandemic, all of us have this one question in our mind – how can we help? This is when I’ve decided to start a passion project – #ProjectHappinessManila.

#ProjectHappinessManila is an avenue for the crafty and artsy at heart. I started selling self-care packages that included hand stamped stationery, postcards, postage stamps, vinyl stickers, wooden clips, washi tape, and other things that will bring you back to your childhood. But to make it all the more meaningful, I’ve decided to use a portion of the proceeds to help individuals and families in need. The process was grueling but the reward is priceless. It somehow answered a lot of questions about “What else can I do?” or even greater than that, “Can I do something?”

That’s the thing about our generation–much is asked from us but very little is expected. So, thinking about starting something that is beyond our own expectations of ourselves, and especially of others, can sometimes be crippling. But when you tune out all the noise, that’s when you can actually hear which direction your mind and your heart wish to bring you.

Through proceeds from self-care packages, it has provided food packs for Filipinos stranded along EDSA Taft, mostly street vendors, garbage collectors, and homeless individuals.

Meryl Anne Filomena B. Conching of Pasay City was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5, and was engaged in the lifesaving hemodialysis treatment thrice a week, even before the pandemic. Through the care packages sold by the #ProjectHappinessManila, we were able to donate help for her urgent need for medication, while awaiting surgery.

#ProjectHappinessManila has also donated food packs to We Are CORA (Communities Organized for Resource Allocation), which supports families in need during the pandemic.

Aside from our weekly initiatives, #ProjectHappinessManila has aimed to spread happiness to underprivileged students by providing school supplies, gadgets for online classes, food and toys. Seeing the grateful smiles of our clients and beneficiaries, I had that moment thinking this might actually be something. True to this thought, it marked only the beginning.

Meet Abigail Bartolome, a student of Nagpayong Senior Senior High School and beneficiary of #ProjectHappinessManila.

Be passionate about something. There are so many business ideas out there, but passion is what makes your business evolve from an idea into actuality. Passion is what makes your business different. It will give you direction and ground your brand’s identity. Whatever excuse you have right now, think of how much more beneficial it will be for you if you start pursuing your passion, even something you can juggle with your job and your studies. You will not just be a better performing employee or student, you will also be a better version of yourself.

To learn more about #ProjectHappinessManila and the self-care packages this initiative has created, follow us on Instagram.