By: Sr. Elena Saoy, tc
Holy Family Home Bacolod Foundation Inc. was inaugurated on November 2, 1989 as a temporary shelter, protection and rehabilitation center for street children of Bacolod City, a response to the urgent need at that time. But as years passed by, the sisters have seen the great need of responding to the immediate need of having a center that will dedicate its work and mission to the protection and recovery of the increasing numbers of abused girls in the province of Negros Occidental. It was in 1994, when Holy Family Home started to specialized its mission to this kind of clientele.
Holy Family Home envisions a Christ-Centered, just, fraternal and peaceful society, where children and youth especially women; are respected as persons with right of dignity and equity; are promoted in their potential for being active member of it in harmony with the other people and the whole of creation.
With the attitude of the Good Shepherd, we try to: welcome, protect, and rehabilitate marginalized children and youth in order to attain their integral formation and assure them of their human and Christian participation in the society. This then is the vision of Holy Family Home as embodied in its mission statement and its motto; “A CHILD REDEEMED IS A GENERATION SAVED”.
Since then, for more than 30 years already, Holy Family Home is serving up to 70 cases of maltreated, abandoned, neglected, and abused children yearly and only in the different Cities and Municipalities of Negros Occidental. But this year, we have only 33 children in the center where we can give a better space for their progressive personality development and in the future, they can actively participate in their families, in the society, and in the church as successful individuals.
To be in Holy Family Home is a beautiful and challenging apostolate. It’s a daily experience of witnessing to our Charism as our Fr. Founder Luis Amigo taught us “to look for the lost sheep”.
All of us sisters and staff must have the heart of educating the children according to our Amigonian Pedagogy: creating a family atmosphere of warm welcome, knowing each one through the way of the heart, attitude of sympathy, closeness, attention to individuality, preference to those who are most in need, teaching by example, and above all an inner strength in the face of hardships.
With the help of many generous people such as our friends and benefactors who have been in our side in bringing into reality the dreams of these young girls, Holy Family Home provides the following services: spiritual/human formation, guidance and counselling, psychological formation, education, home life services, family bonding and dialogue, social services, outreach program, livelihood/skills training, health and nutrition, and administrative services,
Holy Family Home is the only center in the province of Negros Occidental which caters abused children. It is a non-profit, non-stock, and non- governmental organization. It is duly licensed and accredited by both the National Department of Social Welfare and Provincial Government.
We are so grateful to the efforts of all the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters who have passed in Holy Family Home, staff, volunteers, and benefactors who continue to support us in order to continue rendering our service in the society.
To all our friends, be part of the protection and rehabilitation of maltreated, abandoned, neglected, orphaned, and abused children who need so much of your help.
For donations or volunteer works, kindly contact the HFH Directress: Sr. Maricel Fuerzas in these numbers; +63 9631671835 or +63 34 458-2810.
“MAKE A DIFFERENCE”
