The Adventure Continues...the Philippines!: SOS Children's Village

SOS Children’s Village in Alabang was the ideal venue for the third quarterly forum of Family Network (Famnet). Three public affairs missionaries, Sis. Farnsworth and along with Roger and I, attended the forum as representatives for the church. We were told that SOS CV was an orphanage and this peaked their interest as each of their families had been involved in adopting children.
This orphanage was definitely different than they thought it would be as they found that children are never adopted from the village. It is the last place they come before they enter the world and start careers and families of their own. This is a place that caters to abandoned or orphaned children who often have siblings. Children are brought here so they can remain together and learn how to grow and function within a family.

This is a family strengthening program where 350 “mothers” head up households that are broken up into “families” of about 9 children. Each “family” lives in a small home where the mother cooks and cares for the children who feel protected and loved. This system allows siblings and family groups to remain intact. SOS believes that every child deserves a living parent and brothers and sisters. They deserve a home in a village, which is a part of the community or barangay.

Sis. DuPaix and Sis. Farnsworth, posing with a "Mom" and some of her daughters.

This system allows siblings and family groups to remain intact. SOS believes that every child deserves a living parent and brothers and sisters. They deserve a home in a village, which is a part of the community or barangay.

Just outside the home was a playground where two little girls were playing on the slide. They were so cute as they interacted as “sisters”, whether by birth, or by being brought together in their wonderful SOS Village home.