Tag: PHILIPPINES

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2022 Christmas Events

Academy of World Healing Foundation (AWH) in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Multinational Manila (RIMM) conducted a Christmas giving events on December 22, 2022 for the total of 141 indigent families and their children (4 to 8 years old) at three different locations. In the morning the venue was in Taywanak Ibaba. In the afternoon, one event was held at Luksuhin Ibaba for the residents of Usting 1 and 2, Camp Hope (Barangay Sicat) and a small event was for 8 families in Barangay Palumlum. All of these places are in Alfonso, Cavite.

The main livelihood of the indigent camps (Usting 1, 2 and Camp Hope) are selling balot (incubated duck egg), taho (a sweet snack made with soft tofu, sweet syrup and tapioca balls). Many fathers of these indigent families selected for the events are construction workers.

Each indigent family received 2 bags of rice (10 kg/family). We prepared a total of 300 bags (1.5 tons) of rice, including allotments for CICL (Children In Conflict with The Law) and the staff.

AWH member Casey went to Divisoria, Metro Manila and bought 150 backpacks for students, 300 pairs of slippers for children and more than 1,300 toys in different varieties.

The total cost spent for the events was nearly P120,000.

AWH board member Lito Mondejar, Gina of the Municipality of Social Welfare and Development of Alfonso (MSWD). Anna of the Commission on Population (POPCOM), the Barangay captains, as well as several members of the Alfonso Women’s Council (AWC) joined the events. We invited 3 CICL in custody of MSWD to assist the events, so they would get involved in serving the community.

While we tried to make children happy, it was not our intention to encourage the families making more babies. Anna of POPCOM shared information on responsible parenthood and family planning to the mothers who have basically not had such education due to poverty.

The children were excited over their assorted toys and backpacks and sang Christmas songs.

Updates on December 25, 2022

Giving toys to children continued on the Christmas Day.

There were a number of toys still left from the preceded events. So we have decided to distribute them to any children passing by near our property.

Small children gathered to receive the toys, and elder children received 20 peso bills.

Updates on December 29, 2022

AWH also made a financial donation to barangay Sicat where our facility is located and participated in the Christmas event held on December 29, 2022, bringing used clothes, shoes and more toys to give away.

The barangay provided meals for all the participated residents and entertained them with dancing, games and raffles for presents.

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2022 Home for The 100th Sheep Christmas Event

Academy of World Healing Foundation (AWH) has provided continuing financial support for the non-profit organization, Home for The 100th Sheep Foundation (100 Sheep), and attended their Christmas event for the children held on December 21, 2022 at the covered basketball court in Paliparan, Dasmarinas, Cavite.

100 Sheep helps re-settlers who used to live in Manila area and were forced to evacuate and moved in Dasmarinas area. Many indigents are from countryside and go to Manila hoping that they find more lucrative jobs.

Freddie Vicedo donated stuffed toys and AWH brought them to the children.

Around 90 indigent children from the resettled families attended the event filled with games and enjoyed the food prepared by 100 Sheep.

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National Children’s Month

November is National Children’s Month and its 30th celebration in our municipality of Alfonso was conducted by the local DSWD (Department of Social Welfare Development) and LCPC (Local Council for Protection of Children). AWH (Academy of World Healing Foundation) board members as well as LCPC members, Casey Takayama and Raymund Balicha participated the event for barangay Mangas, Alfonso, Cavite on November 17, 2022, while the celebration events are being held in many other barangays in the municipality of Alfonso over several days.

The particular event for Mangas 1, Mangas 2 and Marahan 1 was attended by 150 public school pupils (Kindergarten and up to Grade 2).

During the program, “The Advocacy on Children’s Rights” was presented to the parents of the pupils by the LCPC child representatives.

Casey brought assorted candies and marshmallows chocolate bars that were tossed to the school children. DSWD and LCPC handed spaghetti, fried chicken and ice cream to the children.

The other batches of food distribution on the same day up to 1,050 children in other areas of Alfonso municipality were also funded by LCPC.

The National Children’s Month celebration will be held until November 26, 2022, wherein many activities have been lined up.

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Supporting An Indigent Family

On March 9, 2022, a Municipal Councilor of Alfonso, Carol invited AWH to visit an indigent single mother of 6 children residing in Marahan 1, Alfonso, Cavite.
Merly Montealto, 39 years old is renting a shanty near the creek at PHP500 (approx. $10)/month. She makes a meager income as a manicurist. She said that sometimes there is no income at all in a day. She has an unpaid rental balance of about P2,500 due to the pandemic.   
AWH donated a bag of rice and assorted canned goods.
Four of her children reside with her who are in elementary and high school. The other 2 children are staying with her sister.
She has a 4 months old baby from her boyfriend who occasionally drops by her shanty. She did not have enough money to pay for a contraceptive measure and she got pregnant. 
She has agreed to undergo ligation to prevent further unwanted pregnancy. At the moment she is taking an injectable costing P250 per shot where its effect will expire sometime in May. 
Councilor Carol will coordinate with Dr. Sargento about her ligation. 
Despite their living conditions she has kept her place clean and is trying her best to keep her children healthy and observe good hygiene. 
Her children opened up their toys sent through the recent Balikbayan box from AWH members with such excitement. 
Several germicidal bath soaps were also given which were donated by Elai Arevalo. 

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Local Council for The Protection of Children

A Local Council for the Protection of Children (LCPC) meeting was held on March 7, 2022 at the Sangguniang Bayan Hall, Municipal Building, Alfonso, Cavite. It was the first meeting after 2 years of COVID-19 pandemic with the occasional strictest Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) declared since March 2020. 
The agenda covered the following:

  1. Presentation of LCPC plan for Children for 2022
  2. Updates on Activities for Children (Survival, Development, Protection and Participation)
  3. Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC)/LCPC Functionality Assessment to conduct this March 2022 

During the meeting Gina Vedan of DSWD relayed her gratitude to AWH for the donation of the double deck bed and bed foams for the Children In Conflict with the Law (CICL).
The CICL children are being taught skills such as sewing and welding among others while their cases are ongoing in the Court.

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Christmas Giving Events

The Academy of World Healing Foundation (AWH), working hands-in-hands with Rotary International Multinational Manila (RIMM), conducted Christmas giving events over a  two day span on December 28 and 29, 2021, for indigent families in 4 barangays (villages) in Alfonso, Cavite, having purchased vitally needed food supplies at a cost of P165,000.

In addition, two (2) large Balikbayan boxes filled with good quality used clothing donated by AWH ‘s Japanese guests before the pandemic were also distributed to Barangay Kaysuyo and Barangay Pajo to the most in need.

RIMM conducted  “Responsible Parenthood” events during the Christmas giving events as part of its family planning programs.

We herewith gratefully acknowledge the support of our funding member Dr. Miki Kanaji, who personally donated P60,000 for the events.

There were more than 332 indigent families registered in the master lists of the 4 barangays that attended the 2-days event. More than 637 bags of rice and assorted canned products (corned beef, pork meatloaf, beef meatloaf, sausage and tuna) were distributed to the indigent families. 

Each family with more than 8 children received as much as 6 bags of rice. They said rice is an important food supply to have in the house even without the canned goods. Rice is the primary staple food in the Philippines.  

In addition there were 4 minors under the “Children In Conflict with the Law” (CICL) program who also received sacks of rice and assorted canned goods. These minors are under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and with our assistance, are looking to better themselves. 

Indigent communities in “Squatter camps” such as Usting 1, Usting 2, C-5 in Barangay Luksuhin Ibaba and Camp Hope in Barangay Sicat are supported by RIMM and AWH not only during the yearly Christmas giving activities but also year-round. The young children of the 4 camps again joyfully participated in several children Christmas party games hosted by Honorary RIMM Member Jun Baurile who distributed P20 bills along with stuffed toys donated by past president Betty Vicedo of RIMM. Their parents mainly sell “balot” (a steamed fertilized duck egg and “taho” (a classic sweet snack in the Philippines made with silken tofu, sago or tapioca pearls, and a simple brown sugar syrup) as their primary source of income. The families of these 4 camps migrated from the Samar province in the Visayas to look for better opportunities for their families. 

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Home for the 100th Sheep Christmas Event and Feeding Support

As being done every year, our financial support was funded to a charity organization, Home for the 100th Sheep (an indigent community in Dasmarinas, Cavite consists of former street families in Manila relocated) run by a dedicating couple, Kaloi and Edna for their X’mas event. This year, AWH member Dr. Kanaji provided additional fund donation to support them further with their daily needs after the holiday season.

On December 10th, 2021, 108 children from Malaking-Bahay, Paliparan III, SaMada, Paliparan III and Sta. Cruz -1 were served with spaghetti, fried chicken and drinks. 18 volunteer mothers cooked the meal.

Kaloi and Edna responded to us :
We will utilize the rest of the fund on our usual children’s daily feeding from Monday to Friday all year round and normally we serve special feeding on Fridays.
Thank you! May the LORD our GOD bless each of you at Academy of World Healing Foundation.
A Blessed Merry Christmas and a Joyous Prosperous New Year!

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Firewood for Camp Hope

The women and children of Camp Hope (nearby indigent squatter camp) came to the AWH site on December 6, 2021 to pick up chunks of firewood which will be used for cooking soybeans to make “taho” (tofu) to be sold outside. It is their mean of livelihood.
They joyfully carried the large chunks of firewood into the tricycle. Others hand-carried their pieces of firewood back to their camp nearby.

Update on March 14, 2022

AWH made another donation of firewood to the residents of Camp Hope on March 14, 2022. The firewood will be utilized to make “taho”.
They said their sales on “taho” are getting better as compared to 2 years ago when the COVID-19 pandemic started.  Firewood bundles are always appreciated by them as livelihood means.

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National Children’s Day 2021

As a member of the the Local Council for Protection of Children (LCPC), Academy of World Healing Foundation (AWH) represented by Raymund  Balicha attended the annual National Children’s Month celebration on November 29, 2021 at the covered basketball court in front of the Alfonso municipal hall.
The theme was “New normal na Walang Iwanan: Karapatan ng Bawat Bata Ating Tutukan!”. (Translation: “Unity under the New Normal. We must uphold the rights of every child!”.)
Alfonso LCPC invited selected local indigent children with their mothers for the gift giving of hygiene kits and Jollibee meals at the venue site.   

Mayor Randy Salamat also awarded the barangays who met the criteria as the most “Child Friendly Barangay and Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) Responsiveness”.
The other following activities were also awarded:

  1. Educational assistance for selected indigent children with disabilities
  2. Kid Tiktok Dance Challenge, Draw and Tell, Poster Making and Slogan Contest

Since mas gathering of children under the pandemic is not allowed, LCPC members later distributed hygiene kits and Jollibee meals separately for the following barangays:

  • Amuyong
  • Kaysuyo
  • Pajo
  • Marahan 1
  • Luksuhin Ibaba
  • Sikat
  • Taywanak Ibaba
  • Poblacion 4
  • Poblacion 5
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Home For The 100th Sheep Christmas Party

Because of the community quarantine restrictions in pandemic time, AWH funded Home for the 100th Sheep foundation by wire remittance this year.
On December 4, 2020, a Christmas feeding program for its indigent pupils was held in the migrated squatter area. Pasta and fried chicken were cooked by 33 volunteers and the total of 191 children were served.

Kaloi and Edna were very grateful for the continued support of AWH even during the Covid-19 pandemic.