Current Be A HERO Project: Purchase of the land, renovation of the existing building, and construction of the new building will enable the home to double the number of children in care at the Pre-School and Elementary School.
Jesus Loves the Little Children Foundation
Jesus Loves the Little Children Foundation Inc. (JLLCFI) was established out of a deep conviction to meet the needs of the orphaned, neglected, abandoned, and/or abused street children in Metro Manila. It was incorporated and registered as a charitable organization in December of 1998 and in March of 2000 a license to operate was issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Jesus Loves the Little Children Foundation, Inc. (JLLCFI), under the
direction of founders Chito and Rachel Sanchez, has been working in Pasig City, Philippines (a
suburb of Manila) for the last 8 years, reaching children, youth and adults through their various
humanitarian services. They have channeled into community outreach programs such as: formal
and informal education; construction of restrooms and showers; building and operating a Children’s
Home for orphaned and former street children; supplemental feeding for hundreds of community
children; educational health-related seminars and workshops; and assisting various micro-enterprises.
They are presently wanting to purchase the property they now lease in order to improve and expand the
facilities to help even more children at risk.
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Pasig City Issues: Pasig City is ranked 4th in terms of population size in Metro Manila. It has 30 districts (Barangay); 2nd largest area is Pinagbuhatan with the largest number of slum dwellers. A Barangay is a small Philippine village, and is considered as the smallest political unit in the country. |
JLLCFI has focused their efforts in Barangay Pinagbuhatan,
the biggest slum area in Pasig City, with a population of
over one million. The houses in this area are poorly constructed, made of scrap materials. The streets
are narrow, dilapidated, and dirty. There are many swamp areas, where the children play and wade.
The unemployment and under-employment rate is staggering. The mothers accept domestic jobs to
supplement the family income, yet many families cannot even put food on the table. The children are
malnourished and often hungry – they roam the streets, hanging around. Many have stopped schooling
and are forced to work in the market, as baggage boys or carriers of market products. Young girls are
lured into prostitution and are forced to work to help their families’ survival. These children have little
or no hope for their lives. With no education and no caring family these children will stay on the streets
until they die at an early age. In an area of such extreme poverty, the situation for orphans is grim.
Jesus Loves the Little Children Foundation Inc.
targets three main areas of aid:
- Residential Care Program – providing care and proper case disposition for the neglected, abandoned, orphaned and abused children who are referred to the Home. Due to space limitations, only 40 children at a time can be accommodated, supplying them with a temporary home, food, clothing, education, medical and dental services, case management, counseling, and sports and recreational opportunities.
Since 1999, over 350 children have been cared for and educated. They were re-integrated to either their families, or to foster families. Some were taught to live independently, and have pursued lives with direction and purpose.
- Education Program – JLLCFI provide education to 100 children both from the Home, and from the community in pre-school, elementary, and high school programs. Through Educational Assistance and Sponsorship provided by partnering with Be A HERO, all these children; have been and continue to be supported.
- Community-based programs – JLLCFI assists 250 – 300 families monthly, with over 1000 families estimated to have benefited from the outreaches since 1999. They present workshops and seminars (health, skills training, nutrition, AIDs awareness etc.); provide medical and dental services; provide rice assistance; provide loan assistance for small-scale business and tricycle operation as income-generating projects; feeding program; and Christmas gift-giving to the community children.
It is of interest to note that over 100 of JLLCFI’s former clients, received into their programs as street
People living in the slums, are now off the streets, living in homes, working at jobs, their children
are in the sponsorship program, and they have been trained to work in the rehabilitation program
to assist others. With the help of 7 teachers and 8 support staff they have assisted and given
hope to a great number of children and their families.
Nineteen ministries have sprung up from the leadership that started with Jesus Loves the Little Children. The main church is called River of God and ministers to street kids and children from the slums. One man, Larry San Pedro was once a street kid who was helped and guided by this organization. He has become one of the main leaders holding slum church services and offering care and outreach to over 200 kids in all sorts of conditions.
Chito Sanchez, Founder of JLLCFI, is working with 50 leaders in other slums to replicate the
model they have pioneered in Pasig City.
Be A HERO
Project Proposal
Construct a Pre-School and Elementary School
The Situation
Presently, there are two lots side by side. The first lot of land has been leased by JLLC for the past 8 years with buildings that serve as a children’s home for 40 children, and a school for approximately 100 children in a space of 120 sq meters/1292 sq ft. The building is so cramped that some children sleep in the stairwells. The lot size is 700 sq meters/ 7535 sq ft; meaning that there is more room to grow. The landlord had this piece of land up for sale for an unreasonable sum of money. She threatened to displace this operation a number of times. We recently came to an equitable arrangement for purchase of the land.
Last year the bank had a re-possession sale on the second lot that had hosted a crack house. JLLCFI was able to purchase this 350 sq meter/3768 sq ft. piece of land for $40,000. The hope is to use this property and be able to obtain the leased land next door to build buildings and develop programs to support the children at risk in Pasig City.
Education:
According to a UNICEF report about Filipino literacy, there are 832,420 children aged 7-12 who are out of school and 3 out of 10 Grade 1 pupils cannot reach Grade 6. Therefore, Pre-School & Elementary Centers are urgently needed to respond to the current demand and state of education where schools are not available in the barangays.
To serve more of the indigent preschool and elementary children, it has been determined that a larger facility is required, as well as an increase in the number of classes, and additional teachers and materials. With a bigger building, additional classes and instructors, 400 preschool and elementary children could attend. Four times the students that now have this type of opportunity!
Three proposed Phases
Target Date:
- 2008 - First quarter - Purchase of (presently leased) land.
- 2008 - Second Quarter - Processing of Documents
(Plans, Specs, Designs, ; Permits, etc.)
- 2008 - Third Quarter - Construction of Building
Project Location:
19 A Esguerra Street,
Barangay Pinagbuhatan,
Pasig City 1602 Philippines
Phase 1: Purchase land
The area of the leased property is 700 sq. meters or 7535 sq. feet.
The purchase price is $130,000.00 for the property. There has been a $20,000.00 down payment already paid towards that amount. Another $80,000.00 is required by first week in March 2008. The remaining $30,000.00 can be paid at a later date.
There is a need to renovate the two existing 2-storey townhouses on the property, which house the pre-school, elementary school, the care home and provides a base for the community programs. The Home is in poor structural condition; the foundation and walls are deteriorating. After construction of the new building, the renovated building will be used for: 1st floor: kitchen and dining hall; showers and restrooms; 2nd floor: staff/ workers rooms. These existing buildings will be renovated as funds become available.
Phase 2: Plans & Specifications and Permits/licenses
Phase 3 - Build a four-story building for:
- 1st floor - Multipurpose Hall/ Auditorium 250 seats (convertible to classrooms)
- 2nd floor - Center for Preschoolers; Livelihood Center
- 3rd floor - Elementary School (Grade 1-6 levels); Administration Office
- 4th floor – Children’s Home
- Rooftop – Staff Home
Soil Testing will be required.
Local donors and partners have pledged to supply almost half of the raw materials needed to construct a new building. We will supply a future budget for what will be needed per square meter at 300 sq.m./floor x 4 floors.
Immediate Impact: Purchase of the land, renovation of the existing building, and construction of the new building will enable the home to double the number of children in care and increase the number of children in school from 100 to 400. An increase in the number of classes and teachers will expand community outreach programs through seminars and workshops thereby reaching and instilling awareness amongst parents the importance of education and parents’ participation in childhood development.
JLLC Preschool and Elementary graduating class of 2006
Future Plans:
As funds allow, there are plans to develop classrooms for high school on the 1st and 2nd floors; a Youth Centre with space for the medical and dental clinic, library, computer room, music and recreation on the 3rd floor; and a girl’s home for 60 children on the 4th floor. This expansion is especially critical, as Pasig has only 1 high school – according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the most crowded in the world with 10,000 students who must take their classes in shifts from 6 am to 9 pm, 50 to 100 students per class.
Five Year Projections:
JLLCFI have plans to expand the number of people we can serve, the programs, and our facilities. After completion of the second four-storey building, they will be assisting approximately 4464 children: 1064 school children, 400 children through the Children’s Home; and 300 children and youth benefiting from different community programs. Additionally, an estimated 2000 families will be assisted through the community-based programs
100% of all funds donated for this project will be applied directly to the project. Be A HERO does not keep anything for administration. Be A HERO is able to do this because the Hero Partnership and Pillar Program participants designate their donations specifically for administration. If you would like to invest in this project, we accept donations by cheque or by credit card. Click here to donate
If you wish to sponsor one of these children click here.
You will be sent a receipt for income tax purposes early in the following year.
To view more photos of the Jesus Loves the Little Children Foundation in Pasig City CLICK HERE.
