"At first, it was very difficult to adjust, especially if you used to be able to see, then suddenly you can't anymore. It's very difficult, but just take courage," said Cristine.

Cristine is one of those who was favored by the Embrace Organization—a non-stock and non-profit organization that promotes livelihood projects for our differently-abled, or persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Cristine has now been given a job as a massage therapist at Embrace's blind massage parlor—Hearts & Hands—which opened its second branch in Tagaytay City on November 30, 2022.

"I thank you for doing this project," said Cristine. "There was light in our dark world. We had the opportunity to work. Then, somehow help our family."

According to The Fred Hollows Foundation, more than two million Filipinos are visually impaired, and most of them are still below the poverty line.

Embrace aims to lift the country's PWDs out of poverty by providing them with sustainable livelihood opportunities.

EMBRACING PWDs

Grand Opening of Hearts & Hands Blind Massage

According to True Santos-Matias, chairperson of Embrace, Embrace has four livelihood projects that are dedicated to caring for and providing employment to our fellow PWDs: Embrace Cafe, Embrace Bakeshop, Embrace Farm—and Hearts & Hands.

Hearts & Hands Blind Massage Virtual Tour

At the Hearts & Hands grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony in Tagaytay this Wednesday, Santos-Matias explained the purpose of Embrace.

"Only here in the Philippines are there so many blind people that it is difficult to give them a chance to find a place to work," said Santos-Matias. "So, this is one of the initiatives launched by the management of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, by Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, to help our countrymen who are differently-abled."

According to Santos-Matias, in the first quarter of 2023, they will open a third Hearts & Hands branch in Quezon City, while also studying the possibility of opening branches in the Visayas and Mindanao. 

For more details and updates, visit their official Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/embracephofficial/?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Visit Hearts & Hands at the following branches:

•Central Condominium, Unit 108 Central Star Building, Central Ave, Quezon City, 1128 Metro Manila

•Bonifacio Drive, Silang Junction North, Tagaytay City