SOS Children in Philippines

Our Alabang-Manila community was founded in 1989 in a small village near the Manilan suburb of Muntinlupa. Each of the eight family houses (each house can take 10 children) has their own small vegetable patch, and there are two SOS Youth Homes for the older children learning to live independently. Children from the Village attend local schools. Facilities include a training centre for SOS mothers and staff.

SOS Children's Village Calbayog is on the relatively undeveloped island of Samar. It has 12 family houses and an SOS  Youth Home. A Family Strengthening Programme provides day care for the children of local families and there is also a food programme for more than 300 mothers and their children. Next to the SOS Children's Village, there is also a home for retired SOS mothers.

SOS Children's Village Cebu was built in 1980 in the Talamban district of Cebu. Cebu is the second largest city in the Philippines, and is an area well served by hospitals and schools. As well as the 12 family houses, it has an SOS Nursery for 210 children and a Family Strengthening Programme that supports local families. There is also an SOS Youth Home where young people can start a vocational training course or go on to higher education. With the support of qualified youth workers, they develop realistic perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions.

Our SOS Children's Village in Davao is the largest in the Philippines. Built in 1981, it is just outside Davao, the largest city on the island of Mindanao, and has 14 family houses, five SOS Youth Homes, and a Family Strengthening Programme which provides support and assistance to families living in the surrounding slum settlements. As well as medical and dental treatment, the centre provides hot meals for children and lessons in health care and nutrition.

Lipa, the first SOS Children's Village to be built in the Philippines, was established in 1967. It is beautifully situated in an orange grove on the outskirts of Lipa City about 93 miles from the capital, Manila. It has 12 family houses and two nearby SOS Youth Homes for the older children completing their education and vocational training. It also has an SOS Nursery and a Family Strengthening Programme.

Our SOS Children's Village Tacloban is in Milagrosa on the island of Leyte. It has 11 family houses and 4 SOS Youth Homes where students from Calbayog also live, since there are no universities or colleges there. A Family Strengthening Programme provides day care for local children and medical aid for many of the poorest families in the local community.

SOS Children's Village Iloilo opened in October 2003 and is in a small town, Zarrago, about ten miles from Iloilo. There are 12 family houses, three SOS Youth Homes and an SOS Nursery which caters for 100 children from the village and the local community. The Village also has a Family Strengthening Programme that works with local authorities and other service providers to support families and enable them to take good care of their children.

An eighth Village in Bataan, in the north-west of the country, was opened in September 2009 with the capacity for 120 children. The Village is integrated into a residential area with no fences or walls to separate the family houses from the other houses of the subdivision. This way, the children living at the SOS Children's Village will find it easier to integrate into society.

"My family was happy despite both of my parents suffering from blindness. Then one day my parents decided to separate. My sister Shelo and I lived with our father, and the Quirino Grandstand, where we sold cigarettes to make ends meet, became 'home' to us. A government agency referred us to SOS Children’s Village Manila, when I was 10 and my sister was 12. Nothing compares to my new home, I thought to myself, I have a bed of my own, so does my sister and we no longer have to sell cigarettes in order to feed ourselves. I also had brothers and sisters, and most importantly a mother who took care of us and loved us, although I did know that she was not my real mother. Of course I missed my father, but the village director, 'Papa Noel', was always there to hug, talk to and encourage us. Somehow the longing I felt for my father turned into joy - now I had two fathers.

"SwissAir sponsored our house, and one day we had a visitor. She was a former flight attendant and her husband was a pilot. She asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Imagine her delight and surprise when I replied "a pilot”! Most of my brothers at the SOS Children's Village changed their ambitions on a daily basis. But not me! My determination to become a pilot became even stronger following an educational tour to Philippine Airlines. So at the age of 20, I graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science in Aircraft Maintenance. After being sponsored by SwissAir to obtain a licence to become a commercial pilot I enrolled on more flying courses at the Philippine Airlines flight school. That year, my dream became reality when I was selected second pilot officer for the Philippine Airlines.

"I’m now reaching even greater heights as I've been promoted to First Pilot Officer, flying domestic routes and to Asian countries. Not only that, I am now building up my own family. Together with my beloved wife, Misty, I know I can give my son and daughter a better future with our full dedication and unconditional love as parents. I have lots of memories from my home at SOS Children's Villages. I will never forget the people who helped to shape our characters and the benefactors who continuously supported our needs. Now that I am an adult and have successfully achieved my dreams, I can share my good fortune with my SOS family and be a positive role model for other children."