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Prayer Request for HOPE worldwide Philippines
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We in HOPE worldwide Philippines are asking you to pray for the children we are serving in the Centers of Hope – for each child to find a loving and caring family to live and please pray also for us to find generous people or organizations to support our cause for these children.
We are grateful to God because we were able to build a 2.2hectare residential and treatment facility for the Filipino abused and exploited children (The Center of Hope-Laguna) thru the help of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other generous donors. For the past three (3) years of operations, more than 120 abused children (mostly very poor children) were provided with protective custody and treatment services as well as other professional services needed to make a broken child become whole again. 90 of these children were re-unified with their adoptive families already.
The Center of Hope Baseco and Payatas (community-based programs) served more than 700 urban poor children in our pre-school education program and hundred of thousands of urban poor children, at-risk children, children in emergencies, and orphan children were served in our different programs throughout the Philippines every year. Numerous success stories like Lara (not her real name) - sexually abused by the boyfriend of her mother and physically abused and abandoned by her drug dependent mother at the age of 6 received help she needs from our programs.
We first met Lara in the poor community of Baseco in our community-based Center of Hope in Port Area Manila. She would drop by regularly to attend our free pre-school program, play with the other kids and spend time with the HOPE teachers and staff. After sometime, she wasn't showing up as often and whenever she did she was always dirty and unkempt. It was discovered that Lara had been sleeping in the streets of the community for days at a time. Her mother a drug dependent single mom would leave her to fend for herself. Whenever she was home, she would beat Lara up like banging her head in the wall. The staff rescued Lara and placed her in the Center of HOPE in Laguna, while the police put her mother in prison for more than a year due to drug pushing case..
The Center of Hope-Laguna provided her with protective custody, treatment and healing services and has a nurturing foster father and mother and brothers and sisters who will love her. She is also attending formal school in the town together with other children from the center. While in the Center of Hope, Lara exhibited sexualize behaviors and it was discovered during her therapy sessions with our child therapist that the boyfriend of her mother has been abusing her sexually whenever that she was left alone in their house. Despite of the traumatic experienced of abuse and neglect, Lara learned to be joyful and grateful to God with her new friends and surrogate family in the center.
The Center of Hope also provides parent effectiveness training, family therapy, assessment and other family support services to the client’s family members, relatives or even other good hearted people that can provide a safe-place and permanent family for the child to live someday. After a year, Lara’s mother was released from prison and she became one of the most consistent participants in this program in the community. 2 years later, God works miraculously - Lara's mom got married and gave birth to a new baby boy. Our social workers work together to the new couple for Lara’s possible family re-unification and God blessed our efforts, last June 27, 2008 Lara was re-integrated back to her new loving and caring family – free from abuse and neglect.
“One out of 3 Filipino children is sexually abused before the age of 14.”
Our vision to make the Philippines a safer place for all children has been the driving force and our inspiration in the implementation of various programs and services, and the results of what we do everyday are truly tremendous. I am humbled in my soul as I reflect in the blessings of God in HOPE. But, like any other organization, HOPE worldwide Philippines are also facing trials and challenges along the way, and this year is one of those difficult times.
We survived as an organization for one year after the USDA funding despite of the budget constraint. By faith, we tried our best to keep our programs and staff in their positions to serve our constituents, as well as developed and implement some other programs in the province of Albay and the Visayas Regions. We also develop partnerships with different donors but our efforts to raise the money we need did not yield the expected outcomes which to secure the funds for the program. Last march 2008, we closed some of the programs in the community-based centers including the two residential cottages in the Center of Hope–Laguna (orphanage) and we retrenched the 23 full time staff working on these programs due to lack of funding.
There is so much crying and heavy hearts during these difficult times because we cannot accommodate some of the beneficiaries referred to as, at the same time seeing some of our disciple staffs leaving the doors of HOPE. Despite of all this challenges, we never loose our hope, we decided to move on together and rely on God in our trials and difficulties. As you are reading this statement today, more cottages might close its doors in the center of hope if we will not find the financial support we need this year, and this is the hardest thing to do in my heart….but, we are faithful to God and we are praying that God will not allow this to happen thru your help and thru the help of our generous supporters. Please pray for our situation..
We have an on-going fundraising campaign with the Metro Manila Christian Church volunteers and efforts from our management team and staff to raise money has been a priority aside from doing our regular jobs.
We would like to ask you to pray for our needs (James 5:16b – “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective”) please pray with all your heart and soul that God will turn our difficulties to victories. The church (disciples) heart for the poor and less fortunate children is the reason why we exist in HOPE ww Philippines today. Without the church involvement there is no way we could sustain this kind of work for the poor. Without the support of the generous people like you, there is no way we could help our poor and abused children in the Philippines and to eradicate child abuse. You may email me or call me with your comment at my information at the bottom.
Thank you for giving your time to read my personal appeal, I believe together we can make a big difference in making the Philippines a safer place for all children.
Best regards
MOISES “JUN” G. VELASCO
Executive Director
HOPE worldwide Philippines, Inc.
Coastal Road, Brgy. Dela paz, Biñan, Laguna
Philippines
Telephone (049) 511 3596
Fax (049) 511 3377
(Mobile) 0917-5107875
(Email) jun_velasco@hopeww.ph / Jun_Velasco@hopeww.org
(web) http://ph.hopeww.org
“making the Philippines
a safer place for all children”
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For your personal donations and involvement in HOPE worldwide Philippines here is how you are making a huge difference:
US$20 – will feed the 12 children and houseparent for 2 days in 1 residential cottage in the Center of Hope-Laguna
US$20 – will help 2 child victims of child sexual abuse to undergo treatment and recovery for 5 months
US$10 – will empower 100 at-risk children on personal safety thru focus group discussion and advocacy programs in different elementary schools and urban poor communities
US$10 – will support 1 child in the Center of Hope for 2 months to attend the formal school
US$10 – will support the case management work for 5 orphaned children in our Disaster Response Program
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For other interested donors:
US$40,000 Will fund one residential cottage in the Center of Hope-Laguna for one year. Provides residential and treatment recovery services for 15 children victims of abuse and exploitation, as well as support services to their family members. Provides legal and case management services, educational assistance, medical assistance, foster-care and placement programs, recreational activities, and other therapeutic and volunteer activities.
US$37,500 Will fund the one-year operation of one Mobile Puppet Theater providing services on the advocacy and prevention of child abuse for 25,000 at-risk children, provides training and capacity building for local leaders and school teachers to establish the child protection system in their communities, and provide disaster response programs for children in emergencies.
US$9,000 Will fund the one-year operation of one Pre-school Program for 50 poorest children from the urban poor communities.
US$8,000 Will fund the one-year operation of one Drop-in program in the urban poor communities with 2,000 out of school children beneficiaries annually. The program provides alternative learning activities, prevention & identification of child abuse, community library and tutorials, sports clinic and skills training.
US$7,500 Will fund the one-year operation of one community-based treatment program for 30 abused children in the urban poor communities.
US$2,000 Will feed the 60 abused children for one month in the Center of Hope-Laguna
US$230 Will empower 2,000 children on personal safety thru focus group discussions and advocacy programs.
US$220 Will fund the one-week case management work for 100 orphan children in our disaster response programs
US$140 Will help 10 victims of child abuse to undergo treatment and recovery in the Center of Hope for six months.
US$80 Will provide legal assistance and placement for a child in the Center of Hope
US$70 Will send a child victim of child abuse to formal school for one school year
