austraLasia #1971
'Here we help the young help themselves in life'
LILO-AN (CEBU): 30th October 2007 -- Bro Mari Aberasturi was an enthusiastic host, well-prepared to accept a couple of Aussie Salesian visitors sight-unseen and with no warning - and cope with their accents! He drove us to the community where he currently carries out a labour of love, reminding us of some homely wisdom from his mother: 'Find a job you like and you'll never really need to do a day's work in your life'. Of course, he works all day and possibly a good part of the night as well, but loves every minute of it. We are speaking of his work at Don Bosco Boys Home and Training Centre, located at Cotcot, Lilo-an some 20 or more kms north of Cebu City.
'Here we help the young help themselves in life' is what one sees at the entrance to the property, and one gains a sense of this from the outset. It is a home away from home for many boys, and even a home where they would otherwise not have a home, for some, but also a place where they can put themselves, and their families back together again. It is a home for those in need of special protection, and the Salesians in the Southern Philippines province network most effectively with government and NGO structures to see that boys in particular situations of need are correctly placed. Certainly those who are placed at Lilo-an are amongst the lucky ones.
It does not take long to realise that DBBH/TC Lilo-an is two operations, not one: 120 boys at elementary and high school level live in and then go out each day to school - those in elementary classes have a short walk; those attending high school are bused by the Boys Town bus to the University of Cebu-Compostela where their school is located. And while they are all away for the day, local boys and girls come in to the vacated premises to take part in the Training Centre offering of vocational courses. Around 30% of this enrolment is female: the girls, along with the boys, take courses in Mechanical, Welding, and Wood and Furniture technology.
Both aspects of this wonderful Salesian presence are strongly supported by benefactors, particularly local people who appreciate what is being done for their youngsters but also for other young people who would otherwise be a problem to Filippino society. Bro Mari told us that DBBH/TC goes through 75 kilos of rice a day - all donated. The Training Centre goes through many tonnes of wood a year - again all donated! But the end result is the construction of fine, strong minds and bodies for Filippino society, who are eagerly sought for their values and skills, and who accomplish many excellent community engineering projects.
DBBH/TC was once a government-run juvenile home. The Government were happy that the Salesians take it over on new land and buildings which government provided, and that it form part of the Task Force for street children in Cebu City. In fact the Salesians are a strong part of this Task Force with three Boys Homes (and possibly a fourth to be added), a Juvenile Prison Training Centre, and a Second Chance programme with a Salesian at the helm, which brings youngsters in trouble with the law into a process of reintegration into society with the help of the government education and social welfare and development departments.
We met up with Bro Berns too - Bro Berns is a paraplegic due to an accident many years ago, but runs a slick wheel-chair assistance across all ground floor areas! He is a treasure and a great witness to happy service of the young and the poor at any cost.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use BoscoWiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org
'Here we help the young help themselves in life'
LILO-AN (CEBU): 30th October 2007 -- Bro Mari Aberasturi was an enthusiastic host, well-prepared to accept a couple of Aussie Salesian visitors sight-unseen and with no warning - and cope with their accents! He drove us to the community where he currently carries out a labour of love, reminding us of some homely wisdom from his mother: 'Find a job you like and you'll never really need to do a day's work in your life'. Of course, he works all day and possibly a good part of the night as well, but loves every minute of it. We are speaking of his work at Don Bosco Boys Home and Training Centre, located at Cotcot, Lilo-an some 20 or more kms north of Cebu City.
'Here we help the young help themselves in life' is what one sees at the entrance to the property, and one gains a sense of this from the outset. It is a home away from home for many boys, and even a home where they would otherwise not have a home, for some, but also a place where they can put themselves, and their families back together again. It is a home for those in need of special protection, and the Salesians in the Southern Philippines province network most effectively with government and NGO structures to see that boys in particular situations of need are correctly placed. Certainly those who are placed at Lilo-an are amongst the lucky ones.
It does not take long to realise that DBBH/TC Lilo-an is two operations, not one: 120 boys at elementary and high school level live in and then go out each day to school - those in elementary classes have a short walk; those attending high school are bused by the Boys Town bus to the University of Cebu-Compostela where their school is located. And while they are all away for the day, local boys and girls come in to the vacated premises to take part in the Training Centre offering of vocational courses. Around 30% of this enrolment is female: the girls, along with the boys, take courses in Mechanical, Welding, and Wood and Furniture technology.
Both aspects of this wonderful Salesian presence are strongly supported by benefactors, particularly local people who appreciate what is being done for their youngsters but also for other young people who would otherwise be a problem to Filippino society. Bro Mari told us that DBBH/TC goes through 75 kilos of rice a day - all donated. The Training Centre goes through many tonnes of wood a year - again all donated! But the end result is the construction of fine, strong minds and bodies for Filippino society, who are eagerly sought for their values and skills, and who accomplish many excellent community engineering projects.
DBBH/TC was once a government-run juvenile home. The Government were happy that the Salesians take it over on new land and buildings which government provided, and that it form part of the Task Force for street children in Cebu City. In fact the Salesians are a strong part of this Task Force with three Boys Homes (and possibly a fourth to be added), a Juvenile Prison Training Centre, and a Second Chance programme with a Salesian at the helm, which brings youngsters in trouble with the law into a process of reintegration into society with the help of the government education and social welfare and development departments.
We met up with Bro Berns too - Bro Berns is a paraplegic due to an accident many years ago, but runs a slick wheel-chair assistance across all ground floor areas! He is a treasure and a great witness to happy service of the young and the poor at any cost.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use BoscoWiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org
