PROGRAMS
1. Support-at-a-Distance Program
With the help of generous donors abroad, the Pag-asa Center is able to give educational, basic medical and nutritional assistance to many children and their families in need.
2. Educational Programs for Children
⢠Our Day Care Center offers free education to children ages 5-6. These services were given to help prepare the children to cope with the challenges that entering the elementary school present. It is a task that is carried out through Pag-asaâs integrated children care program which covers among others: feeding program, medical, dental and other services. Efforts are made to make Pag-asa a child-friendly environment where the childrenâs interaction, be it with the teachers, staff or with their fellow pupils, favors the development of individuals with strong values of self, others and the community. It has two classrooms that can accommodate about 50 children.
⢠For children ages 3-4, there is another room for the so-called âplay group ,â under the care of two (2) teachers and some mothers (20 children)
⢠Pag-asa also provides a small library and PC learning center to provide useful references, research material and hands-on computer knowledge to our high school students, grades 5 and 6 and even to some mothers and fathers.
⢠Tutorials are offered during the school year to assist children who have difficulties in their studies. During vacation, âsummer classesâ and workshops are organized to better prepare the children for the next school year and to help them discover and develop their talents.
⢠Educational trips to local government offices, museums and theme parks are arranged for the children to broaden their horizons, enriching their knowledge and experience.
3. Scholarship Program for University students
⢠For qualified high school graduates who started with Pag-asa and would like to continue on pursuing a college education, an opportunity for a financial assistance on tuition fee, books and materials, transportation and food allowance is also provided. Ten college students have already completed a college degree through this program.
4. Health Programs
⢠Part of the Centerâs feeding program is the preparation and distribution of a nutritious lunch to our children in four (4) elementary schools in Tagaytayâin addition to the snacks provided to the Day Care pupils daily.
⢠The Center also gives financial assistance for the purchase of needed. Through medical missions, volunteer doctors regularly conduct check ups, tests and other health services for the children and adults in clinics and hospitals. Since 2010 we have our own medical clinic. Dental care is also assured since 2005 in our own full functional clinic through a volunteer dentist who offers her services weekly for a minimum rate.
5. Human and Spiritual Formation Programs for Families and Children
⢠Every month, a married couple conducts a Couples Meeting in the different areas where our families live.
⢠There are also weekly formation meetings for mothers who assist us as area coordinators.
⢠Every Saturday, the youth and seminarians staying for a period at Mariapolis Peace give catechetical lessons for the elementary while thematic lessons on human and spiritual development is also done by resident members of the Focolare Movement for high school and college students. The teachers and staff on one hand conduct a once-a-week formation on basic Gospel values to the children in our Day Care.
⢠Through a lady motivator, we are bringing ahead a program on Natural Family Planning for our couples.
⢠Experts from an educational institution are invited to give seminars on Early Childhood Care Education to the parents of our children and the staff.
⢠Friends from a nearby university offer counseling services to help the staff as well as the children and their families become psychologically fit both individually and as a community. They also conduct seminars on counseling and team building.
⢠The Pag-asa Center is also a venue for inter-social, -cultural and -religious encounters. Every year, it receives visitors from different religions and social backgrounds. Many young people from different countries have also worked as volunteers in the Center.
6. Livelihood Programs
⢠We set up a small workshop for silkscreen printing of T-shirts, called âFavolaâ. It has provided skills training and formation on the value of work for some boys who remained jobless after high school. This was one of our successful programs and ended in 2014.
⢠A workshop for handicrafts was also set up for the out of school youth of Tagaytay in collaboration with the Focolare Tagaytay Carpentry Shop (www.focolarecarpentry.com).
⢠We are working with the childrenâs parents on varied livelihood projects to meet the needs of the families. These projects consist in the preparation and sale of papaya pickle, banana chips, nuts, sweets and other native delicacies.
⢠In the year 2011, with the help of a generous contributor, we were able to start Cattle and Swine Fattening Livelihood Program as well as a Chicken Poultry Raising for several families of our children.
SERVICES
1. At our discount store, the children and their families can buy basic commodities such as rice, sugar, milk and also school supplies at a very low price.
2. Within the grounds of the Pag-asa Social Center is a playground for children, complete with swings, see-saws, a roundabout and a slide.
3. In collaboration with local government offices, we give assistance to the families to facilitate procurement of documents such as birth and marriage certificates.
4. The Center gives assistance to families for marriages and baptisms by making arrangements with the local parish. Financial help is also extended to them when a family member dies.
ACTIVITIES
1. Frequent visits are done in different areas to personally update the Center on the situation of the children and their families.
2. Early December, we organize a big Christmas party for the children and their families. Here each child receives a gift and his/her family receives a package. Talents and experiences in living the Gospel are also shared during the program.
3. During vacation, children go on excursions to nearby resorts to give them a chance to get to know better and have fun with the other children assisted by Pag-asa.