Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Manila (Agenzia Fides) - The list of children and adults physically and mentally disabled in the Philippines is heavy. There are 600 young children and adults affected by different disabilities assisted at the center Elsie Gaches in Manila, run by the Sisters of Charity of St. Anne. Most have been abandoned, some gathered in the streets, all from very poor families who did not know what to do. The institute, the only one in the country that takes care of the disabled, 7 women religious and 170 professionals and collaborators work. Every little progress, a smile, a few steps, learning the alphabet or numbers are celebrated as a feast, and the sisters emphasize, to obtain these results and give children hope and a worthy future, solidarity is needed, even to face every day with so many needs such as food, clothing, medicines and therapies, as well as the salaries of the collaborators. So many children, so many stories. Near the center, one can see huge clusters of slums in contrast with the skyscrapers. It is not easy for the sisters, but their sole purpose is that they can live with dignity. In a context of extreme poverty, since 1994, the center has been focusing on this segment of the population, particularly vulnerable: some have come from situations of "imprisonment" in the family, living in segregated or completely abandoned situations. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 22/10/2012)
