Some of our achievers showed their award certificates during our Collective Celebration activity.
Since its establishment in 1997, the Pag-asa Social Center has dedicated itself to demonstrating love for our neighbors. Situated in the lush hills of Tagaytay, the center has been providing essential support to families in need by offering health, educational and livelihood assistance, as well as human and values formation for children and their families. However, we still aspire to do more and to do better. We envision a future where we can extend our reach to more communities and provide even more comprehensive support to those in need. With the help of generous donors and dedicated volunteers, this vision can become a reality.
As of now, our center, which has a staff of only seven people, is making a significant impact on the lives of 247 children and young people (4-22 years old) from 160 low-income families in different barangays or local districts in Tagaytay and along the coastal area of Noveleta in the province of Cavite. Our educational, medical and nutritional assistance along with other services are helping these young individuals to build a brighter future. Tagaytay, the city where our center is located, overlooks Manila Bay to the north, Laguna de Bay to the east, and Taal Volcano and Taal Lake to the south. As of the 2020 census, this city, with a population of 85,330, covers a total land area of 65 square kilometers, which makes up 4.37% of the entire land area of the Cavite Province.
Dear friends,
Our most recent updates were just six months ago and a lot has happened since then. We summarized some recent activities below, but we encourage you to visit our website for more details and photos (which we will post in July).
How is your summer going despite the worsening climate change? We just finished ours and are grateful to have come through it without any issues in spite of the Taal volcano frequently showing signs of unrest. Living in a tropical area, we are used to hot weather conditions. However, the increasing impact of global warming is making this more difficult. For example, the rising temperatures make it hard for students to focus and extreme heat frequently disrupts school routines. In some cases, students had to take their examinations outside their classrooms and many provinces were even forced to suspend classes. These are just a few instances of how climate change directly impacts educational learning in the Philippines.
Some of our children displayed the results of their coloring activity during our month-long Oral Health celebration. Some of our achievers showed their award certificates during our Collective Celebration activity.
Against all odds
Despite the challenging conditions, our beneficiaries have shown remarkable resilience and continue to excel in their studies. It is important to note that these are not just any students but they are students of the Tagaytay City National Science High School. This school, where not a few of our beneficiaries are enrolled in, is a part of the Philippine Science High School System, the top science high school in the Asia Pacific Region. This institution equips its students with 21st-century skills and instils the nation’s core values of integrity, excellence and service.
We are thrilled that 25% of our beneficiaries have achieved outstanding grades for the first two quarters of the current academic year. This is a significant milestone and a testament to their diligence and dedication. We made sure to show them that they are valued and appreciated for their efforts by arranging a special event to celebrate their achievements, hoping that their success would inspire and motivate their peers and siblings to strive for excellence. We kicked off the activity with games and then each achiever talked about the challenges they faced to earn high grades and the steps they took to overcome them.
Some of our achievers showed their award certificates during our Collective Celebration activity.
We hope that these beneficiaries would later achieve greater heights in life like Marvin Eliazar, a former beneficiary who is now a Senior Accountant in a company. He shared how Pag-asa made an impact in his life.
“We grew up in poverty. From a young age, I saw my parents work hard to provide for the family and seek every possible way to earn money, but we still had very little. Pag-asa stepped in to help by providing food, medical assistance, education, housing support and more, all while respecting our dignity like everyone else they helped. Now, I am paying forward the generosity I received by helping my family, friends and the community where I live. I am always ready to give whenever my heart tells me to, even if I have very little myself. God has provided for me countless times what I need and when I needed it. Today I stand empowered and transformed, a living example of the impact of Pag-asa. From having nothing, I have become someone, a hero in my own right. Pag-asa was the force that turned a nobody into somebody, and for that, I will always be grateful.”
Oral Health is Wealth
We are filled with gratitude for the generous donations of the Papenburg Rotary Club led by our beloved Dr. Thomas Mrosk. They provided us a means to upgrade our dental facility.
We kicked off our month-long celebration by sharing publication materials about Oral Health Month across all our social media platforms.
Our esteemed dentist, Dr. Vanessa, took the lead in making dental hygiene not just a necessity but a fun and engaging experience. We organized three interactive toothbrush drills on three Saturdays. These drills were not just about dental hygiene but about having a great time while learning.
Toothbrush drills during our Oral Health month-long celebration.
Newly installed brand new dental chair
Our commitment to providing the best possible care is unwavering. That is why we made significant upgrades to our dental facility. We installed a new dental chair (among many other equipment) for enhanced patient comfort. As part of our efforts to promote oral health awareness, we have invested in various educational materials.
Dear friends, unfortunately, we have run out of space for additional news. We recommend visiting our website for more stories and photos from the past six months, which will be posted in July.
Despite the ever-increasing and inhospitable temperatures, we hope you can still enjoy weekend camping trips, mountain hikes, theater and music festivals. We wish you the best and we keep you in our hearts and prayers.
Your Pag-asa family
Storytelling session during our Oral Health month-long celebration.