The resident-clients of the Regional Haven for Children attending various activities.
The resident-clients of the Regional Haven for Children attending various activities.

They used to roam the streets to beg or worse, get picked up by syndicated groups. Under DSWD’s Haven for Children, they are rescued and re-educated.

While these children are under the care and custody of the Center, some are sent to formal schooling, others attend in-house non-formal education, and the remaining attend various Practical Skills Development (PSD) and trainings as part of their rehabilitation.

Recently, the resident-clients of the Center were engaged in Hand-made Fan Making, attended lecture on fire prevention by the Bureau of Fire Protection, and were trained on First Aid by the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC).

With these activities, the children had first-hand experience in putting out fire using extinguishers and witnessed simulations of emergencies or accidents while waiting for professional medical help.

Moreover, the training on First Aid with the PNRC was also coupled with Basic Life Support wherein the children were taught about administering burns, cuts, and other minor injuries. They were also rigidly taught Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

Center Head Rosemarie Rosales believes that these activities are needed to be taught to the residents even at their young age. Accordingly, they become more knowledgeable and skilled on proper response to emergencies and life-threatening situations.

After these trainings, it was observed in the Center that these children already apply what they have learned to fellow residents who had minor cuts or bruises, Rosales mentioned.

Moreover, these training cultivate belongingness among the residents and ease the traumatic experiences they had on the streets.

It was also reported by Center Head Rosales that 19 among the 27 residents were neglected children, 6 were maltreated, and 2 were abandoned. (by: Iryn D. Cubangbang, IO II with report from Christian Buduan, SWO II)