Female speakers from various nationalities and backgrounds related their experiences before the guests during the celebration of Martin Luther King Day at American Memorial Park’s Visitor Center.
Rose Cordero, a survivor of the Mindanao war in the Philippines in the early 1970s, said she grew up in an environment where fear was a daily part of life.
After she moved to Saipan, Cordero said she saw how fortunate the children here are for having free education, free meals and protection while elsewhere in the world thousands of women and children are suffering from human trafficking, abuse and other crimes.
Ellen Delos Santos, also from the Philippines, shared her past as a battered wife who fought a legal battle for her freedom.
The other speakers — Alex Lee from South Korea, Rose Smith from Kenya, and Damiana Arkoh from the CNMI — shared their hardships in the past and how they left these behind.
Empty Vessel president Wayne Pangelinan said the speakers were among those who have found help and are now volunteering their time to help others.
Pangelinan said women and children are the primary recipients of the Empty Vessel Ministry Foundation’s support and assistance.
The organization is sponsoring 34 children in Kenya, Africa and will be expanding its reach into the Philippines.
Pangelinan said to sponsor a child costs only $30 a month for his or her food, clothing, education, school supplies and shoes.
On Saipan, the organization operates food drives as well as school supplies drives for low-income families.
Pangelinan said last year, Empty Vessel and Ladera International School of Saipan ventured into a humanitarian project that provided 500 students with school supplies.
Empty Vessel’s office is located at the Shakir Building across from the entrance to the Chalan Kanoa Beach Club.
