Welcome Home Foundation, Inc. in the Philippines

30 March 2004
Country:
Philippines
Organisations involved:
  • Welcome Home Foundation, Inc.
  • Residential Home for the Deaf Students
  • A Pre-School for the Deaf or Educational Resource Center
  • Adult Education and vocational Education
Synopsis:

Welcome Home Foundation, Inc. (WHFI) started in 1986 when a group of concerned volunteers gathered together under the prudent guidance of the late Rev. Fr. Joseph Coyle, MSSC. They bonded together to address the needs of the growing numbers of neglected members of the Negrense society - the differently-abled: the deaf, the blind, and the crippled. These stalwart volunteers established a foundation that envisioned a community of special people living together and supporting each other as a family. They were to be witnesses of Christian Filipino values, developing as total persons and actively participating in and constructively contributing to society.

Sad to say, after the passing of Fr. Coyle, the Board of Directors discovered that it was truly difficult for people for different disabilities to live together under a roof. It was a beautiful dream for the deaf, the blind and the crippled to live together as one family. But reality demonstrated otherwise. It was difficult to address different needs simultaneously. The experience in Welcome Home Residence proved unhealthy and non-productive. Hence the Board of Directors, through the President, decided to specialize on and focus their attention to deaf people. Welcome Home Foundation, Inc. still takes care of the visually-impaired and orthopedically handicapped but outside the residence. The foundation supports the choir composed of these differently-abled people who sing during Sunday Mass, while the deaf sign the songs. Their education is still sponsored by the Foundation.

The foundation depends largely on donations and aid given by magnanimous sponsors, foreign and local. Indeed there has been an unwavering dedication and support form these committed patrons.

The Beneficiaries of the foundation belong to the marginalized, where a lack of public interest and failure of the government to respond to the needs of these special people are present. Today the foundation focuses on the physical, educational, social and spiritual development of more than 200 deaf and hearing people toward self-actualization and integration into the community.

The Foundation has continued to operate for the purpose of:

  1. Providing and operating a home for differently-abled children in Negros Occidental;
  2. Providing opportunities for these children to attend special schools for educational and vocational training;
  3. Facilitating the placement of graduates from special and vocational schools into useful income generating projects, thus enabling these graduates to become self-sufficient and useful members of society;
  4. Providing special religious instructions through catechism and Filipino Christian value formation which will mold these special people to become active and relevant members of the society.

The following venues of training help actualize into reality all of the Foundation’s goals. The Educational Resource Center provides formal education and early intervention and prevention for deaf children. Welcome Home Residence houses and trains these deaf children in community building, while Welcome Home Farm provides livelihood skills training and opportunities for graduates. Lastly the religious instructions through catechesis for elementary and high school SPED centers provide religious formation and basic doctrine foundation.

Recently, the Foundation has reached out to other places like Pontevedra, Silay, Murcia, Bohol, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Malaybalay, Camiguin Island and Tawi-Tawi. The foundation still holds steadfastly to its original goal of providing spiritual, educational, physical and economic opportunities for our differently-abled brethren.

Issues encountered:
  • Parents or families to learn the Basic Sign Language
  • No government support for Educational materials
  • Batteries for Hearing Aids not affordable for Indigent families and WHFI has to provide;
  • WHFI staff development programs are not enough
Recommendations:
Looking for Income Generating Project or any sustainable project with good personnel to head the program.

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