Archive for the ‘Giving Back’ Category
A Dinner for a Cause was held at Royal Concourse, Cebu City in celebration of Train a Child Ministry’s second year anniversary. Tickets were sold at a reasonable price inclusive of a dinner for two. Families, friends and guests came over to support our cause. Talented performers were invited to entertain the audience as well. At 6:30, the program started with a prayer. Ms. Maria Paz Maceren was the hostess for the night. Atty. Zigfred Diaz gave a welcoming remark followed by two magnificent performances, a song number by Kyle Canet and violin solo by Zed Avalon Diaz. While guests were mesmerized by their beautiful pieces, dinner finally started. A message of his life by Atty. Val Loon inspired everyone who took part in the event. Another song number by Mr. Canet and a violin solo by Alfred Diaz were performed.
The Ministry’s social worker presented a short flick of their programs and services. Another clip of TCM’s Send a Child to School Program was also shown to the audience. It was the highlight of the event, where the proceeds of the event go. To break the ice, a game on “Pinoy Henyo” was enjoyed by everyone. They were called by pairs and asked to guess words pasted on their forehead that included questions about children, from their favourite cartoon characters to kiddie shows. The night was filled with laughter and camaraderie.
The opening of the bazaar was announced as the program ended. Varied art pieces especially made by the children of TCM were displayed right outside the function room. Pencil holders made of empty bottles and beads, TCM frame, school supplies and homemade salad dressings were sold. The Ministry was able to raise funds and a few signed up to commit in our Send a Child to School Program.
It was a night of splendid experience shared by one common goal, to help the children of Train a Child Ministry. Everyone who came over for dinner made the event a big success. Our heartfelt gratitude to the people who supported our cause.
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Summer is here again and Train a Child Ministry has prepared a month long activity for the children. First on the list was Vacation Bible School scheduled on April 4-8 and 11-15. Since school is off, children are all excited to attend daily classes and draw closer to Jesus. This year’s Vacation Bible School theme was taken from the book of Galatians that mainly focused on the fruits of the spirit.
Colorful drawings were pasted on the wall to make VBS a lot more fun. Two weeks was packed with group activities (artistry and games), praises, reciting the memory verse and sharing about stories in the Bible. A discussion every after class was made possible for them to understand better the essence of having Christ in our lives and having love, joy, peace, kindness and faithfulness in our hearts. Children ages four to five was scheduled on the first week and those who are six to fifteen was scheduled on the second week. Varied activities were carried out according to their age. The children looked forward to see each other everyday and share good laughs and their own stories. If we have Christ in our lives, we experience a life filled with love, joy, peace and manifest the value of kindness, long suffering, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness. In a way, the children were able to share with their family members what they learned for the week. Train a Child Ministry is looking forward to next year’s Vacation Bible School.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22
Another activity was ART Attack held on May 10-12 with the help of Vincent Gamboa. Every afternoon, instead of playing and running around, the children developed their creativity and artistry by learning the art of beadwork and sketching. They brought empty glass bottles and glued colorful beads on it. Plain white papers were filled with colorful strokes and lines. With such small hands, they were able to create masterpieces.
June is only a few weeks down, and it’s back to school again. Summer may be short, but the children were able to enjoy and learn at the same time.
Train a Child Ministry held its youth camp on April 21-22, 2011. Children ages 12-17 attended the two-day camp. With the theme “Remember thy creator in the days of thy youth” on Ecclesiastes 12:1, the children enjoyed two days and a night away from home.
Registration started at 8:00 o’clock in the morning followed by a “Getting-to-know-you” activity to loosen their feet up. To start the day, the children had a brief talk about house rules and camp schedule. Activities included film showing and games in the afternoon. In the evening, they were enlightened by a message on becoming responsible youths and knowing the ways of remembering God by Atty. Zigfred Diaz. After dinner, they were all gathered together for a campfire, chanting songs, eating marshmallows on sticks, sharing good laughs and keeping the fire burning by just being together. Having a bonfire was one of the memorable experiences the children had that night.
Lights were turned off at ten in the evening since they had to get up early the following day for a devotional. The camp ended with a third session by Ms. Diaz. Although it was a short camping experience, the children had fun and were able to understand the meaning of having Jesus in their lives.
Sexual abuse among children has been a growing issue in the country today. So how do we fight sexual abuse? What is sexual abuse? According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia, “sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another.” It is an alarming issue that women and children are faced with. People who are victims of abuse may suffer psychological, physical, emotional and social harm. It is important to educate and inform children at a young age about the risks and the ways of preventing sexual abuse from happening.
The children at Train a Child Ministry were given a discussion about sexual abuse, what a bad touch means and when to say “NO” when someone (an adult) does harmful sexual impulses. For better understanding, they were given different scenarios that place a child in harmful and violent circumstances. The children were grouped together to portray real situations on how to prevent sexual abuse. They were asked to make a visual representation on what to do and how to react when faced with such dilemma. It was a way of helping them realize the importance of saying “NO”. A dialogue was given to answer the children’s apprehensions about bad touch and ways to reject them.
Many cases of abuse have been reported nowadays and are still increasing in number. Victims are afraid to talk and report their case. Through information dissemination, sexual abuse can be prevented. Encouraging kids to speak up and helping them understand the difference between bad touch from good touch, and empowering them to exercise their right are just few ways to fight sexual abuse.
As the year started, supporters of Train a Child Ministry has continued to adhere on our mission and Salamat Club of TOYO University is one of them.
TCM children were all excited to see students from TOYO University, Japan. It was another afternoon of fun and learning along with these students. Sunday’s artwork was “stick-o-beads,” wherein children were given colorful beads and some printed pages to glue them on. While squeezing glue on the beads, they were asked to know each other by grouping themselves. The students interacted with the children and helped them to perfect their artwork. The children tried as much as they could to converse in English and interact with their Japanese ‘ate’s and ‘kuyas’. Although language was a barrier, building friendship wasn’t impossible. Their big grins showed them that talking verbally may not be necessary to build that relationship. They all had fun gluing colorful beads on the sheets and on their faces. It was an afternoon filled with warm companionship that not only showed these children the essence of camaraderie, but also, the importance of love. Communication might have been a little difficult but everything worked well in God’s grace.
Clothing Distribution: the SALAMAT Club
On February 28, 2011, six students from TOYO University headed by Mr. Robert Hughes came along with bags of used clothing. Student members of the said club came together to pack used clothes for the children in the Ministry. There were clothes of different sizes and colors, “just the right fit for infants, kids and adults.” These garments will be distributed by August until other TOYO students could send more donations enough for the children and their families.
Each child will be receiving a pack of clothes for the whole family. Although they are still students, the SALAMAT Club never hesitated to help and has continued to support the children in their own little ways. Sharing valuable and useful stuff from their own closets has brought inspiration and joy to the children in the Ministry.