PROJECT OVERVIEW
By volunteering in a child care facility, you will be able to augment emotional and educational support for some of the Philippines most disadvantaged children.
Volunteer for the Visayans currently works with a number of child care facilities both in Tacloban City and surrounding towns, with children aging from as young as one month to eleven or twelve years.
These children that volunteers work with are often undernourished and have previously suffered from great deals of neglect.
Many of them thrive on the attention that can be provided by volunteers and react well to enrichment activities that can help boost their social, motor functional and cognitive skills.
As in other developing countries, the Philippines lacks a strong safety net to support families at risk of breakdown. This has contributed to a deterioration of the family unit and an increase in the incidence of child abuse, neglect and abandonment. Many of the children in our facilities have been abandoned by an impoverished parent who could no longer care for them. This has put increased pressure on government and non government child welfare services to find permanent or temporary homes for such children.
In most cases child care facilities are often underfunded and have limited resources. If you want to volunteer with orphans should not only have a strong passion for working with children, but must also be resourceful and able to show initiative.
WHY WE NEED YOU
Typically, the child to caregiver ratio in child care facilities is high, resulting in caregivers not having time to attend to much beyond the physical care of each child. Without emotional nurturing, children are at high risk of developing severe developmental and emotional disorders.
As a volunteer you will provide vital interaction with the children, assist house parents with daily chores and child supervision as well as running different activities to liven up the children’s day.
Over the years, Volunteer for the Visayans (VFV) has augmented support to child care facilities through the distribution of resources such as clothing and vitamins. We have also supported projects to train local staff on relevant topics. Sadly, VFV does not have the capacity to provide support to these facilities on a daily basis and as a result need international volunteers to provide support. In addition, we values the fact that international volunteers can bring their own personal skills and expertise to the orphanage and offer activities that would not necessarily be available in their absence. Whilst no official care-giving experience is required, VFV requires you to have a love of children and be able to work both independently and in small groups.
This is a meaningful way you can learn first-hand the hardship that some children in the world face and give back to underprivileged children in the developing world.
PROJECT FACTS
Project Duration: 4 weeks (minimum) – 6 months (maximum)
Cost: $1,190 US Dollars for 4 weeks, $120 for each week thereafter
Availability: Project Open All Year
Project Location: Tacloban City and Palo, Leyte
Requirements: Minimum age 18
Training: Pre-Departure information sent during application process; in-depth local orientation conducted upon arrival.
Experience: No formal training is required though it is important that volunteers be compassionate, non-judgmental, and adaptable. Prospective volunteers who have experienced similar childhood trauma should have received counseling for themselves as working in this type of setting may result in the surfacing of painful, unresolved personal issues.
Working Hours: 08:00am – 12 noon, 3:00PM-5:00PM Monday to Friday (minimum)
What will I be doing?
- Learn and play activities
- Helping children to read, creating a schedule of different activities
- Boosting resident’s self esteem through fun games
- Babysitting, assist houseparents and nuns with the daily chores.
What is included: Airport Reception, Accommodation with local host family, 2 meals a day (breakfast and dinner), program orientation, Waray Waray language lesson, 24 hour local staff support
What’s Not Included: International or Domestic Airfares, Insurance or Visa