In a quiet and secluded town of Cabatuan, a sanctuary exists for young vulnerable girls who had unimaginable hardships in life. A shelter for healing and transformation that serves as a testimony and a beacon of hope offering a fresh start, Home for Girls.

Established in year 2000 by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office VI (DSWD FO6), Home for Girls in Brgy. Pungtod, Cabatuan , Iloilo serves as a temporary care shelter that provides a safe environment for girls below 18 years old who are victims of abuse such as physical and sexual, exploitation, abandonment, trafficking, and violence. Victims are referred by the Local Government Units and the other partners and institutions in Region VI.

“The reason why Home for Girls was established is due to its primary concern which is the safety, protection, treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery of the abused children,” said Jojie H. Jumola, Center Head.

Celebrating its 24th Foundation Anniversary on June 6, 2024 with the theme, “A Legacy of Love and Support: 24 Years of Creating a Home,” the center acknowledged its accomplishments, tackles about the present situations, throwback about the milestones and looking forward to more opportunities.

The center implements a holistic approach for the fast recovery of the residents. “We have a dynamic team called the Rehabilitation Team who is in charge in day-to-day activities of children, these consist of social workers, psychometrician, center nurse, manpower development officer, and the houseparent. They conduct one on one dialogues with the victims,” Jumola said.

SERVICES OFFERED

The Home implements skills training in areas such as food processing, baking, sewing, handicraft making, cosmetology, t-shirt printing and more.

“The skills training and group sessions here at the center are very helpful, and we can see that the programs, services, and interventions are working based on the development or changes in the children themselves,” Jumola stated. “For instance, when they first arrived, they had no skills, but with the help of our persistent social workers, they have gained skills, and their healing process is slowly progressing,” she added.

As part of the rehabilitation process to regain childrens’ normal functioning life, group sessions, programs and services were anchored by the SHEPHERDS, which includes Social Services, Homelife Services, Educational Services, Psychological Services, Health Services, Entrepreneurial/ Livelihood Services, Recreational and other Cultural Activities, Developmental Services, and Spiritual Enhancement Services.

NUMBER OF RESIDENTS

Jumola mentioned that in July, they had a total of 30 residents. From January to June, they served a total of 38 clients, 35 were carry over from year 2023 and three were added for the first semester of 2024.

Discharged children from the centers are turned over to the Local Government Units, specifically the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office (MSWDO) Social workers for monitoring and aftercare services.

LEARNINGS

Home for Girls has a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) that assists in educational services, consisting of Brgy. Officials, Social Workers and other partners. According to Jumola, they find fulfillment in the fact that the residents are transformed into a productive and talented individuals. “We have five With Honors and one With High Honor clients in the center, some of whom have been discharged,” Jumola added.

ADVICE TO CHILDREN

For children who have experienced abused, Jumola advised, “It’s not the end of the world. Himuon ang experience na motivation para ma reach ang dreams nila sa kabuhi. Gin established ang center para maging way sang mga bata nga mag heal kag ma-rehabilitate ang ila trauma . Bisan abused sila, think nga ma overcome ang tanan nila nga na agyan kag may mga tawo na willing mag bulig kag tandaan nga hindi tanan puro negative kag may tion nga kung positive ang panumdumon nila, expect nga positive man ang matabo sa ila kabuhi.” [“It’s not the end of the world. Use your experience as motivation to reach your goals in life. The center was established to provide a way to help you heal from your traumas. Remember, there are people willing to help and that not everything will always be negative and positive thinking leads to positive outcomes.”]

HEALING

“Children are like gemstones needed to be taken care of because once broken, they are harder to fix or to be whole again that is why social workers here in the center did everything they can to help them heal from all the traumas they had and regain their normal life.” Jumola mentioned.

Two of the centers residents served as a living testimony as they shared their experiences and gratitude for the huge role of the shelter in transforming and nurturing their lives. For Cha (not her real name), a 16-year old girl who is a resident in Home for Girls for two years states that the center and the employees were a blessing in disguise.

“May rason kung ngaa gakatabo ni sa amon kag thankful ako sa center kay tanan namun nga kailangan ginahatag nila, especially ang para sa education namun like ang school supplies namun. Ginahatagan man kami snacks kag may driver nga ga sugat, hatod samun for our safety.” [“There’s a reason why this happened to us and I am grateful to the center because all our needs were provided, especially for our education, such as school supplies. We also had snacks and a driver who picked us up and dropped us off at school for our safety”] said Cha.

In addition, the center allows them to visit and call their family. She also added that they acquire skills from the trainings specifically livelihood and productivity skills. Similarly, Kay (not also her real name), who entered the center at 14 and used to be a resident for four years, shared how the center helped her gain income and stability by offering her a job as a staff.

Despite the harshest trials they went through, residents like Cha and Kay remain positive, knowing that the shelter would help them recover and regain a normal, functioning life.

Home for Girls proves that with the right support and guidance, every child has the potential to overcome trials and achieve an independent and successful future. For 24 years, the center has been dedicated to healing, and transforming the lives of young girls creating a true and safe home. (DSWD6/Bernaline S. Seisa, BA Journalism-WVSU)