3rd Foster House in Negros
Goal: A new foster house to protect young girls who are victims of sexual violence on the island of Negros in order to help them rebuild their lives and find their place in society.
Strengthened by its expertise and successes on Panay island, CAMELEON wishes to help more children in distress and reduce cases of child abuse at the regional level. That’s why our association has opened a third foster center, on May 21st 2019, in order to protect children victims of sexual violence on Negros island.
Total budget of the project: 1,000,000 €
Why the island of Negros?
The island of Negros is one of the poorest areas of the Philippines, where sexual violence is widespread and little prosecuted or resolved in court. There is an increasing number of violence against women and children.
A real need
No institution or association offers a as complete care as what CAMELEON does. In view of this, the project of implantation on the island of Negros has matured. In 2014, a feasibility study was conducted to assess needs and opportunities. The findings of this study attest to the real need and support of local associations and authorities, particularly thanks to the good reputation of CAMELEON, already known in the West Visayas region.
Bring children closer to their families
The opening of a new Foster House bring beneficiaries closer to their families. In fact, 30% of the girls from the two Panay Island Foster House come from the island of Negros. The distance complicates the work of social workers at different levels: monitoring of families, reintegration of girls in their community, monitoring in post-rehabilitation and finally support in the judicial process.
Support more victims
By creating this new Foster House in Negros, CAMELEON intends to support a growing number of young girls abused by relying on its various programs and the know-how of its staff. With its 20 years of experience, the association will duplicate its Rehabilitation programs as well as its advocacy and awareness actions on Children’s rights already in place in Panay.
Le contexte : 1 viol toutes les 53 minutes
In the Philippines, 70% of the victims of rape are children which a majority of whom young girls. Region 18, where the project is located, has the highest rate of cases of sexual violence on children. Most of them, however, are never reported for fear of family dishonor.
The construction
CAMELEON started building a new center on the island of Negros in March 2018. The office is still under construction, but the dormitories and the reception hall are completed. The girls have also access to a garden next to the office so that they can play and play sports. The building of the gym is set to start shortly, which will allow the girls to have a place dedicated to sports. Silay City has gifted us with a 8,000 sq meter (i.e. 2 acres) lot. The city is close to Bacalod City, the capital of the province and the lot is close to the schools.
The new Foster Home include several facilities:
Building 1
Welcome House : dormitories and sanitaries for children, room for staff and the Founder, living room, dining room and kitchen, study room with a library, therapy room and game room, social workers and surrogate mothers’s office, art workshop and storage.
Building 2
The Director and admin / financial staff offices, meeting room, media room, clinic for the medical care of the children and dormitory for the volunteers who will come to lend a hand to the team.
Annex buildings
Dance hall / theater (“Mariposa Hall”), playground, the guard station for guards who ensure the safety of children in the Foster Home, room for the drivers/, laundry, garage for cars, water tank, road access.
Each year, the House welcome and host 20 girls aged 5 to 17, all victims of sexual violence.
Protected and accompanied, they will stay 3 to 4 years on average time to rebuild and regain confidence in them.
Located near the schools, the Foster House allow children to recover the carelessness of childhood, to realize their dreams, to go to school, to participate in sports and recreational activities and to build their future.
A specialized team provide them with medical and psychological care. They also receive legal aid if they decide to sue their abusers.
Everyday life
During the week, the girls all attend school. After class, they can enjoy a recess period, then do their homework. They help each other and can rely on the staff for tutoring. On the weekends, the girls have chores to do, such as cooking, laundry and cleaning. But they still have plenty of time to play games, play sports or do their school homework.
The staff
In order to accompany the girls and ensure safety in the Foster Home, the staff consists of Tita Riza, the Foster Home Director, 2 housemothers, 1 social worker, 1 driver and 2 security guards.
Everything is going well at the new shelter!
Our partners
The opening of a Welcome House on the island of Negros is actively supported by several institutions and foundations, as well as by the Philippine authorities:
