Reshaping Children's Futures

In the ‘Paraiso ng Liwanag,’ hope for a better future for abused children grows bright

By Gail J. Pelayo

Shaping children’s lives has always been challenging. But helping them cope with a traumatic experience presents an even greater challenge. This has been the responsibility Bantay Bata 163 of ABS-CBN Foundation courageously took on six years ago. This time, they have covered another milestone in providing a better future for the children through the Children’s Village.

Also known as Paraiso ng Liwanag, the Children’s Village provides a shelter for children that needs medium- to long-term rehabilitation due to maltreatment, neglect, exploitation, and abandonment they suffered from the very people expected to protect and care for them.

Made possible by generous hearts

The Children’s Village has been the result of Bantay Bata’s growth from being a simple helpline to becoming a fast growing media-based center for protecting abused children. It highlights the importance given by ABS-CBN Foundation to the future generation of this country. The village was opened on 10 May 2003 and inaugurated in 4 November 2003. Its construction has been a collaboration of efforts by various companies that have generously donated their resources to build this paradise for children.

The land was donated by MERALCO, the project management was handled by Asian Technicon while Marigold Development Corporation stood as the general contractor for the cottages. The buildings have been named after the companies and the people who gave P5 million donations each – Steve and Prescy Psinakis; ABS-CBN Foundation President Joe Guingona; Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation; San Miguel Corporation; Angelo King Foundation, and Rep. Mark Jimenez.

Paraiso ng Liwanag

Situated in Norzagaray, Bulacan, the village is recognizable from afar by a spaceship-like structure, which is the administration building. The village sits on top of a small hill that gives it a good view of a greater portion of the low-lying areas surrounding it. The buildings are positioned in a semi circle enclosing a small grassy field, a venue for outdoor recreation and other activities in the village. The interior designs of the buildings were based on the philosophy of German educator Rudolf Steiner and were primarily made of wood and bamboo and colored by earth and natural tones which give it a calming environment and which facilitates the healing process the children undergo.

The village is composed of buildings called clusters, the main residential space for the children. Each cluster has several cottages that simulate the dynamics and interactions of a real family. A cottage is composed of more than ten children, a house parent, and three caregivers, except for one cluster that is made up of only one cottage with exactly ten children. Children in this group are those who require immediate medical and supervisory attention. The children are grouped regardless of the kind of abuse they have suffered and some of their activities are done per cottage.

Before a child is transferred to the village, he undergoes a tedious but meticulous process of rescue, followed by medico-legal examinations and, depending on the case at hand, a legal process against the abuser. There are children old enough to decide that they are not ready for a legal action against their abuser since in most cases, the abuser belongs to the family. In this case, the Bantay Bata team holds their actions until such time the child decides to file a case.

Life in the village

The usual day in the village starts in an early morning walk around the village which aims to develop in the children a natural appreciation for nature. After the nature walk, the toddlers are taken to the therapy room where they get to play with wooden toys and cubes before joining the other children for breakfast.

Activities after breakfast differ for each age bracket. School-age children go to a nearby elementary school and two teenagers attend classes at a local high school. Those left behind are schooled and educated in an in-house classroom of the village. This group is composed of toddlers and school-age children whose capacity to learn according to their age has been severely affected by the abuse they have experienced.

The children are given their lunch at around 11:30am after which they are given their siesta period. What follows is a fun-filled afternoon as they are given the chance to go out in the playground in front of their cottages and spend some quality time with the other kids in the village. They also have their regular activities such as the monthly “Gabi ng mga Bata,” an event where the village celebrates the birthdays of children and staff and where each cottage gives a presentation to the village. The event develops the social skills of the children as they are tasked to interact, cooperate, participate, and perform in front of an audience.

Art therapy sessions are also conducted to give children an avenue to express themselves through art. The walls of the main classroom in the village have been adorned with the children’s art works such as masks, drawings, and paintings. A noticeable feature in each building is the paintings of the children transferred to tiles and placed beside the main door. There are also structured activities for the children depending on their age brackets. The teenagers who are in the village are given life-skill workshop to prepare them for independent living once they are released from the village.

Therapy sessions with a psychotherapist are also provided to each child. The sessions, which last from three to six months, are likewise designed to help the children cope from the trauma of their experience.

Sometimes, a play therapy is administered by an outside psychologist. Perhaps, most important of all the process that aims to heal the wounds of children who suffered abuse is the consistent affirmation to each child that he or she is well-loved and cared for by everybody in the village. Their experiences have gravely affected their ability to relate to others. Some children have become extremely sensitive while others crave for too much attention. The village staff exerts tremendous effort and patience in developing the social, emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical aspects of the children as expected in their ages.

Somebody has got to do it

Since the children of Bantay Bata and the staff transferred from their home in Quezon City last 10 May 2003, 15 children has been successfully reunited and reintegrated with their families and relatives. Bantay Bata also designed a program for outgoing children who will be released in the village. Social workers follow up the progress of the child outside the village for six months to ensure that the abuse will not happen again. The rehabilitation of the child inside the village is also accompanied by counseling for the family of the child so that they will be prepared in case of reunification and reintegration.

The Children’s Village is a haven for bruised spirits and confused minds, for innocence tainted by the cruelties that exists in the world. But more importantly, it is a great source of hope – hope that the children who suffered from traumatic experiences may soon regain their strength and confidence to live a normal life despite their past.