Several non-governmental organizations support initiatives for children’s welfare such as empowering out-of-school youth and alleviating them from poverty. These NGOs initiate projects to ensure that children’s needs are taken care of, with the goal of giving them dignified lives to become assets in society.
Thinking of supporting an NGO? We listed these organizations, their goals, and where you can find them:
1. World Vision. It believes that the child sponsorship program facilitates overall growth and development in the community. By pooling together all sponsorship donations, selected children, and their communities acquire access to education. Like in other countries, World Vision works with communities in the Philippines. To select the children who will become scholars, the organization partners with local staff and families.
The sponsorship may last several years depending on the sponsor. It may end for various reasons, but the newfound friendship between the sponsor and the beneficiary will last a lifetime. In case the sponsor misses his pledge, World Vision starts looking for another sponsor.
The organization was founded in 1950 by Rev. Robert Pierce, an American Baptist minister and relief worker. It performs as a service group to meet the emergency needs of Christian missionaries. In 1975, development work was added to World Vision’s objectives.
Visit worldvision.org.ph for more info.
2. All Together in Dignity. ATD Fourth World is a movement of solidarity among and in collaboration with the most excluded families around the world. The group is composed of volunteers who work with impoverished communities to create solutions to fight poverty. It conducts street libraries, fora, workshops, and art activities for children through the help of volunteers. In Asia, ATD Fourth World has teams in the Philippines and Thailand and coordinates with the Asian network of the Forum for Overcoming Poverty.
Founded in 1957 by Joseph Wresinski, the organization brings together women and men from all cultures and social classes and is active in 34 countries. It is an international non-governmental organization with no religious or political affiliation. The organization accepts either one-time and recurring donations, as well as partnerships with the private sector.
For more info, visit www.atd-fourthworld.org or send an email at philippines@atd-fourthworld.org.
3. Save the Children. It is an independent organization which opposes all forms of violence against children. Present in the Philippines since 1981, the group has reached over 1.9 million Filipino kids and directly impacted the lives of 560,000 children.
The organization started its first program in the country for impoverished children and families on Guimaras Island in Western Visayas through health, education, and livelihood projects that benefited over 3,000 children. Later on, it expanded to new areas like Ilocos Norte and Metro Manila in partnership with government agencies and organizations like UNICEF to support children growing up in the poorest and most challenging circumstances.
To help, visit savethechildren.org.ph.
4. Edicute Incorporated. It is a nonprofit volunteer organization, which seeks to promote education and reduce illiteracy rate among Filipino indigenous peoples, with the goal of empowering them. It has conducted outreach programs that benefited more than 5,500 IP schoolchildren and over 2,700 families nationwide. Annually, it offers three major outreach projects every May, August, and December.
Founded in 2011, Edicute offers out-of-the-ordinary outreach activities that will challenge any volunteer, including travel to via roro, dump truck, and habal-habal. Volunteers are expected to prepare meals, conduct grade-level specific activities for kids, and immerse with the community through foster families.
For more information, contact edicute.incorporated@gmail.com.
5. Global Peace Philippines. It’s an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative and values-based approach to peace-building. Founded in 2009, Global Peace Foundation engages and organizes a global network of public and private sector partners in a bid to develop peacebuilding models.
Visit globalphilippines.org for more information.
