It’s in the Genes – the Legacy
Lives on
Teresita L. Silva - Keeping Children
Off the Streets
Ma’am Silva, as she is
fondly called by her staff, has been exposed to social work since she
was that high! Her mother, Felicidad Alvarez of the Alvarez clan of
Roxas City, Capiz, was the first professional social worker with a
master’s degree in the Philippines. The degree is from the Catholic
University in the United States. Ms. Silva herself took advanced post
graduate pre-doctoral courses at the Columbia University School of
Social Work. Her master’s degree in social work is from the
National Catholic School of Social Work.
Tagging
along with her mom to the various church-based social work
commitments, Ms. Silva developed an affinity for working with the
less privileged sector of society. Seeing how her mom’s work helped
the communities where she devoted time and effort, Ms. Silva observed
how community organizing alleviated family economic conditions and
imbibed the humanitarian and compassionate nature of her mom. Seeing
the need for income opportunities for developing communities, Ms.
Silva, in her own time, and through her own foundations, developed
programs and services to help families keep their children off the
streets.
Ms. Silva has
three foundations, interrelated and held together by the belief that
children should be kept safe and protected at all times. These are
all non-stock service foundations that bring together government
agencies, NGOs and community volunteers to promote social and
economic development in depressed areas of Districts 5 & 6 of
Manila through community-based services. The family, especially the
mothers, are given opportunities to augment the family income so they
will not need to send the children to beg in the streets.
Child Hope
Asia Philippines Foundation focuses on street children. These
children are taught skills for life, values and through the
Department of Education’s Alternative Learning System Program with
its accredited modules and programs reaches out to street children
and teaches them basic education. At present, Child Hope is in 20
areas in Districts 5 & 6 of Manila and has more than 300 street
children in attendance. There are success stories here and Ms. Silva
is proud to introduce her children who have become teachers and
coordinators themselves.
The Tahanan
Sta. Luisa Crisis Intervention Center Foundation concerns itself with
street girls and sexually abused girls. The programs are geared
towards psycho-social activities which help these girls.
The Families
and Children for Empowerment and Development Foundation, Inc. (FCED)
ties together the three programs held dear by Ms. Silva who believes
that when the family is strong and is economically stable, the
children grow in an atmosphere conducive to learning and becoming a
useful and responsible member of society.
The
Foundations’ main mission is to provide opportunities for the
education, skills training & increased income of children, youth
and their families. In this endeavor, Gifts and Graces is a major
help in bringing the products of the mothers to a bigger market and a
wider clientele base.
These
Foundations are close to Ms. Silva’s heart and has been her life
project. Her staff and many volunteers look up to her for guidance
and inspiration. As one volunteer, a former streetchild who benefited
from the Foundation and now a Doctor of Medicine says, “Ms. Silva
inspires us with her passion and dedication to the welfare of the
children and their family”.
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