"GIVE HOPE TO 40 CHILDREN TO HAVE A BETTER FUTURE"

It was challenging to celebrate the holiday season with two (2) children hospitalized due to Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever. One of the children recovered in two (2) weeks due to mild bleeding and had a lower platelet count. The other child recovered in less a week. Since classes have been resumed in a face to face setting in their physical school, it was assumed that they got the illness from their school. Tahanan ng Pagmamahal observed additional precautionary measures and certain protocols to prevent the spreading of the illness to the other kids.

Five (5) children also experienced minor skin problems and insect bites. These were treated with over the counter topical medicines.

Four (4) children resumed their therapy sessions with a licensed psychologist. As a result of these sessions, these kids are now more expressive with their feelings. They have shown enhanced social interactions with their classmates and the other kids in Tahanan. They are also more conscientious and aware of the consequences of their actions.

The older children are also currently receiving therapy sessions for their transitory transfer to other organizations that cater to children entering their teen years. These organizations can provide appropriate activities, facilities and services to teens. While waiting to get adopted, there are kids in Tahanan that are outgrowing the shelter’s age-limited expertise, which is caring for babies to young children.

Nine (9) babies were provided with milk formula to keep them healthy and ensure their physical development. Twenty-six (26) children were provided with nutritious food.

The medical expenses incurred in the hospitalization, medicines and therapies all required financial liquidity. It is with grateful hearts that we give you our utmost thanks in helping us overcome these challenges in making sure the kids are getting what they need medically and nutritionally. Thank you for being channels of blessings to our kids.

For the third (3^rd) quarter of 2022, thirty-five (35) children were given educational assistance. Eighteen (18) children were enrolled in primary (formal) education from Daycare to Grade 5. However as of the last week of September 2022, only sixteen (16) are officially attending the blended learning classes since two (2) of the children were adopted.

The Blended Learning Classes are a combination of in-person and modular classes. During the two (2) years of the pandemic, the kids completed their education purely through modular classes facilitated by the staff. But now that they’re enrolled in the blended learning classes, all sixteen (16) children are excited, happy and religiously accomplishing their homework. Their in-person classes start at 6:00 in the morning and end at 12:30 noontime. They’ve missed the different group activities and their old classmates in the school.

Twenty-four (24) children had their health check-ups - various laboratory tests, weekly medical check-up with the private Pediatrician has been done to all the children. One (1) got confined due to Pneumonia but recovered well. The rest of the children had recurrent asthma, cough, colds and fever necessitating COVID-19 antigen and RT PCR tests. Thankfully all the results turned out negative. As a preventive measure all the qualified older children ages five (5) years old to eleven (11) years old were given full COVID-19 vaccinations. It was observed that the vaccinated children did not become sickly after their shots.

Thirty-five (35) children were provided with milk, nutritious food, multivitamins, extra Vitamin C to ensure that the children remain active, strong and healthy. Their anthropometric measurements also showed an increase in their body mass indeces.

Despite all the challenges, we are very tahnkful that through your generosity and kindness, we are still able toenroll the kids; pay for the hospitalization and confinement expenses; provide them nutritious meals, vitamins and medicine to help them thrive in this new normal.

As of the second quarter of 2022, there are thirty–six (36) children in Tahanan ng Pagmamahal. They were given milk, nutrionally-balanced meals, cared for and safe.

To maintain and ensure their health and well being, older children ages two (2) years old to eleven (11) years old underwent medical and dental check-ups. The children are continuously taking their daily multi-vitamins, and extra vitamin C to reach their ideal body weight and mass index.

The medical coordinator and the center’s cook coordinate closely to check the nutritional content of the kids’ daily meals based on their required needs. They regularly make sure that the kids’ meals are balanced, adequate and healthy.

There are two (2) newly admitted infants in Tahanan. One of them, a month old infant recovered after three (3) days of hospital confinement due to diarrhea. The doctors can only surmise as to the cause of his illness such as: the mother’s health practices while she was pregnant and perhaps the lack of pre-natal care; and when the child was taken in foster care by another caregiver (he wasn’t given the right and adequate dietary sustenance) prior to his referral and admittance in Tahanan ng Pagmamahal.  

Sixteen (16) children are still studying through the distance learning and modular program of the Department of Education for the school year 2021-2022.

Thank you for your continued support and assisatnce in caring for the children of Tahanan ng Pagmamahal. We are truly grateful for your help and your generosity in helping our children thrive and grow in a safe, healthy and loving environment.

The start of 2022 has been very challenging but through God’s generous blessings through you, we have overcome these medical and educational trials we faced in the first two (2) months:

•     Eighteen (18) children had COVID-19 symptoms: colds, cough, and fever. One (1) eight (8) month-old baby was confined due to moderate COVID-19 and paediatric community acquired pneumonia. They all completely recovered after several trips to the doctor for medical check-ups; some required hospitalization; and all were given medicine to treat their symptoms.

•     The adjusted COVID-19 alert levels paved the way for the resumption of the several therapies the children needed. Four (4) children ages 3 -7 years old are now undergoing their occupational and speech therapies. Five (5) children were assessed by a developmental paediatrician and have resulted to; early detection of autism; establishing a baseline for the kids’ nutritional status; hearing tests; and the identification of stimulation activities to improve fine and sensory motor skills (pencil grip, writing), speech and language (body parts and object identification) of the kids.

•     Face to face classes are still not allowed despite the lower alert COVID-19 levels. Twenty (20) children continued with their studies through the Modular Distance Learning Program of the Department of Education

•     We were able to provide forty (40) children with nutritious food and vitamins to further strengthen their immune systems. We were able to provide them with the safety and security in having them under our care and Tahanan ng Pagmamahal is still able to continue its operations.

We thank you with grateful and joyful hearts because you chose to bless us in taking care of these children. Our kids are able to recover, heal, have the therapies and medical care they need. They can continue studying, eating nutritious food, thriving in a loving and protected sanctuary. Thank you for helping us continue in our journey in finding these kids their loving homes.

This update is for the educational development, challenges, academic achievements and milestones the kids have achieved for the school year 2020-2021 (from October 2020 to Aug 2021).

Fifteen (15) children were able to pass last year’s grade level and are now enrolled in the next school level. Three (3) out of these fifteen (15) graduated from Kindergarten.

This school year 2021-2022, a total of twenty (20) children are enrolled under the Modular Distance Learning Program of the Department of Education. We have seven (7) kids in Kindergarten, three (3) kids in Grade 1, two (2) kids in Grade 2, six (6) kids in Grade 3 and two (2) kids in Grade 4. Classes started on September 13, 2021.

The past school year (2020-2021) as well as this current school year (2021-2022) were challenging because most of the kids were able to experience face to face, present physical teaching with teachers and engaged with their classmates socially and interpersonally through physical play and personally learning side by side with their peers in a classroom setting before the pandemic hit. Although the kids were given tablets to aid them in their modules and online classes, the house parents had to learn alongside the kids to strategize ways and means to keep the kids engaged in their online classes and to further clarify and explain the modules to the kids. These strategies had to be employed more in teaching the younger kids (that require extra attention) specifically those who are in the kindergarten level.

House parents who are not really equipped to teach professionally have to adapt and employ supplementary activities such as story telling sessions; arts and crafts (taught online, done in actual at Tahanan); and tutorials after classes. They utilized educational toys to ‘create’ play-based exercises to help the toddlers develop locomotors and psychomotor skills.

Projects for the development of the play areas and sleeping areas have been shelved indefinitely due to the strict protocols that had to be implemented since the children are unvaccinated and only in-house staff are allowed to be with the kids.

Crucial therapies have to be discontinued indefinitely as well. Speech, Occupational Therapies as well as Developmental Pediatrician and Psychological Assessments were the therapies that had to be halted due to this pandemic.

Undeniably, the lack of face-to-face interactions, the shortage of manpower and the lack of social interactions with other people are not just taking a toll on the kids but the staff of Tahanan as well.

Despite and in spite of these challenges, we are very grateful that through your help, we are still able toenroll the kids, and provide adjunctive activities to help them cope and learn during these pandemic school years.