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Stories written by Shelley Callahan

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A Center with a Dual Purpose

The Santo Nino Center in the Philippines serves children in many different ways

Since I had arrived in Tacloban to visit our affiliated sites in early January, I had heard so much from our volunteer coordinator, WimWim, about Typhoon Yolanda and how it had devastated the city ten years earlier. WimWim explained that although very tragic, the entire community and the government of Tacloban learned a valuable lesson in the aftermath about emergency preparedness and the importance of having a plan in place in case a storm of […]

Finding Bliss in Tacloban

The Visayans Center supports urban families living in poverty

After spending the morning with Ester and WimWim, our volunteer coordinators at the Volunteer for the Visayans, it was time to get ready for the monthly distribution of supplies to the children in our program at the first of three affiliated sites in the Philippines I would be visiting during my time in Tacloban. We didn’t spend long traveling to the first site — in fact, all we had to do is walk downstairs from […]

Volunteer for the Visayans

We have worked with VFV in the Philippines since 2005

Our volunteer coordinator, WimWim, picked me up early the morning after I arrived in Tacloban to take me to the Volunteer for the Visayans main office, located a short distance from the downtown area in a neighborhood called Bliss. When we arrived, we parked along the cobblestone road, right next to a few small shops selling candy, snacks and household items. Across the street was a large entry way with Volunteer for the Visayans written […]

Hope After Yolanda

Ten years later, residents of Tacloban are still reminded of tragedy

When I first started at Children Incorporated in May of 2014, I remember hearing a lot about our relief efforts in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan, which had devastated areas of southeast Asia in November 2013. I recall clearly stories from our staff about the damage that had occurred in Tacloban, where our affiliated site, the Visayans Center (which is run by non-profit organization, Volunteer for the Visayans, or VFV) was located. After the storm […]

The Realities of Urban Poverty

A look at our Inner City Division

In our experience, we at Children Incorporated have seen that urban poverty entails many of the same challenges that rural poverty does, including transportation barriers and shortages of affordable housing. There are some difficulties which are specific to families living in urban environments, however — problems that we are currently addressing in the following cities: Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Virginia; Detroit, Michigan; and New Orleans, Louisiana. These challenges include concentrated poverty and crime, inadequate public transportation, […]

The Many Roles of Our Volunteer Coordinator in Tagaytay

In the Philippines, Nilo is going above and beyond to help the community

Three days after arriving in Manila, our volunteer coordinator at the Fortune’s Center, Joy, offered to drive me the hour and a half out of the city to Tagaytay, where our affiliated site, the Pinagpala Center, was located. I was able to hear about the center a little more the previous day when Joy, our former sponsored child Genesis, and I had lunch with our former coordinator at the Fortune Center, Polly Jonson, and her friend […]