What's our why
"We love because He first loved us" - 1 John 4:19
Most people hear figures like there are 143 million “orphans” in the world and assume that being orphaned is the primary reason for children needing alternative care. That’s not actually the case. It’s one of many reasons. Of our 40 children at HHM, only 4 are actually orphaned. The majority were brought to us for temporary care while recovering from illness or while parents worked out their troubled home situations.
But nonetheless, children who are separated from their families, whatever the reason, are “at risk” of many things including poverty, poor health, lack of education, self esteem problems, attachment problems, sociocultural problems, violence, and abuse. Behind these risk factors lies a broken welfare system and a lack of child protection services. Poor families especially, find themselves turning to orphanages to help alleviate their problems but in fact, the wider child protection system is what has actually let them down.
Vision
To see children accessing their right to life, right to be part of a family and right to protection from harm when that right is in jeopardy due to illness, abandonment, neglect abuse or poverty. We also envision a system whereby children are enabled to access appropriate healthcare, shelter and education tailored to meet their specific needs.
Mission of the Children's Home
As a Christian Organization, we offer alternative family style residential care and education to children who have come from various crisis situations and trauma backgrounds.
Mission of the Children's Recovery Unit
As a Christian Organization, we offer practical, emotional, spiritual and financial assistance towards children’s recovery from illness both while they are in hospital and upon their release until such times as they can be returned to the full time care of their respective families or into the care of the DSWD in the absence of appropriate family care. We also assist families of the children to network and access services of duly recognized institutions that can specifically help their situation.
Goals
That the children and families we come into contact with would come to know the tender heart of Christ as they see His love in action. We believe that our helping hands will also help to heal broken hearts.
What are the current alternatives?
Children can remain with their families but their medical needs will not be attended to because of poverty, geographical location and general lack of understanding about the actual level of medical attention required. The local Government (DSWD and CSWDO) often offer help but are limited in what they can do financially and because of distance.
The usual alternative for children’s home’s in our current setting would be for children to remain in their dysfunctional families and have outside support offered by DSWD, CSWDO or other organizations however, the children’s safety cannot be guaranteed and in times past, when we have done this at the insistence of government, children’s lives were lost.
A better proactive, alternative would be for more local kinship, foster and adoptive families to be recruited, trained and monitored. Ideally we could get kids into alternative family care as quickly as possible. We do work together with DSWD to help recruit families locally but so far, it's been a slow start.
More programs to strengthen families would also be really helpful.
Ultimately, a better and stronger child protection and child welfare system countrywide would help decrease the need for children to be placed into care.