Nature has always been integral to our survivor care in the Philippines. Girls spend their days growing vegetables, tending to the garden… we even have a therapy room in a treehouse that overlooks the entire Round Home!
It’s empowering for these girls to take care of something outside of themselves — and now, the Round Home isn’t just a home for children… it’s a home to chickens, goats and even fish. The girls’ laughter now joins a chorus of clucks and cries.
With one more outlet to love and care, the girls are becoming more deeply involved in their own recovery, an incredibly important step in their road towards restoration. As Dr. Gundelina Velazco said:
“There was a time in these girls’ lives when no one cared. They were so powerless over what people did to them. Now they are free… They have a choice and people listen to them. What could be a better way to make them feel that than let them care for the weak and the helpless?
By caring for creatures that are weaker than they are and who they can help live, the girls acquire a sense of power and eliminate that old sense of helplessness and weakness.”
The girls are learning that by raising livestock, they are bringing the Round Home towards a self-sufficient supply of eggs, milk and cheese. As they bring their products to market, they gain confidence and skills in entrepreneurship that will support their reintegration later.
But the most important thing is that they are learning more about what it means to love these precious animals — and themselves.
This holiday season, help ensure that survivors are cared for.
This work is impossible without your support.
