THE Children’s Month is about to end. Kalipay Negrense Foundation Inc. has a space in SM City Bacolod to inform the public about the rights of the child and to let the others know that there are shelters like us in Negros Occidental.
Kalipay is a non-government organization that supports the causes of disadvantaged children – the homeless, the abandoned, the neglected, the malnourished, the abused (physically, emotionally and sexually), and also the victims of child labor and child trafficking.
Kalipay strongly believes children have four fundamental rights: the rights to survival, the right to develop themselves to the fullest, the right to protection from abuse and exploitation, and the right to grow in a fun and loving environment.
Studies have said that there are about 1.6 million street children in the country, 60,000 are into prostitution. Six million Filipino children are malnourished. A child is abused every second of every day. Many children would wander in the streets rather than be abused at home.
There are concerned organizations and individuals who help these children. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is the agency assigned to protect and care for the welfare of these children. The police’s Women’s and Children’s Desk also protects and serves the people.
Concern individuals should report these cases to DSWD or the police. They partner together with organizations like Kalipay to rescue children.
Once a child is endorsed to Kalipay, this child is given a home in the shelter. Kalipay strives to give them a fun, healthy and loving environment.
Each shelter is set up to be a like a home – there is housefather, a housemother, child care workers and a cook. A child does his/her share of chores. The other children are their siblings – the manongs and the manangs. They eat, watch TV or movies and pray together. They also go to school from Mondays to Fridays.
There are also social workers, psychologists and a nurse assigned for the homes. The well-being of the children is also taken care of.
The houseparents become their “other mother or father.” They care for the children like they are their own children. They make sacrifices for them. They also live in the homes and are on call 24/7. They prepare food for them and organize birthday parties for them.
The children are free to become children. They are loving, helpful and in some days, they are lazy. They fight, they make up. They are home for now.