MEET OUR KIDS
Behind the smiles of our children are unique stories of their own. Many of our children are orphans, while others were abandoned and neglected by their parents. A number of them were surrendered by relatives who are not capable of caring for them anymore.
HOH admits children from ages 4-15. These children come to HOH either alone or with their siblings. We usually have a sibling group of 3 or 4. Some of them stay with us for a few months or years, while others stay with us until they finish college and get a good job and live on their own.
Many of our children come from the poor villages in Davao del Sur and the neighboring provinces in Southern Mindanao.
All of our children have different heart-wrenching stories to tell. But with the love and care from the staff and the love they experience from our church family, the children’s wounds are gradually healed.
At HOH, we provide an atmosphere of a loving and responsible home where our children can feel that they belong to one big family; that they are cared for and loved.
Here are a few of our children’s stories….
Behind the smiles of our children are unique stories of their own. Many of our children are orphans, while others were abandoned and neglected by their parents. A number of them were surrendered by relatives who are not capable of caring for them anymore.
HOH admits children from ages 4-15. These children come to HOH either alone or with their siblings. We usually have a sibling group of 3 or 4. Some of them stay with us for a few months or years, while others stay with us until they finish college and get a good job and live on their own.
Many of our children come from the poor villages in Davao del Sur and the neighboring provinces in Southern Mindanao.
All of our children have different heart-wrenching stories to tell. But with the love and care from the staff and the love they experience from our church family, the children’s wounds are gradually healed.
At HOH, we provide an atmosphere of a loving and responsible home where our children can feel that they belong to one big family; that they are cared for and loved.
Here are a few of our children’s stories….
ARLENE’S STORY
A Dream Come True
Arlene came from a very poor family in a destitute village in Davao del Sur. Her mother was a laundry woman and her father was a laborer. When her father got sick and passed away, her mother was left to work hard to provide for her family of six. However, her earnings from washing the clothes of other people was not enough to sustain her family.
There were days when Arlene and her siblings went to bed with empty stomachs. The hunger pangs were real. All they could do before falling asleep was to imagine eating a sumptuous meal.
One day, their mother left them to start a new family. Arlene and her older sister had to find ways to live. They would fetch water for their neighbors in exchange for a few pesos so they could buy a kilo of rice for them and their younger siblings. Instead of going to school, they preferred to earn so they will have something to eat.
The staff of Community Resource Center who were closely connected to HOH, saw their plight. They talked to Arlene’s mother about the orphanage. She consented to put her children in the orphanage.
Soon after, Arlene’s mother died due to illness. They were left with no one to depend upon. However, they were blessed to have the HOH family who truly cared for them.
Arlene was a bit behind in her studies. She was 10 years old when she entered the orphanage. But she was determined to finish her schooling. She did not want to experience oppressive poverty and hunger pangs again. She studied hard. In order to accelerate her education, she took the Accreditation and Equivalency Exam and passed. She was soon promoted to high school. When she finished high school, she took up a course in Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education. Despite the hardship of going to college without spending the usual 6 years in high school, Arlene finished the course, and passed the Teachers’ Licensure Exam. Arlene is now a licensed teacher and is teaching at School for the Blind in her city.
With her salary, she is now able to care for her other younger siblings. This is her way of paying forward for the goodness of the Lord in her life through HOH and the many individuals and groups who supported her. Arlene’s life is a dream come true! Glory to God!
JUNY’S STORY
Finding A Real Home
Juny’s life started crumbling down on the day his mother left them. His father was very sick at that time and his siblings were still very young. His mother left them without a trace. Since his father was seriously ill, he had no way of earning a living except to do simple, menial work for relatives and neighbors.
When Juny’s father died, Juny and his siblings were distributed among their uncles and aunts who themselves had difficulty providing for their own families. Juny was passed around from one family relative to the next. This was the start of his misery. Juny suffered physical and emotional abuse from his aunts and uncles. Under their care, Juny was forced to do things that a teenager should not be doing. He experienced physical, emotional and mental abuse from the people who, he considered his family.
One time, he ran away from his relatives and was brought to a government social worker who placed him under the care of another uncle and aunt. He suffered the same fate under them.
One day, Juny befriended a classmate who, along with other young boys, is being cared for by a chief of police. Juny started visiting their house, hoping that the chief of police would take him in under his roof. However, the chief of police had a number of young people already in his care, with similar stories like Juny’s. Since he cannot take Juny in anymore, he brought Juny to Haven of Hope. That started Juny’s journey to a better life. He finally found a home that he could call his own.
Due to Juny’s miserable and painful experiences while under the care of his relatives, and because of the oppressive poverty he’s been through, he decided to walk the straight path and to focus on his studies. By the grace of God, he graduated from Senior High School and is now in college taking up Bachelor of Science in Social Work. He desires to finish his course, become a registered Social Worker and help HOH and other less privileged children, young people and adult find a better way of life.