|
BACKGROUND
Friendship Home Fr. Luis Amigó was initially established in May
1991 as a shelter for a
number of homeless and battered children. At that time
Philippine statistics indicated that there were at
least half a million
“streetchildren” in the country, or children in especially
difficult circumstances. Friendship Home was
able to give protection, shelter and complete health, medical,
nutrition, educational, counselling, spiritual and other basic
services to only a handful of them: children who used to live in
empty tombs, a child sold for a sackful of rice; a child maimed
for life by a drunkard of a father. These were just a few
glimpses into the children’s lives before finding a second
family at Friendship Home.
In December 1992, Friendship Home was
registered as a non-stock, non-profit organization. Its capacity to take
care of the needs of more children increased under the wings of the
Mater Dolorosa Parish in 19th
Avenue, East Rembo, City of Makati. With
the help of the Manos Unidas, a Spanish funding agency, the
children were assured that they would have a safe and secure home for
residential and non-residential care for as long as they are in need and
on a long term basis.
In time, the number of individual donors, philanthropists,
cooperators, corporate donors,
civic-spirited groups, government agencies
and foreign funding agencies came to know about the work of
Friendship Home and gave their wholehearted support. The number of
children, youth and families being served grew to as many as four
hundred at the start of the new millennium. The geographical scope
also expanded beyond the cities of Makati and Manila to as far as
Bacolod.
Today, faced with shrinking fund suppo rt
due to growing economic difficulties, foreign funder’s project
priorities, and shift in allocation of government funds for
charitable causes, Friendship Home has been constrained to limit its
operations to its permanent center located at 2339 Espiritu St.,
Malate Manila. This five-story multi-purpose center was built in
2000 with assistance from the Agencia Española de Cooperacion
International and ANESVAD, a Spanish development agency. There are
currently one hundred (100) children benefiting from
Friendship Home services.
In recognition of its effort to contribute to the upliftment of the
marginalized and vulnerable child and youth sector of Philippine
society, Friendship Home has been registered in the Registry of Social
Welfare and Development Agencies of the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD).
Friendship Home has also been awarded a
Certificate of Accreditation by the DSWD. This certificate was issued to
Friendship Home for having satisfied the government’s social welfare
standards in the implementation of Residential and Community-based
Programs and Services for Children and Youth.
|
1st FHFLA Logo
1991-1994
2nd FHFLA Logo
1995-1999
3rd FHFLA Logo
2000 - Present |
