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Atty. Esperanza Valenzona
Founder and President |
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Celebrating its 25th Anniversary
on March 10, 2007 |
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| Contact Us |
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Atty. Nina Valenzona
Executive Director |
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The Share A Child Movement, Inc.
3F FSV Building, 91 Rizal Avenue
Cebu CIty 6000 Philippines |
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Email: shareachild@gmail.com
Phone: (6332) 238-2487
Fax: (6332) 253-6980 |
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The Share Child Movement is 25 years old today. Like a person at such age, the organization is in the prime of life, with its dedicated Board of Trustees, its active staff, and over 7,000 present and past scholars- all ample proof of the genuine participation and active involvement of the Cebu community in the Movement’s scholarship, Family Development and other programs. Our benefactors believe sincerely with us in the mission of ensuring a better tomorrow for the poor but talented children of Cebu City’s population. On this Saturday - March 10, therefore, the Share a Child Movement on the occasion of its silver anniversary is holding a Thank You program to express its gratitude to all its benefactors and supporters.
Starting in the year 1982, The Share a Child Movement was born of NGO’s, representatives of the PC-INP, the DepEd, the DSWD, and concerned citizens, banding themselves together to work for the welfare of young people who needed help in pursuing an education. Gen. Alfredo Olano who was PC-INP head of the region, consented to be the Chairman of the Board provided I would serve as its president. From the very start, we had a bright beginning because a group from Japan (The Japanese Naval Services Group) headed by Mr. Sadshiro Okada gave us a cash donation of 60,000 - the balance of their funds after they built a memorial to the Goddess of Peace in the grounds of the Cebu Plaza Hotel. These funds gave us an auspicious start in our scholarship program.
One of our earliest projects was a Feeding Program for 180 malnourished children in Alaska, Mambaling It was funded by RAFI and lasted two years.
Our feeding program now consists of daily milk feeding in out three Balay Bata.
One of our primary concerns was the confinement of minors in BBRC (Cebu City Jail) together with adult prisoners. In a speech at UP, I referred BBRC as a “University of Crime” where young boys learned to be real criminals after undergoing expert tutelage. The ultimate solution to this problem was the construction of the beautiful building called Operation Second Chance in Kalunasan, and for this, we have to thank the First Lady of Cebu City, Mrs. Margot V. Osmeña.
For the rehabilitation of the minors at BBRC, Atty. Winnie Geonzon and I decided to appeal to the Colegio de San Jose Recoletos to be our partner in the project. Promptly student teachers from CSJR were sent to BBRC by Fr. Blas Montenegro to teach the 4R’s - Reading, Writing, ‘Rithmetic & Religion. Mr. Sergio Damaso, USJR Scout master, organized Boys Scouting at BBRC and the Boy Scouts became Gen. Olano’s pride, to be shown off to visiting officers. Thus when Gen. Fidel Ramos (who was then the Chief of the PC-INP) visited Cebu, he was taken to BBRC to review the Boy Scouts there. Gen. Ramos was impressed with what he saw and he said “This is the only project of its kind in Southeast Asia, it should be duplicated in all jail centers in the country and given maximum publicity in the “WIGWAG” (PC-INP official publication). The Boys Scout of BBRC were an impressive sight in their boy scout uniforms: It was Atty. Norberto B. Quisumbing, Jr. of Norkis who provided the cloth for the 100 boys’ uniform, with EDGE Apparel sewing these for free. Thanks are due to Atty. Quisumbing and Norkis for this and for helping us with our Senior Social Worker’s salary up to now.
At about this time, a legal problem arose. Snatchers of jewelry, ladies’ bags, etc. on streets of the city, were charged and penalized as highway robbers under P. D. 532 and sentenced to long term imprisonment under said law.
Then Mrs. Lourdes Balanon of DSWD Manila wrote us that when she went to Muntinlupa National Penitentiary, she found a lot of young prisoners who turned out to be all from Cebu, charged with Highway Robbery under PD 532 of Pres. Marcos. We immediately got in touch with the prosecutors but were told that it was the judges’ interpretation of the law. Only RTC Judges Juanito Bernard and Godardo Jacinto supported my view that snatchers should be charged for ordinary theft, unless committed with violence or intimidation, in which case it would amount to robbery. My fight seemed hopeless until I went to Manila as the Candidate for Visayas in the Bayaning Filipino contest where the DAVIDE FAMILY had been adjudged Model Family in the same contest. When I met Justice Davide at a luncheon held in our honor by ABS-CBN, I readily appealed to him for help. He informed me that a case on the subject “People vs. Laurente” had been decided by the Supreme Court in a decision in which he was the ponente. He promised to send me a copy of the said ruling and also that in “People vs. Mendoza” and he promptly mailed them to me as promised. It was Gov. Pablo Garcia as the head of the Regional Development Council who also helped me see to it that the decision was circularized to all prosecutors in the region. What did I gain from all this campaign? Some policemen-when told about the circular concluded that I was the “LOLA of the snatchers”.
We also helped to decriminalize vagrancy in so far as minors were concerned, since “vagrants” are people who wander in public places and have no visible means of support and minors are not supposed to provide for themselves as they entitled to support from their parents or from the state.
Through the years we have been able to send about 7,000 young people to elementary, high school and college. Many of these have distinguished themselves in their studies and professions and so we wish to say a big Thank You to the people in the community who have contributed to the program. Atty. Augusto W. Go of UC has helped us a lot by granting large discounts on the tuition fees of our scholars. Our other sponsor includes:
Cebu Progress Commercial Mrs Elena C. Young
Dr. Abdias Villamor Ms. Socorro Canizares
Dr. Potenciano Larrazabal, Jr. Mr. and Mrs Celestina Delgado
Andy and Alex Klepp Ms. Chelo Conejero
Ms. Ana Planas Dra. Mercedes Planas
Ms Julia, Nani, Vanya Barba Ms. Adriadne Tempongko
Dra. Suga Sotto Yuvienco Sulpicio Lines
Mr. Albino D. Gothong Mr. and Mrs. Vicente Ongchanhoi
Mrs. Mayek G. Briones Mrs. Natividad Gonzaga
Mrs. Norma Borromeo Dr. Agustin O. Yap
Mr. and Mrs Pablo Ypil Mr. and Mrs. Frank Dinsay
Dr. Halbert C. Capuy (PAMAG) Atty. Eunice Cruz
Ms. Anne de Vesian Dr. Sergio Wong
Prof. Felisa Y. Chiongbian Mr. Francisco Johns
Childlink Learning Center,Inc. Consuelo Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Roberto Aboitiz Mr. Dennis Wong
Mr. Godiva Saa Ms. Monette Alino
Mr. Fermin Chiu Mr. and Mrs Hernan Streegan
UNICEF WINROCK INTERNATIONAL
INTER-AIDE ILO-IPEC
Mr. and Mrs Santiago Tanchan Ms. Malou Gruenberg-Solon
Mrs. Gina A. Aboitiz Ms. Gloria Escaño
Enfance Du Mekong Hon. Berdin-Brgy. Capt. Babag
We have 19 college students this year, 11 of them are supported by the Philippine-American Medical Association of Georgia (PAMAG) Of whom 2 graduated Cum Laude, Maricar Cabiso (Bachelor of Science in Accountancy) of Cebu Institute of Technology and Lester Ybañez (Bachelor of Arts) of Cebu Normal University, and 8 of them were given a 40% discount at University of Cebu and the 60% of the tuition fee is shouldered by EDM (Enfante Du Mekong a French NGO).
Our Family Development Program highly compliments our scholarship program and is supported by INTER AIDE whose Philippine representative is Miss Ghislaine Jacquet.
The ILO enables us to educate some 944 children of families engaged in the pyrotechnics industry in Lapu-lapu city.
Our Livelihood Project helps people to be self-reliant and enables them to send their children to school. Thus, as of Feb. 2007 it has granted 6,718 loans amounting to P 23, 358,600 to 2,284 families in 17 barangays of Cebu City, and given training in money-making crafts and arts.
The Winrock International-CIRCLE Project funded our efforts to send to night schools 100 minors employed as maids, as well as 127 of poor families who otherwise cannot go to school.
We train teachers in various schools to form Quick Action Team to help victims of child abuse in schools and in the barangays.
Our youth organization, the SUPACA helps in our advocacy of children’s rights and of Laws protecting children and women against exploitation and help in teaching computer services to other young people.
All them constitute our contribution in making Cebu a child-friendly city where Children attain their highest potentials and learn to be worthy components of the Great Filipino nation.
God bless all these fine people with generous heart!
God bless the Share A Child Movement in its humble mission of helping children attain their highest potential. God bless us all! |
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