SOS Children’s Village Davao

As proposed by Abraham Maslow in 1943, the hierarchy of human needs indicates that the family plays an indispensable role in providing some of our fundamental requirements: physiological (i.e. food and clothing), safety, love and belonging. So children with complete, healthy and intact families have a better opportunity to live a secure and fulfilling life. In contrast, those with no family or coming from broken homes are more likely to be abandoned, lost and misguided. SOS Children’s Village seeks to meet this societal challenge by providing a loving home for every child.

 

 

SOS Children’s Village is one of the largest international non-governmental organizations, serving the needs of children since 1949. The organization primarily aims to provide for the needs and protect the rights of abandoned and parentless children, ultimately guiding them on the right path to achieving their fullest potential as independent and functioning adults in the community. In the village, each household is headed by a “mother” who will take care of the children and exemplify a mother’s role in the family. The children learn to be each other’s brothers and sisters. The village becomes a neighborhood of these families, forming a healthy community of values, happiness and love. Each family is provided with finances for their basic requirements, including, but not limited to, food, clothing, toys and educational needs. The children are educated from pre-school up until their chosen college degree, when they can start living their adult lives, become self-reliant and be completely independent. The village exists to ensure that needs are provided for, health is prioritized, rights are protected, and education is secured for each child.

In the Philippines, one village that has significantly impacted its locality is the SOS Children’s Village Davao. This village has been running for 40 years now, since its founding in 1982. Consisting of 14 family homes, the village director’s residence, an administration and service area and a communal house, it is one of the largest SOS Children’s Villages in the country and is currently home to 165 children. The village runs two programs: Family Life Care (FLC) Services and Family Strengthening (FS) Services. The FLC program accepts children into the village, providing them with basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and the like, as well as providing support for their educational needs and chosen career path. FLC molds them to achieve their full potential to become self-reliant and functioning citizens when they come of age.

The FS program extends to outside communities by helping children from parents who are less privileged yet willing to take full responsibility for their children. The organization visits these homes and offers counseling for both parents and children, shares information about benefits and eligibility for government aid, informs them of financial strategies and possible sources of income, as well as providing the necessary assistance to establish a family foundation and help them to become self-sustaining. The organization significantly contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals as adopted by United Nations Member States. SOS Children’s Village utilizes early childhood development as a foundation for universal development. SDGl 4 mentions ECD: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote opportunities for lifelong learning for all.”

Furthermore, we had a chance to interview the director of the village, Mr. Leonilo Rivero, who has worked for the organization for 16 years and is himself a former SOS child.

 

 

Interview

Interviewees
Mr. Leonilo Rivero – Village Director, SOS Children’s Village Davao

Q: How long have you worked at, or been associated with, SOS, and what is your main job/role in the organization?

Mr. Rivero: I am the village director at SOS Children’s Village Davao, and I have held this post for 16 years now. I have been associated with SOS all my life, because I am a former SOS child. I was brought into SOS when I was just six months old and I grew up in the SOS village in Tacloban. Thanks to SOS, I went to college, even studied in Manila, and eventually moved out from the care of the village and became independent. Now, I am married and have my own children. I worked in several organizations before I was invited to work with SOS Children’s Village. I found I could not say no despite the big salary disparity because I felt like my family was calling me home. That said, I did not accept the post of director just because I am a former SOS child. Of course I want to give back, but this is also part of my career path. I really wanted to work with children, and I have studied psychology, plus an MBA in Human Resources as well as graduating from law school, so I think I am well-qualified for the position. This is really a job that I want.

Q: What are some of your duties or activities in the organization?

Mr. Rivero: As director, I am overall in charge. I am responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the village. I deal with finance, social workers, psychologists, educators and psychiatrists, and I reach out to the community to form our programs. I reside in the village. So I need to act as the father of these children; someone who protects, provides, and when necessary disciplines. I also accommodate children coming to SOS who still have their parents but those parents struggle to fulfill their obligations. During the pandemic, we brought in more than 20 children. Sadly, some of these children were abused. In our FS program we oversee two communities composed of 115 families. We help them to access social benefits such as the 4P (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) conditional cash transfer initiative. We also provide them with a budget for basic education and healthcare for a limited period. The end goal is self-reliance.

 

 

Q: What role does the organization play in the life of the local community?

Mr. Rivero: These children come to our care because of a very bad beginning, and now they have rights. Changing the life of one child can impact society. Children are a form of investment that will eventually drive social change. We help them shape their future by teaching them skills and knowledge to develop self-reliance.

An independent social impact assessment study of the SOS Village Davao City by Ayo and Villafuerte was conducted in 2020 and was presented to SOS Village International. The study substantiates the social changes made by SOS Village programs in individual, community and Social Return of Investment (SROI) levels by measuring different indicators. Generally, the results showed that the majority of indicators scored highly, with a few showing room for improvement (Ayo & Villafuerte, 2020).

Q: In what ways can the organization play a larger role in the community in the future?

Mr. Rivero: With the help of our programs, neglected and less-privileged children will be protected from harmful influences such as drugs, committing and being victims of crime, early pregnancy and poverty. Instead, these children will be given a home, resources, support, opportunities and provided with all their needs to realize their fullest potential and be independent adults capable of raising their own families. This is how we can break the chain of generational poverty in our community.

 

Mr. Rivero elaborating on the results of the social impact study by Ayo and Villafuerte in 2020

 

Reflections

The interview with Mr. Rivero was enlightening and heartwarming. His story as a former SOS child, the stories of the children that they have taken care of, and seeing the happy faces of the children in the village gave us hope that these children may still live a fulfilling life. The SOS Children’s Village provides these children with a home, resources and support so that they might realize their fullest potential and be independent adults capable of raising their own families. The organization’s role in the local community and the fulfilling lives led by the children in its care is undeniably significant. SOS Children’s Village Davao is known as “a loving home for every child”. The future of our nation is in the hands of our children. All children should be protected, given care and loved.

References

Britto, P. (2015, October 22). Why early childhood development is the foundation for sustainable development. UNICEF Connect. https://blogs.unicef.org/blog/why-early-childhood-development-is-the-foundation-for-sustainable-development/

OECD Statistics and Data Directorate. (2018, October). Child Well-Being and the Sustainable Development Goals.

SOS Children’s Village, Ayo, R. A., & Villafuerte, S. (2020). Social Impact Assessment SOS Children’s Village Davao, Philippines.

Researchers

Hello! My name is Aiyana Jul A. Decena, and I am a third year Pharmacy student at San Pedro College in Davao, Philippines. I aspire to be a medical doctor. I’m from a family of five, and I am the eldest daughter. I enjoy watching TV, journaling and reading self-help and poetry books. I am a firm believer in the words of Sigmund Freud: One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful. Hence, to you who are reading this, your struggles are driving you towards growth. So hang in there!

Hi everyone! I am Ai-jay V. Cortez, a 21-year-old student of San Pedro College, Davao City, Philippines. Currently, I am a fourth year intern in the program of Medical Laboratory Science of San Pedro College. I am also an active leader in the Student Congress. We initiate school events, projects and community extension programs. I usually spend my free time painting and making digital art. I also love to read novels and watch documentaries.